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| Naomi |
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| Naomi, her husband, and two sons left Bethlahem during a great drought and went to live for a while in Moab. After they got to Moab, Elimalech, Naomi's husband died and she was left with only her two sons, Mahlon and Kilion. Both of her sons married Moabite women, Ruth and Orpah. After they had lived there about ten years both of her sons died and Naomi was left with only her two daughters-in-law. When Naomi had heard that the Lord had come to the aid of His people by providing food for them, Naomi and the two young women prepared to return to Bethlehem. With her two daughters-in-law she left the place they had been living and headed home. Naomi knowing she no longer had a husband or sons, only her two daughters-in-law and no grandchildren, was feeling very down. She told the girls to go back to Moab saying, 'May the Lord be with you and you find another husband and a new home'. Ruth stayed with her while Orpah returned home to her family. After returning home Naomi saw how hard that Ruth was working to support them, and it just happened that the field Ruth was working in belonged to Boaz a relative in her husbsnd's family. She told Ruth to do as Boaz had said and stay with his servant girls, a young woman working alone in the field might be harmed. When Ruth told her that Boaz had said for her to keep working in his field till the harvest was over, she told Ruth that he is a kinsman-redeemer (avenger in Hebrew). Naomi thought there was still a chance for Ruth to have a home and a family and told Ruth to wash and perfume herself and return to the threshing floor and wait for Boaz to finish his dinner, and when he laid down to uncover his feet and lay at his feet, knowing he was a God-fearing man, she told Ruth that he would tell her what to do next. After Boaz got the family property taken care of so that Naomi's husband and son's names would not disapear from the family or town records, he asked Ruth to marry him. They were married and had a son, Obed (the family line of David and Jesus). Then Naomi took the child, laid him in her lap and cared for him. The women living living there said, 'Naomi has a son and a daughter-in-law that loves her more than seven sons'. Both girls, out of love for her, said they wanted to go with her. Naomi told them 'Return my daughters, am I going to have more sons? If I had a husband tonight and had sons would you wait for them to grow up? Would you remain unmarried for them? No my daughters, it is more bitter for me than for you, because the Lord's hand has gone out against me!' It was customary for widowed women to be married to and taken care of by the dead husband's brother. Naomi tried again to convince Ruth to go back to Moab but Ruth told her,'Don't try to turn me away, where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything seperates you and me.' Naomi realized Ruth wasn't going anywhere but with her. When they came into Bethlehem the whole town was a buzz. The women in town were saying, 'Can this be Naomi?' But Naomi told them to call her Mara because God has her life very bitter, she went away full and returned empty. It's not difficult to get depressed when it seems that life has dealt you some curves. But that is the time to turn to the Lord to be our Rock. 'May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.' {Psalms19:14} |