A Story of Love Naomi,
a Loving Naomi said unto her, My daughter, shall I not seek rest for thee, that it may be well with thee?—Ruth 3:1 Aaron Marten When considering the account of Ruth and Naomi, one often looks to Ruth as an example of love and high moral character. Ruth is, after all, the one in the account who leaves behind her homeland, her faith, and everything that she has ever known in the land of Moab so she can become a Jew and journey with Naomi to Judah. Yet with a more careful searching of the Scriptures and looking into the things which God has revealed through his holy word, we can draw lessons from the actions and intents of Naomi, Ruth’s mother-in-law, as well. The Land of Moab The account of Naomi begins in the first chapter of Ruth. Famine has come over the land so Naomi, along with her husband, Elimelech and their two sons, flees to Moab seeking relief. The requirement to leave God’s people must have been a burden on their hearts. One can only infer that Elimelech and Naomi had the natural interests of their sons in mind. Although this demonstrated love and concern on the part of Naomi for her children, it was not to be in the best spiritual interests of the sons. Naomi’s two sons married Moabite women. The Moabites were descendants of Lot; Israel was specifically told to not consider them as children of Abraham and not to intermarry with them. Even though she was not among her fellow Israelites and her sons did not marry Jewish women, we can infer several things about Naomi’s behavior in Moab. First, we can suppose Naomi did her best to live according to the Jewish Law. That she desired to live among the Jewish people is evidenced by her longing to return to Judah when the famine ended (Ruth 1:6). Her flaw was that she did not trust the Lord to provide, and she failed to endure the just punishments that were brought upon the Israelites for their disobedience and lack of faith. Second, we can infer how she must have interacted with her family. She must have been extremely close with her sons and daughters-in-law. There was a ten-year period between the death of her husband and the deaths of her two sons when she desired to return to Judah (Ruth 1:5). During this time she must have grown very close to her daughters-in-law as they were the only family with whom she could interact. It is likely that they provided her with comfort in her grief and loving assistance when any was needed. It was likely during this time that Naomi instructed her daughters-in-law, Ruth and Orpah, and witnessed to them of the wonders of the God of Israel. This would explain why both Ruth and Orpah set out with Naomi at the beginning of her journey back to Judah. They must have had a certain fondness both for Naomi and for Jehovah because of what Naomi said. Even if she did not directly witness to her daughters-in-law, certainly her actions and her character must have been apparent. As a good Jew, Naomi would have been careful to cook according to Jewish laws and customs and expect her daughters-in-law to do likewise. The closeness between Orpah, Ruth, and Naomi can be seen in the emotional pleadings of Naomi that they go back to the land of Moab. Naomi knew that the desire of Ruth and Orpah to find new husbands would be best served in Moab and she wanted them to be happy even at the expense of her own needs. The love between Ruth and Naomi was so strong that Ruth was willing to forsake her land, her beliefs, and her natural family. She pleaded with Naomi saying, “Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. Thus may the LORD do to me, and worse, if anything but death parts you and me” (Ruth 1:16,17, NASB). In Bethlehem When she returned to her hometown of Bethlehem, Naomi was ashamed of having left Judah. Realizing that the Lord had punished her for abandoning her people, she desired to change her name from Naomi (derived from “Lovable, pleasant”) to Mara (meaning “bitter”) (Ruth 1:20,21). The sorrow and regret that she felt must have been overwhelming. The flight to Moab eventually resulted in the death of both her husband and her sons. Even though at that moment Naomi may have felt the Lord had dealt harshly with her, we can be certain she also realized that his apparently harsh dealings had been for her overall benefit. In this we see a beautiful lesson to help us in our walk along the narrow way. We know that we can trust in our loving father to work out all things for our greatest good: “We know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28, NASB). We can also be assured that his chastisements are permitted and overruled because he loves us and will do everything he can to see that we develop the necessary character to be “more than overcomers” (Romans 8:37). Naomi and Ruth had returned to Bethlehem at the start of the barley harvest. Just as a natural daughter would do, Ruth asked Naomi for permission to glean in the barley fields. If God had not provided Ruth, Naomi would have been in dire straits. Ruth was willing to stoop down and do laborious work and be maltreated by reapers so she could bring home a little barley to feed Naomi in her old age. Certainly it must have been a humbling experience for Naomi to accept this most generous offer by Ruth. The bonds of love between them must have been incredibly tight. Ruth was laboring out of love for her mother-in-law, and Naomi was experiencing an overwhelming appreciation and fondness for Ruth because of her daily sacrifices on her behalf. There is a lesson we can draw from this. We should be humble and willing to let our brethren serve us, especially when we are in need. If there is some assistance that can be provided to us, and the Lord provides a cheerful, willing servant to fulfill this role, we should not deny them this privilege of service. To have the chance to be a servant, there must also be someone who is willing to be served. If we are unable to perform a certain task due to a physical handicap, an ailment, old age, or any other impediment we may face, we should graciously and humbly accept whatever relief is provided to us through the Lord’s grace. Ruth and Boaz During the time of her labor in the barley fields, Ruth had been working in a field owned by a relative of Naomi whose name was Boaz. Word comes to Boaz of all the things that Ruth has done for Naomi. Ruth’s faithfulness to and sacrifice for her mother-in-law are traits favorably looked upon by Boaz. Boaz even invited Ruth to eat with the reapers and instructs them to specifically set aside some barley for Ruth to glean. When Naomi heard of these events from Ruth, she hoped that perhaps something more might come of her daughter-in-law’s relationship with Boaz. Naomi, seeing an opportunity, instructed Ruth to go to Boaz to attract his attention further: “Then Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, My daughter, shall I not seek security for you that it may be well with you? Now is not Boaz our kinsman, with whose maids you were? Behold, he winnows barley at the threshing floor tonight. Wash yourself therefore, and anoint yourself and put on your best clothes, and go down to the threshing floor; but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking” (Ruth 3:1-4, NASB). Yet again Naomi demonstrated her love and concern for Ruth, but she does not take the wisest course of action. Ruth approaching Boaz and lying down at his feet as he slept would have made her appear as having a questionable character. However, by the Lord’s overruling providence, everything works out best in the end. Ruth was nervous about following Naomi’s instructions, yet she knew that Naomi loved her and would instruct her to do things that would be in Ruth’s best interest. Naomi’s Inheritance Another
unnamed relative was closer in natural relation to Naomi than Boaz. To
obtain the inheritance for Naomi and marry Ruth, Boaz offers this “nearer
kinsman” the opportunity to purchase all that belonged to Elimelech and
Naomi. The man declines, probably because he does not want to marry Ruth and
“raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance” (Ruth 4:10). So Naomi sells the land to Boaz and along with it, the right to marry Ruth. Naomi gave up her right to the land she had once owned with her husband, but by selling it to Boaz, Boaz was able to became the husband of Ruth. David’s “Grandfather” The
account of Naomi and Ruth concludes with the birth of a son to Boaz and Ruth
named Obed. He becomes the
“father of Jesse, the father of David” (Ruth 4:17) The phrase “father
of Jesse” probably means Obed was a direct ancestor of Jesse (see Matthew
3:9 where the Pharisees said Abraham was their father; see also the Companion
Bible p. 365). Thus we see that this family is blessed with the great
privilege of providing a link in the genealogy of David, and thus the
genealogy of our Lord Jesus. The
joy that came to Naomi as a result of the birth of Obed must have been
overwhelming. The love she displayed for this baby was so great her
neighbors referred to it as her own son (Ruth 4:17). Naomi so loved this
child and her daughter-in-law Ruth, that even in her old age, she served as
Obed’s nurse. This was one of the ways she could thank Ruth for being so
faithful and loving to her. Naomi’s love and character was manifest to those around her throughout her life. Her love for God touched the hearts of Ruth and Orpah through her actions and sentiments while living as a Jew in Moab. Her love for her two daughters-in-law was so strong that she urged them to stay behind in Moab where they were more likely to find husbands. She continually provided motherly advice and guidance to Ruth. The strong character of Naomi led to her continued blessing from God and the opportunity for her to be a “mother” to one in our Lord’s lineage. “Blessed is the LORD who has not left you without a redeemer today, and may his name become famous in Israel. May he also be to you a restorer of life and a sustainer of your old age; for your daughter-in-law, who loves you and is better to you than seven sons, has given birth to him” (Ruth 4:14,15). As with Naomi, the Lord will bless us and keep us in his loving care if we demonstrate our love and remain faithful to his word. |