There are some journeys you make with expectation; some with apprehension. Who could doubt that this journey for Naomi & Ruth was one of real apprehension. They could not know what sort of future lay before them, either socially or economically.
They journeyed on together, coupled by a common history, but also now by a common faith. It is this faith in God that is enabling them to return to Bethlehem. Yet as we've seen, and will see again in these verses, for Naomi such a faith is not a case of bright, cloudless skies. There are real issues for her to work through. It's probably good to have a companion at such times.
1. A Town Astir (v.19)
In this scene, we see Naomi & Ruth reaching Bethlehem. They have arrived at last, after a journey fraught with danger; and who knows what lies in store for them?
The first thing they encounter in their new life is a town that is thrown into a real stir because of them. Maybe they hoped to just arrive quietly but that couldn't be. We suggested before that Elimelech and Naomi may have been a prominent family in the town and certainly their arrival causes quite a commotion.
Those who welcome them back are really excited to see them. The word that is used here speaks of "joyous shouting and happy animated conversations". Clearly there's real love for Naomi in the town; people are glad to see her; here is a community that cares, standing in stark contrast to Judges and communities that kill.
No blame, no recriminations; just a real and heartfelt joy at seeing Naomi again. That’s how it ought to be with us when someone comes back – back to church, back to the Lord. Yes, there may well be issues to work through and we ought to be ready to help in that where we can, but the foremost reaction should be joy and gladness.
2. A Woman Empty (vv.21,22)
But the people, though excited, can hardly believe that this is Naomi: "Can this really be Naomi?" Perhaps it's because she's been gone so long. It could be that they never expected to see her again, having perhaps heard that Mahlon and Kilion had married Moabite women. Or maybe it's the physical impact on her of a triple grief; that kind of experience can often make a person look so much older and broken. Whatever the reason, their welcome is genuinely warm.
Naomi must have been thankful for such a welcome yet her reply opens up the agony of faith that she has and is going through.
i) Not Naomi but Mara Notice first of all what she says about her name. They had asked “Can this really be Naomi?” and she replies as if to say 'No, not any more'; “call me Mara”. You see, Naomi means 'pleasant' but her life is now bitter, hence 'Mara'.
This isn't a genuine change of name; this is her way of expressing just how bitter life has become for her. But it also shows that there is little if any expectation in her mind that things are either on the up or are going to change. Life is over for her now; there is nowhere else to go, nothing else to do.
She seems to have forgotten the incident from Israel's history where they came to waters that were bitter, that were mara. The Israelites grumbled and God in his grace had Moses throw a piece of wood in the waters and they became sweet. But that's just a story from long ago, isn’t it. Things like that don't happen to people like Naomi, do they?
This is how she feels and she is commendably honest about it. It’s right and helpful for Naomi to say how she feels; there is no point in her hiding the pain; it wouldn’t help. We might be loathe to say so but perhaps there are also times when we also feel and think like that. We fail to take encouragement from the scriptures as we should because ...well, to be blunt, that was then and this is now.
But God doesn't change! And the rest of this book is going to show that to us in very wonderful ways. The great thing is that we can also prove it in our own experience of life.
ii) The Almighty's Doing Although it wouldn't be right to say that Naomi grumbled like the people of Israel, her next words show that she attributes what has happened to her to God: "the Almighty has made my life very bitter...the LORD has brought me back empty...The LORD has afflicted me; the Almighty has testified against me". Those are strong and striking words and we need to consider them carefully.
Naomi doesn’t lack a doctrine of the sovereignty of God; she readily acknowledges here that he is in control of all things. But her grasp of the reality of his sovereign control doesn't yield her any comfort because it is a skewed understanding of his sovereignty.
We see her grasp of God's sovereignty in her use of the name 'Shaddai' for God (translated in NIV as 'the Almighty'). It was a name that was regularly used of him in the early books of the Bible and stressed his absolute sovereignty. He is the one who can bring blessing or cursing. He is the one who can save or judge. And what he does, he does in utter fairness and justice.
For Naomi, what has happened to her has been caused by the Almighty. With a justice she may be at a loss to comprehend, this God has dealt bitterly with her. He has brought disaster on her and there is nothing for her to do but to bear it. In v.21 she says that he has “testified against” her. That is a legal term that conjures up images of court proceedings. He, the Almighty, has tried her and she has been found wanting.
Do you ever think of God in those terms too? He's in absolute control and whatever happens comes from him, so you've just got to get on with accepting that this is how things will be? That somehow he has judged you and you must just accept your fate? Is his utter sovereignty something we’ve just got to accept with a resigned shrug of the shoulders? Is it a cold control?
There is of course some truth in what Naomi says here but it isn't the full picture. God is in control; nothing happens by chance, as this book will show us. But we must be careful to draw the right conclusions concerning him and his dealings with us.
Precisely what Naomi is affirming here should also be the source of hope for the future. Because he is in control of all things, he can change the bitter and make it sweet. That was the lesson of Marah!
And that is also something which is latent in the words that Naomi uses here. In other places where the phrase “has brought misfortune upon me” is used, it turns out to be the start of a larger and greater blessing.
Can we trust God for our future? Can he make something good out of our present mess? The gospel shows us without doubt that he can. However guilty we are, however much we have contributed to the mess and the squalor, he is greater than all things and with sovereign, covenant love he can overturn and remake.
3. A Future Unfolding (v.22)
For Naomi, that is all still future. In her mind, there seems to be so little future. The reality she must face is this: she went away full - a complete family, full of hopes for the future; and she has come back empty – bereaved, with no family and no prospects.
But there are already signs that the LORD is at work to bring rich blessing into the poverty of Naomi's life. What are those signs?
- She's come back widowed and bereft of her boys, yet she has Ruth with her. This Moabite girl, with a new faith in the one true God, is dedicated to her. All is not lost
- They've arrived back at harvest time. The same LORD who had punished his people in famine is now blessing them with feasting.
Things are on the change. The signs may be small but they are still signs. We can often be slow to spot them but faith is always on the lookout and ready to see what God in his grace is doing. Her story is not yet done and neither is yours.
