Not What Was Expected
Today has gone by quickly. But it has been one of focused work on my tax return for the year. I hope to finish up by tomorrow.
BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY… “Naomiās husband Elimelech died, and she was left with her two sons.…After they lived in Moab about 10 years,Ā both Mahlon and Chilion also died, and Naomi was left without her two children and without her husband.” Ruth 1:3-5 HCSB
It is interesting what life can bring. What a difference a decade can make! I’m sure Elimelech believed he was doing the right thing to move from Bethlehem to Moab. There was famine in the land and even though the Mobaites were traditional enemies of Israel, he decided to seek refuge in their land.
Over the next ten years a family that took a trip to a foreign land, for a season, was reduced to a wife/mother and her daughter-in-laws. Naomi found herself a widow, mourning the loss of her two sons. No husband, no children, in a foreign land.
I have written in the past about “When the Unexpected Happens.” These turn of events for Naomi, turned a place of refuge into a place of mourning and bitterness. Have you ever known someone who made a “big” move with great expectations and soon they found that it just wasn’t working out? We see that in the beginning of this story.
Naomi did what was best, she resolved to “go home” – to return to the land of her family and ancestors. When she did the years and the grief showed on her countenance. “…the whole town was excited about their arrival and the local women exclaimed, āCan this be Naomi?ā (Ruth 1:19 HCSB)
Naomi returned with her daughter-in-law Ruth to begin a new life. She left Bethlehem in a time of famine and she returns as a poor widow. She sends Ruth to glean in the fields during the barley harvest to have some grain for food.Ā She intentionally sends her to the fields of one of her husbands relatives, so she would be safe.
We see the Lord provides for them by Boaz the relative taking Ruth as his wife. The story ends with not just a “happy ending” but is significant because Ruth, the Moabite, becomes the great-grandmother of King David.
In looking at the events, the trip from Bethlehem (the House of Bread) to a land that was not only hostile toward Israel, but proved to be a hostile environment for the men of the household. I guess we could observe that a major life move needs considerable contemplation.
No one can anticipate what the future holds. As my friend Paul Irwin shared when he was with us recently, “life is a gift, life is precious and life is fragile.” Naomi found that out. Ten years can seem like a long time, but ten years in Moab was like an eternity, it changed life as she knew it.
When you find yourself in a “Naomi” situation, the best thing to do is to return; to go home. That is what Naomi did, that is what the prodigal son did. Naomi, even in her bitterness of what life had brought, choose wisely to return and reconnect with “her people.” This shows the value of relationships, family and familiar environments, of “home.”
Finally, I observe the Lord is able to redeem the events of our lives. The story of this book is to remind us of how the story ends, not what can be viewed as the poor judgment that lead to tragic circumstances. In our life, we need to have hope that however bad the circumstances can be, they can be redeemed by the Lord’s grace.
I’m sure it took some humility for Naomi to return home. She did the right thing and the Lord rewarded her right actions with a “grandson” she did not have. The women of the town now declared, āPraise the Lord, who has not left you without a family redeemer today. May his name become well known in Israel.Ā He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age.”Ā (Ruth 4:14,15 HCSB)
When our decisions bring “what is not expected”, the Lord can bring to us “what is not expected”, as we trust in Him and follow His leading and see him redeem our lives.