A. HOW NAOMI COMPROMISED
1. She compromised her spiritual priorities.
a. Did not continue in difficulties. “A famine in the land” (Ruth 1:1).
b. Enticed by the well-watered plains of Moab (1:1).
c. Left the Promised Land. “Ephrathites of Bethlehem" (Judah 1:2).
2. She compromised her commitment to the Lord. When Ruth, her daughter-in-law wanted to go with Naomi, she directed Ruth to go back to her foreign god. “Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law” (1:15).
3. Naomi compromised her family influence. Naomi’s son, Chilion, married outside the faith (1:4).
4. Naomi ended up bitter about God’s provision. “I went out full, and the Lord has brought me home again empty” (1:21). “Call me … Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me …” (1:20).
B. WHAT NAOMI DID RIGHT
1. Naomi recognized God’s punishment. Naomi recognized God’s punishment. “The Lord hath caused me to suffer, and the Almighty has sent me such tragedy” (1:21, NLB).
2. Naomi’s counsel toward family heritage. When Ruth “happened” on Boaz’s field, Naomi said, “Blessed be he of the Lord, who has not forsaken His kindness to the living and the dead! And Naomi said to her, This man is a relation of ours, one of our close relatives” (2:20).
3. Naomi counseled toward redemption. “Then Naomi her mother-in- law said unto her, ‘My daughter, shall I not seek security for you, that it may be well with you?’” (3:1).
4. Naomi counseled patience and trust. “Then she (Naomi) said, ‘Sit still, my daughter . . . for the man will not rest until he has concluded the matter this day’” (3:18).
C. THE BLESSING OF NAOMI
“Then the women said to Naomi, ‘Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a close relative; and may his name be famous in Israel! And may he be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age; for your daughter-in-law, who loves you, who is better to you than seven sons, has borne him’” (Ruth 4:14-15).
1. Naomi is given more importance in the Bible than Ruth.
a. The women blessed Naomi (4:14).
b. The child is recognized as “kin” to Naomi (4:14).
c. Naomi had oversight for the child’s care (4:16).
2. The child is identified with this grandmother (not father or grandfather). Note: legal line not through Naomi and Elimelech (4:21).
3. The child Obed would be famous in Israel.
a. The word famous means, “name is proclaimed widely.”
b. Obed was the great grandfather of Daniel.
c. Obed comes from two words, (1) Obadiah i.e., a worshipper of God, (2) ebed, i.e., servant. Obed was a true servant and worshipper of the Lord.
4. The child gave Grandmother Naomi a purpose in life.
a. Naomi had been a compromiser, but she became a woman of conviction.
b. Naomi didn’t have any hope. She told Ruth, “Turn back, my daughters, go-for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say I have hope, if I should have a husband tonight and should also bear sons” (1:12). But God gave her a new life. “He (Obed) shall be unto thee, a restorer of life” (4:15).
c. Naomi had no spiritual energy. “Call me Mara, for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me” (1:20). But Obed nourished her old age. “And may he (Obed) be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age” (4:15).
5. Naomi gained the love of her daughter-in-law. “Then the women said to Naomi, ‘Blessed be the Lord . . . your daughter-in-law, who loves you, who is better to you than seven sons” (4:14-15).
6. Naomi had the responsibility of influencing the child.
a. Naomi was given a second chance to rear a son.
b. A rich man like Boaz would need a maid for children, i.e., he got Naomi.
c. “Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her bosom, and became a nurse to him” (4:16).
D. LESSONS TO TAKE AWAY
1. God can overlook the sins and mistakes of your youth and use you in your old age.
2. You can list Naomi’s mistakes, but we remember how God used her in spite of them.
3. What is the main lesson to learn from Naomi?
If you have never really accepted Jesus as your personal Savior, would you do it right now? Do not delay or put it off. If you would like to receive Christ by faith, pray this simple prayer in your heart:
Dear Lord, I acknowledge that I am a sinner. I believe Jesus died for my sins on the cross, and rose again the third day. I repent of my sins. By faith I receive the Lord Jesus as my Savior. You promised to save me, and I believe You, because You are God and cannot lie. I believe right now that the Lord Jesus is my personal Savior, and that all my sins are forgiven through His precious blood. I thank You, dear Lord, for saving me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
If you prayed that prayer, God heard you and saved you. I personally want to welcome you to the family of God and rejoice with you.
Dr. Towns’ email is eltowns@liberty.edu.
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