From Bitterness to Blessing
I read the Book of Ruth this morning as part of my daily Bible reading. This brief book is somewhat of an interlude in the historic account of Israel moving into the Promise land.
It is significant at the end of the story because Ruth from a foreign country (Moab) becomes the great grandmother of King David.
The story could be named after Naomi, because much of the story focuses around her and her being instrumental in the life of Ruth, after Ruth leaves her own country to follow Naomi back to Bethlehem.
Briefly, Naomi and her husband and two sons go to Moab during a time of famine in Israel. In Moab her husband dies. He sons marry and ten years later they die. Naomi is alone without husband or sons. She decides to return to Israel hearing the famine has come to an end. Her daughter-in-laws decide to leave their country and stay with Naomi. Naomi implores them to go back to their own country. After an emotional time of decision Orpah returns home but Ruth is determined to stake her future with Naomi and a new home in Israel.
Ruth is sent out by Naomi to glean wheat and barley in the fields of wealthy landowner by the name of Boaz. The ensuing events find Boaz, a relative to Naomi’s husband, marrying Ruth to preserve the family name in Israel and Ruth has son named Obed who has a son named Jesse who has a son named David.
That is the quick male summary of an otherwise Biblical love story. What caught my attention during this reading was Naomi’s perspective of her life and what she went through. When Naomi returned to Bethlehem, she did so without husband, sons and only her daughter-in-law. She had endured great loss after thinking she and her husband years ago had made a good decision for their family.
When she returned to her friends and home town people were excited to see her but this is what she said, “Don’t call me Naomi [Sweet]. Call me Mara[Bitter] because the Almighty has made my life very bitter. I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty. Why do you call me Naomi when the Lord has tormented me and the Almighty has done evil to me?” (Ruth 1:20,21)
Later when Naomi found out that Ruth had been gathering grain in the field of Boaz, her perspective changed. She said, “May the Lord bless him. The Lord hasn’t stopped being kind to people—living or dead…That man is a relative of ours. He is a close relative, one of those responsible for taking care of us.” (Ruth 2:20)
 What a changed in attitude and perspective! As the story unfolds you can see Naomi’s faith and confidence in God’s care and provision begins to rekindle. At the end of the story with the birth of Obed the Bible says, “Naomi took the child, held him in her lap and became his guardian.”   (Ruth 4:16)
What a turnaround for Naomi; from blaming God to blessing God; to having no family to being the guardian of the ancestor of King David.
Based on this story I would challenge you to keep the following in mind…
1 – Don’t make hasty conclusions about your life, or God
2 – Regardless of how you may view the events of your life, God will not abandon you or stop working for your good
3 – Don’t write the conclusion of your story while God is still writing your story
We consider those who endure to be blessed. You have heard about Job’s endurance. You saw that the Lord ended Job’s suffering because the Lord is compassionate and merciful. (James 5:11)