*Read Ruth 1:19-22
In addition to my pastoral ministry, I try to carve out time for several other side interests that the Lord has convinced me are part of my overall ministry and life mission. As He's created opportunities for me to learn more about things like writing, publishing, podcasting, entrepreneurship, and online platform development, I felt led to start a membership community geared toward helping others learn more about these subjects so they can use these skills in their ministries and businesses. On occasion, you've probably noticed me sharing things about that online.
This week, I hosted a two-day training event that was geared toward helping some of these ministry and business leaders develop their platforms in meaningful ways. It was exhausting and exhilarating at the same time, but it was also very interesting to see who was there and to learn more about the life stories of the men and women in attendance.
One of the women in particular recently went through a very rough stretch. She's dealt with some major upheaval in her family, changes to her work situation, and the need to move to a new community. In the time I've known her, I have watched her personality change from upbeat and involved to more serious and sometimes absent. In explaining why she's been somewhat absent for a season, she also explained that the Lord has been using the trials of this season of her life to foster renewal and a new perspective.
She explained that while she was down and discouraged, she didn't have a strong desire to be around others, but now, as she's been reinvesting in her walk with Jesus, she's watching as He's helping her bounce back from the trauma of this past year. She's plugged into a solid church in her community, committed to forming relationships through the small group discipleship program of her local church, and using her experiences to bless others through a refreshed online ministry that my wife and I have the privilege to assist her with.
I love her story, and I love seeing her devotion to Christ in the midst of the trauma she's bouncing back from because her experiences are very similar to what many of us have faced or will face at some point in our lives. It's very likely that somewhere during the course of your earthly journey, you're going to experience circumstances that may cause you to feel discouraged and dejected. And when that season comes, I'd like to know how long you plan on remaining in it? Some people get stuck in those seasons long after it's time for them to emerge from them. Many people struggle to believe there's a way out or a better season on the horizon.
I get the impression that Naomi was seriously struggling to see beyond her season of discouragement when I read Ruth 1:19-22. She was still mourning the death of her husband and sons, but now felt led to return from her sojourn in Moab and come back to her homeland of Bethlehem in Judah. It had been more than a decade since she had lived among her people, but now was the time for her to return as she tried to discern what to do with the rest of her life.
As Naomi returned to Bethlehem along with her daughter-in-law Ruth who promised to remain loyal to her for the rest of her life, we're told that the whole town was stirred by Naomi's reappearance. It had been a long time since they had seen her, and I'm sure many people were convinced they'd never see her again. Friends of hers and women she likely grew up with were shocked to see her again. I'm sure some of them were thrilled at her return, but I also suspect some of them were grieved when they grasped the severity of Naomi's circumstances.
When they had last seen her, she was happily married to Elimelech and they were raising their sons, Mahlon and Chilion together. Now, Naomi was without these men. She left Bethlehem with them, but returned without them. She left as a happily married wife and mother, but returned as a childless widow. The town was probably so "stirred" because they didn't really know how to feel. On one hand, they were happy to see their friend, but on the other hand, they were grieved when they heard about the pain Naomi had endured and was still enduring.
It's obvious that Naomi's pain was still pretty fresh in how she greeted the townspeople. When the women of the town asked, "Naomi, is it really you?", she told them, "Don't call me Naomi any longer. Call me Mara." The name "Naomi" means "pleasant", but "Mara" means "bitter." That's what she wanted them to understand about the state of her heart at the moment. She left years ago feeling full, but was returning to her people with a feeling of emptiness that she wasn't convinced was likely to improve anytime soon.
It's also clear from her words that she was convinced that much of what she was dealing with was because God's hand of judgment was against her. This calamity she was enduring was something she believed God had brought into her life and she was feeling bitter about it, so bitter that she didn't even like the sound of her own name. She didn't feel pleasant any longer, so she didn't want to be reminded of the season of life when she did.
Sometimes I have a hard time reading Naomi's words in this passage because the events being described here aren't theoretical fables. These are real things that happened to real people, and I feel sad when I think of what seems like a thoughtful and wonderful woman like Naomi going through all of this. It also tugs at my heart when I think about her going through the process of attempting to restart her life at an older age while her heart was still feeling so heavy.
Have you ever gone through a season of life that reminds you of the pain Naomi was clearly experiencing? How did you feel while you were in the midst of it? Did you try to hide yourself away from the attention of others for a while during your grief? Did you struggle with feelings of bitterness? Did you go through a season of blaming God for your circumstances and questioning whether or not He was punishing you for something?
One of the things we struggle with in this world is an understanding of the nature of love. We have a bad habit of confusing love for affection or infatuation. We often think of love as something conditional in nature instead of recognizing that true love involves seeking what's best for someone else, even at great personal cost to yourself.
It's possible that you have people in your life who primarily demonstrate a form of conditional love toward you that really isn't love at all. Some years ago, I started to realize that there are people in my life who "love" me as long as I can do something for them, but as soon as I can't continue serving them the way they initially expected, they're gone. Either they come at me with a few arrows or they completely disappear from my life.
Maybe you've dealt with the same exact thing. If so, has it had an impact on your understanding of the way the love of God works or the way He's at work in your life?
When you've been burned by the conditional love of people you once trusted, it can become challenging to accept that the love of God doesn't operate like the conditional love of man.
In man's economy, we're primarily focused on work and reward. In the Lord's economy, He certainly rewards the faithful labors of His children, but His economy has another level to it that can sometimes be hard for us to wrap our minds around. In God's economy, He delights to reward us for the work He's done on our behalf. He shows us love when we're seemingly unlovable and He graces us with blessings when we have nothing to offer Him in return.
The greatest example of how this all works is the grace of the Father that is shown to us through His Son, Jesus Christ. We had filthy rags to offer Him yet He showered us with the blessing of salvation. We rebelled against Him, yet Jesus was nailed to a cross to pay for our rebellion and continual running away from Him. The list of our offenses was so long and so heinous that there wasn't anything we could do to correct it, yet in His love, Jesus wipes the list clean for all who trust in Him so we can stand before the Father clothed in the righteousness of the Son. We were under condemnation, so Jesus took our condemnation upon Himself so we can appear before the Lord our Judge with no outstanding offense held against us. Praise God!
Just yesterday, I was scrolling through my social media and I came across the account of a police department from the town where my mother grew up. Whoever manages their social media channels has a lot of fun with what they post. Their community has become a dreadful area to commit a crime because if they find out who did it, your name and picture will be plastered all over the Internet.
Apparently, they just figured out who may have been at fault for a local hit-and-run accident so they made their discovery known this way. The post featured a picture of a local woman, and the text read as follows: "Chelsea, want to call us about your Red Ford Focus being involved in a hit & run so we can get your insurance information? Thanks." Now every single person in that community knows the first and last name of the woman who did this along with what she looks like. I don't know how she'll be able to continue living there if and when this situation eventually resolves.
There is going to come a day when every person is going to give an account for their life to God. Every detail is going to be laid bare and nothing that is hidden will remain hidden. When that day comes, those who reject Jesus will experience eternal condemnation and separation from the presence of God forever while those who trust Jesus and have received His gift of forgiveness will be reminded that there is no condemnation in store for them. They will be eternally welcomed into the presence and kingdom of their Creator.
““There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” ”
There is an additional reminder in Romans 8 that's important for us to remember, particularly as we study the book of Ruth and learn more about Naomi's story in the opening chapter. Romans 8:28 tells us, "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good." That's a theme we're about to see throughout the rest of this book. It's a truth that combats bitterness. It's also something I hope we'll all remember if we're going through a season where we're feeling down and discouraged with no end in sight.
The Lord was about to drastically turn Naomi's situation around. Her bitterness was going to be replaced with joy. Her sorrow was about to be replaced with singing, and a small hint of the way the Lord was going to orchestrate that turnaround can be seen in the last verse of the first chapter of Ruth.
““So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabite her daughter-in-law with her, who returned from the country of Moab. And they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest.” ”
Naomi has now returned to her homeland bringing Ruth her Moabite daughter-in-law with her. In God's sovereignty, He prompted them to return to the land at the perfect time. It was in the months of April or May when they arrived and the barley was ready to be harvested, and it was through a godly landowner with fields that needed harvesting that their story of gracious provision and redemption was going to continue.
I don't know if you're feeling down and discouraged over something right now, but I hope you'll remember the examples Scripture gives us of God's love and faithfulness to His people in the past. His love for you is no less than His love for them, and if you keep watching, you're going to eventually see how His plan for your life was always orchestrated for His glory, your best, and this world's redemption through Jesus.
© John Stange, 2022
