Ruth 1:15-22
From the first time I heard the story of Ruth, it became one of my favorite books of the Bible. As a child, I just enjoyed the fascinating tale, but as I grew older, I appreciated the main lessons of loyalty, commitment, obedience, and redemption. Besides those obvious teachings, this little book also holds a reminder of another important lesson that applies to all of us. We all recall Ruth’s lovely impassioned speech in Ruth 1:16-17 where she vows to stay with her mother-in-law Naomi. Ruth is willingly giving up everything she has known her whole life – family, friends, homeland, and the pagan religion of Moab. That’s a huge sacrifice for the sake of her mother-in-law and for her heartfelt commitment to this new religion of the One True God. Ruth cheerfully chooses to travel to Bethlehem with Naomi – (a long, arduous trip estimated to take about 7 – 10 days on foot!) – and to live the rest of her life in a foreign country to support and care for Naomi. What a kind, brave, caring lady!
We would expect Naomi to be overcome with love and gratitude for this amazing daughter-in-law…. but what we actually see is Naomi’s statement when she arrives in her hometown of Bethlehem as recorded in Ruth 1:20-21. “’ Don’t call me Naomi’ [means pleasant], she told them. ‘Call me Mara [means bitter], because the Almighty has made my life very bitter. 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” Ouch!! Ruth is standing right there as Naomi completely dismisses her devotion and loyalty. Does Ruth get her feelings hurt and pout or cry or refuse to be a help to Naomi? No! She continues as she promised – obeying Naomi’s instructions, gathering food for the two of them to eat, etc. Rather than take Naomi’s words personally, Ruth understands that Naomi is merely grieving over all she has lost since leaving Bethlehem. In our world today where everyone seems to be looking for reasons to be insulted or offended, it’s good to be reminded to kindly overlook words or actions that could be taken as hurtful. After all, everyone has a bad day sometimes! As Matt Collins said in a sermon a couple of years ago, we need to “give each other the benefit of the doubt.” Let’s remember to show the grace, kindness, and compassion towards others that Ruth showed to Naomi.
