Naomi has returned to her
homeland Bethlehem with her daughter-in-law Ruth. Although the people
of the city greeted her upon her return, Naomi has changed her name
before them from Naomi which means “pleasant” to Marah which
means “bitter.” She has decided that the Almighty is against her,
and although she at one time may have enjoyed pleasantness in her
life, her experiences with the death of her husband and sons has
changed her outlook. She continues to make her conclusions in today's
verse found in chapter one and verse twenty-one where it says:
I went out full, and
the LORD has brought me home again empty: why [then] do you call me
Naomi, seeing the LORD has testified against me, and the Almighty has
afflicted me?
Naomi
makes an interesting appraisal of her situation when she left her
home with her husband and two sons, “I went out full.” If
we recall, Naomi left her home in the first place because there was a
famine in the land. Was this what she deemed “full”? Doesn't it
seem to be that way when we recall our past? Most of the time we will
forget about the hardships we previously endured and only remember
them in light of our current situations. Naomi had her most important
relationships with her when she left, but it was a famine that moved
her in the first place.
Next,
once again, Naomi attributes her tragedy to the Lord, “and the
LORD has brought me home again empty.” Naomi deduced that the
Lord was the reason for her troubles. How often does God receive the
blame when tragedy occurs? Rather than looking at this from God's
perspective of leading and guiding her, Naomi has concluded that God
is against her. He has left her empty now.
In
addition to Naomi's idea about being full when she left and God being
the reason for her emptiness now, she questions the people from
Bethlehem with this question, “why then do you call me Naomi or
“pleasant”, seeing the LORD has testified against me, and the
Almighty has afflicted me?” Naomi desired to change her name to
one that more properly fit her situation, “Marah” or “bitter.”
She was convinced that the LORD testified against her. She knew the
Almighty was the reason for her affliction, and now rather than being
a person of a pleasant spirit and pleasing attitude, she was changed
in her heart and mind toward a bitter spirit and a sorrowful
attitude.
It is
easy to look upon Naomi and judge her as one who was very harsh upon
herself, but if we have walked in her shoes and faced one tragic
event after another, we might also be inclined to be of her very
spirit and attitude. Person after person in the Bible experienced
times of sorrow and depression including Elijah, Jeremiah, Jonah,
Habakkuk and more. In order to keep from this perspective, we must
remember that God has more to the story than we know. In the next
chapter we will see the mighty hand of God orchestrating a scenario
that we nor Naomi would have ever imagined. When times of trouble
confront us, perhaps Psalm chapter forty-six and verses one and ten
will help keep us on tract:
“God is our refuge
and strength, a very present help in trouble...be still and know that
I am God.”
Next
time we will observe as Naomi and Ruth settle back into Naomi's
country, and we shall discover the timing of this event, so read
ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow...there is
more...
Look
for the new devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From
Generation to Generation” in all major bookstore sites,
www.amazon.com
; www.barnesandnobles.com
; download
to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore
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