From Where Naomi Was Ruth 1:7 - Equipped for Battle

Naomi was devastated, and her life was forever changed. She left her homeland because of a famine to travel to and live in Moab with her husband and two sons, and now all of them have passed away. She has only her two daughters-in-law with her now, and recently word has been received in Moab that the Lord has visited her homeland and food is now available. She has decided to go home. Our story continues in the book of Ruth in chapter one and verse seven where we read:

Wherefore she went forth out of the place where she was, and her two daughters in law with her; and they went on the way to return unto the land of Judah.

Our verse today begins with, “Wherefore she went forth out of the place where she was”, and as we have stated before in previous studies, whenever we read a “wherefore” in the Bible we must look to understand what it is “there for”. This particular “Wherefore” is there because in our previous verse we learned that “the LORD had visited his people in giving them bread.” Food was now available in Naomi's homeland, and since she no longer had need of where she was located in Moab, she could return to her home. Her life had changed, and now she was a widow and a motherless woman. Her husband was gone. Her two sons were gone, and now the famine was gone. She decided to leave where she was to return to her familiar ground.

Next we read, “and they went on the way to return unto the land of Judah.” Naomi began her journey with her two daughters-in-law, and they were actually “on the way to return” to the place of Naomi's upbringing. Interesting enough, “Judah” means “praised”. Let's think about this for a moment. In order for Naomi to get back to “praised”, she had to leave her present circumstances. She needed to leave where she was which was in the place of many sorrows, to get back to her roots which were in Judah or “praised.”

Sometimes when tragedy strikes we can do nothing better than to leave where we are. We must leave our difficult positions to discover the next step that God has for us. This move may be a physical move but it is often a mental and emotional move we must make. We so often have only the view of our current situations while God is overlooking the entire plan. We have a limited view, and God has a grand view. What seems incredibly difficult to understand in one moment may be the inspiration for the next moment. For Naomi to be back in the place of praise again in her life, she had to leave the place of pain and suffering. She had no idea what was waiting for her in the future, but one thing was certain, she had to leave where she was to get there.

Although her two daughters-in-law were with her upon her initial leaving, there is more to this wonderful story coming in the next few verses, so read ahead, and we shall join together next time.

Until tomorrow...there is more...

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