Theme: Naomi – Reformer
Text: Ruth 1:16-23
Greetings: The Lord is good and his love endures forever.
Introduction: The book of Ruth revolves around three personalities namely, Naomi, Ruth and Boaz. The aim of this book is to connect the birth messiah back to David and further back to Abraham. The Book of Ruth explains Naomi’s challenges to survive with her daughter-in-law, Ruth.
Naomi lived during the days of Judges between 1370 and 1031 B.C. (Ruth 1:1), likely between the time of Otheniel and Ehud as judges (1126 and 1105 B.C).
The book of Ruth covers about 12 years. Ten years in Moab (Ruth 1:1-18), a few months (mid-April to mid-June) in Boaz’s fields (Ruth 1:19-2:23), one day in Bethlehem and one night on the threshing floor (Ruth 3:1-18), about one year in Bethlehem (Ruth 4:1-22).
Naomi, a Sweet Lady:
“Naomi” means “pleasant, good, lovely, and winsome” (1:20–21). Naomi had a husband and two boys, it was a very ideal family of the 21st Century. Her husband moved from Judea to Moab. She accompanied him, and lived a life designed by her husband.
The writer downplays the role of Naomi as Wife of Elimelech in the opening Scene (1:1–2).
Naomi was an ordinary person, affected by famine, poverty, unemployment. Therefore, immigrated to a foreign country of Moab. She enjoyed the PR status and had the privilege of the her children married to foreigners. Naomi dominates the book of Ruth. Nine times her name appears, most often as active subject.
Numerous pronouns also attest to her centrality in a time of famine, dislocation, and death—and of return home at the beginning of the barley harvest.
She is pictured by the writer as a woman with Grateful heart (1:8; 2:20), Loving (1:9), Wise (2:22, 3:3-4, 18), Protective (2:22-23; 3:1), Patient-(3:18), Unselfish and willing to sell her land in order to secure a life to Ruth (4:3-5).
Midrash portrays Naomi as a righteous and significant woman. Though she had distresses in her life yet her dedication to God never questioned. Naomi’s attempts to convince her daughters-in-law to go back to their home was giving them the chances of remarrying. She was a revolutionary reformer.
Naomi was a spiritual mentor of Ruth. Naomi stresses that Ruth is to stay close to Boaz’s girls and not to his lads. Naomi’s precise instructions were meant to preserve her daughter-in-law’s spiritual wellbeing and ensure her affiliation to the people of Israel. Naomi takes care that Ruth shouldn’t be engaged in misconduct nor be dependent upon others (Ruth 2:2), and Ruth shouldn’t become feast to lest licentious ones” (Ruth 2:18).
Naomi, a Bitter Lady:
"Do not call me Naomi, call me Mara (???), for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me". “Mara” (“bitter”). Naomi, identifies God at the heart of her troubles.
According to Midrashic source, Naomi was pregnant when she went to Bethlehem. So she said “I went away full” (Ruth 1:21). In the past, she was garbed in her colourful and plush clothing, and now she wears rags. In the past her face was florid from eating and drinking, now her face is green from hunger.
Her life was bitter because Naomi had experienced extreme loss. Elimelech died, leaving Naomi as a widow in a foreign land (Ruth 1:3). She lost her two sons Mahlon and Gillion. Added to that, She had the Moabite daughters-in-law Orpah and Ruth. Her children disobeyed the command of God (Deuteronomy 7:1-4, 23:3-6). Marrying a Moabite had been forbidden of God (Exodus 34:15-16, Ezra 9:1-2). Naomi became bitter because she was stripped off from all her identity such as wife, and mother.
Naomi became Mara because She was extremely vulnerable. Naomi and her daughters-in-law were effectively destitute. The collapse of Naomi’s world did not happen in a day but was spread out over ten years. It was built through major disappointments, setbacks, and losses.
Lament does not indicate that we no longer believe in God. Rather, when we are angry with God, or feel abandoned by him, we actually direct our grief and sorrow straight at him.
Naomi utters words of blessing for the first time (Ruth 2:19–20). She was emotional swinging between strength and weakness, at times grateful and positive, and at other times ungrateful and bitter. Weeping with her daughters-in-law. Looks like Thyroid patient.
Feminist assessments of Naomi diverge widely, depending often upon the cultural, social, ideological, and experiential biases of readers. A sampling includes the following: Naomi is a cipher for male values that find fulfillment for women in marriage and children.
Naomi, a Catalyst of Salvation:
Naomi’s story shows that even when we don’t know how things will end up, we can trust his promises, his laws, and his providence. We find reassurance that God works in ordinary ways, through ordinary people. Naomi’s story encourages us to remain steadfast in our faith, to rest assured that God provides for the restoration and redemption of his people. No matter how long we wait, our faith is not in vain. Although traumatised, and near despair, Naomi ultimately trusted God’s provisional laws.
Like Naomi, no matter how bleak life seems now, we too may look back and be surprised to see where and how God was working all along.
She was not directly in the lineage of Christ, but she was instrumental in bringing Ruth to Bethlehem, where she met Boaz.
Boaz depicts Naomi as the owner of property (Ruth 4:3, 5, 9). According to Jewish tradition and teachings, Elimelech was cousin brother of Boaz. The women of Bethlehem invoke YHWH’s blessing upon Naomi through Ruth and the grandchild Ruth bears her (Ruth 4:14–15).
The narrator reports that Naomi embraces the child and becomes his nurse. And at the end, the women even declare that the child has been born to Naomi (Ruth 4:17).The Jewish Rabbis observe that the child is attributed to Naomi because she raised him up. Midrashic testimony is that Boaz died immediately after the wedding with Ruth, and so Naomi raised the boy.
In contrast to the loss of status for childless widows in patriarchy, Naomi achieves importance as a mother-in-law and an independent character. Naomi is an overbearing, interfering, and domineering mother-in-law. Naomi is a caring, gracious, and altruistic mother-in-law. Naomi schemes, connives, and manipulates. Naomi plans, reflects, and executes.
Naomi is an embittered old woman who denounces God for her troubles but fails to thank the deity when she recovers. Naomi is a profound figure of faith who experiences God as enemy but then wrestles blessing from adversity.
Conclusion:
God continues to move during our hardships. When we’ve reached a dead-end and can’t see how anything good can come out of our circumstances. In the midst of her crippling grief, she continues to look out for her daughter-in-law, despite tensions Israel would have experienced with Moab at the time. Once she senses God moving through Boaz, she rejoices. Naomi helps pave a way for Ruth to be redeemed, and in the process, allows God to redeem her family line.
God bless you.
