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Category: Personal Study
Thread: Battling Depression in Scripture
Post Topic: Provision For the Most Bitter Widow in the Bible – Naomi
Post in Thread: #6
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Scripture: Ruth 1:6-21
Key Verses:
Ruth 1:20-21
“Don’t call me Naomi,” she told them. “Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter. 21 I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? The Lord has afflicted me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me.”
Observations
Context
Background
The initial verses of Ruth tell us that there was a famine in Naomi’s homeland of Bethlehem, Judah, so her family (husband and two boys) packed up and moved to Moab. They remained in Moab for 10 years, where the boys married Moabite women, Orpah and Ruth. Sadly, Naomi’s husband and sons all died in Moab, leaving the women alone in this land.
Why was there famine in Bethlehem –which meant “the house of bread?”
The book of Ruth must be studied in light of its temporal context, described in the book of Judges. During those 400 years, Israel/Judah was a revolving door of sin, punishment, prayer for help, a military leader, peace. Yahweh promised famine as one of the results of idol worship (Deut. 11:13-17). Ezekiel also says it clearly (Ezekiel 14:13). This famine was a punishment from God for Israel’s sin.
Who were the Moabites?
The Moabites were descendants of Abraham’s nephew Lot. They were a product of his sinful, incestuous relationship with his own daughters. Their god of choice? Chemosh, which demanded child sacrifice. Yahweh’s mandate about Moabites not allowed in the holy Temple leaves no doubt about the LORD’s disdain for Moab (Deuteronomy 23:3). This was an evil place Naomi’s husband had brought her to. Where she became stranded.
Why did Naomi urge Orpah and Ruth to return to Moab?
In that time, widows typically ended up as beggars. A woman’s well-being was totally connected to their husbands. Naomi told Ruth and Orpah to go back to Moab and find new husbands while they were still young, among their own people, so they could survive.
Naomi’s Bitterness
- Naomi had many reasons to be mad at God:
- She had lost both her husband and two sons.
- She had become a widow in her old age, with nobody to care for her. In that culture widows found themselves desperate to survive, especially “mature” women, too old to find a husband.
- Naomi wasn’t hesitant to express how bitter she was with God:
- Ruth 1:13 – To her daughters: “It is more bitter for me than you, because God has turned against me!”
- Ruth 1:19-21 – After returning to Bethlehem, she told the women who remembered her to call her Mara instead of Naomi, because it means bitter. “Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made me bitter. I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty.”
- She blamed God: “The Lord has afflicted me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me.”
God’s Provision – Ruth’s Loyalty
- Orpah kissed Naomi. Then she turned her back on Naomi and walked back to her people and her god—Chemosh.
- Ruth clung to Naomi. Then she turned her face to Naomi and pledged fidelity to Naomi and to Naomi’s God–Yahweh.
- Ruth demonstrated unwavering loyalty. She traveled with Naomi to a strange land with a people that she didn’t know, other than her exposure to Naomi’s family.
- Ruth’s iconic reply lives on: “Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. 17 Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.”
God’s Provision – The Kindness of Boaz (chapter 2)
- During the wheat harvest, Ruth went into the fields to gather the scraps that fell behind the harvesters. Jewish custom allowed that the poor could find sustenance in such a manner.
- Boaz took notice of Ruth, making sure that she was able to gather way more than usual.
- Boaz gave his reasoning to Ruth — he had noticed her loyalty to his relative Naomi and wanted to make sure they were both provided for.
- And thus, the flame of romance was kindled, and we won’t bore you with the details that you can read for yourself in the ensuing chapters, but long-story-short, they get married and live happily-ever-after.
Interpretation
Author/Genre
Historic Romance. The author is unknown, though some historians say Samuel wrote the book of Ruth.
Setting
From distant Moab to Bethlehem, the City of David.
Takeaways
- Naomi’s situation actually was desperate—widowed, alone in a foreign land, in the middle of pagan idolatry. She thought God had turned his back on her.
- People in desperate situations often believe God has abandoned them.
- Naomi turned bitter, blaming God for her predicament. Can you blame her?
- She couldn’t begin to imagine what God was planning for her. She had no clue of the blessing to come.
- We finite beings cannot grasp God’s plan to bless us before it happens.
- In our humanity, we jump to wrong conclusions, instead of living in faith.
- God does not abandon us, even when our hearts turn dark.
- God worked in the heart of Ruth to love both God and Naomi. Who knows what might have happened if Naomi had attempted the dangerous journey back to Bethlehem alone?
- God sent Ruth to the field of Boaz at the right time. The wheels of his plan were in motion all the way back in Moab.
- Ruth’s faith, love, and loyalty lifted Naomi out of her state of bitter depression.
- As we read the story of Boaz’s romance with Ruth, Naomi played a big role.
- She recognized Boaz’s interest in Ruth, and engineered the events that led to their marriage. Does that sound like a depressed woman?
Imagine
A modern-day Naomi
An exciting business opportunity brought your family oversees to the other side of the world. You embedded yourself into the culture. You became fluent in the language, practically forgetting English. Your business thrived. Your two sons found wives among the native population. Wonderful women.
Now, a decade has passed, and you’ve adopted this land as your home. The locals practice Islam, so you aren’t able to find churches or other believers. But you are able to worship on-line. Sometimes. Secretly, you share your faith with your daughters-in-law, and they seem accepting.
Suddenly, a plague hits the land. It hits your family hard. Your spouse and the two boys both fall ill. Tragically, all three are taken to their everlasting home. Not having money to ship the bodies, you bury them in a local cemetery. Besides, you’ve lost touch with most family members. A couple of distant cousins email their condolences, but none make the journey. One uncle sends a long, hand-written note. He was your spouse’s favorite uncle. But it has been so long.
After the short ceremony, you sit on the small floor of the house, staring at your daughters. You love them so much that you don’t think of them as in-laws. You know there’s nothing left for you here. The pandemic is over, but it hit the economy hard, and your business is floundering. Without your spouse to help, it’s already disintegrated. Nobody will employ you, when their own family members are struggling. You barely have enough for a one-way ticket back. On a cargo ship.
How do I tell them? What do I tell them? My last ties to the boys, but I have to let them go. They barely know English. They’ll be better off staying here.
Correlation
Better than seven sons
Ruth 4:13-17
- God granted Boaz and Ruth a son, Obed, who became the grandfather of David.
- The women seemed to prophesy about Obed, saying he would become famous throughout Israel.
- They said of Ruth: your daughter-in-law, who loves you and is better to you than seven sons, has given [Obed] birth.
- Takeaway – God had a plan for Naomi and Ruth, even back in Moab.
Trusting God in Hardships
John 16:33
- Jesus, before his death, knew that his disciples would experience tribulation.
- He told them many encouraging things in this chapter, culminating with: I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.
Jesus is our Kinsman-Redeemer
If you read the entire book of Ruth, you’ll see Boaz acting as Naomi and Ruth’s kinsman-redeemer. To learn more about this, click this link: What is a kinsman-redeemer?
Why mention this? Because in the same way Boaz acted as a kinsman-redeemer, so does Jesus act us our kinsman-redeemer. We are totally in need of Jesus’ provision and redemption.
Application
Generic Applications
Life doesn’t always take the turns we expect. Hardship is a sad fact of life. Is it God’s fault? He is all-knowing and all-powerful, after all. It’s a hard question. Bitterness is a natural human reaction, unless we submit to God’s sovereignty. If you are experiencing loss and bitterness, I don’t want to minimize your suffering. There’s no promises that God will provide you with a Ruth, but he calls on us to trust him. And you will be able to find other blessings in the midst of it all.
Naomi knew God was sovereign. She complained that he was responsible for the hard things in her life. She forgot he is also the source of all her blessings. She made a choice to be bitter. Naomi was wrong. In spite of her attitude, God hadn’t turned his back on her.
My four-year old nephew asks impossible questions: “How big is God? Is God stronger than Daddy? How old is God?” Even as believing adults, we can’t comprehend God’s infinity, his sovereignty. What we know is he is in charge and always orchestrating his will for good.
How do we respond to life’s difficulties? Do we choose bitterness, or acknowledge God’s blessings? We may feel depressed by life’s hardships. But God hasn’t turned his back on us. Let’s pray that we never turn our back on him.
Personalize it
Like Naomi, I can’t escape trouble and sorrow. How best to handle what this fallen world throws in my face? God never tells me to pretend I’m not in pain. Instead, he challenges me to look beyond earthly circumstances and consider eternity.
Count our blessings
Eventually, Naomi was able to recognize God’s provision—in the love and companionship of Ruth, and in the kindness of Boaz.
- When bitterness tries to seep into my life, what blessings of God can I focus on instead?
- List ways God has provided for me throughout my life.
- List people like Ruth that God has brought into my life at the right time.
- List ways he’s directed my life behind the scenes.
- Describe what Jesus did for me.
- Note Scriptures that calm me in a time of trouble
- Do I ever feel like God has turned his back on me? Perhaps referring to this list will help.
Paying it forward
Ruth’s love for Naomi made a big difference. Without Ruth’s kindness, Naomi might have been dragged into the pit of despair permanently.
- Can I find someone who needs an act of kindness?
- How can I show them they are not alone?
Summary
In this series about Bible characters who experienced depression, we are adding a bonus section that summarizes each person’s affliction.
Cause, false expectation, remedy
Cause – Naomi allowed the spirit of bitterness to blame God. She thought the Lord turned his back on her.
False Expectation – Her name—Naomi—meant pleasant, which suggests she had been a kind and happy person until the famine. As death ravaged her family, she couldn’t handle the sorrow. She never expected life to be so sad.
Remedy – Companionship – a loyal daughter-in-law in Ruth. Hope – the kindness of Boaz-her kinsman redeemer.
Ruth gave birth to Obed, the grandfather of David. Did you know that King David’s great-grandmother was a Moabite? A Gentile?
Bible study methodology adapted from Searching the Scriptures with permission from Tyndale House:
Swindoll, Charles, Searching the Scriptures. Tyndale House Publishers, 2016.
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