For Your Thoughts

Just for your thoughts:

The Book of Ruth
Bible Study- 5.
The two sides of Naomi.

Naomi's life can be divided into two parts.

First part.
From the day she went to a foreign land to escape gamine to the incident where Ruth, her daughter-in-law, accidentally went to the field of Boaz to glean the grains that were scattered in the fields, was the first part of her spiritual journey.

Second part.
It began with Boaz 's meeting Ruth in the field.

Naomi's first part is full of bitter experiences, disappointments, poverty and deaths.

The second part started when Naomi realized that Jehovah God had begun to work in her family.

When studying the history of Naomi, many people portray her as an unbelieving woman, a woman who prevented both of her daughters-in-law from knowing the Lord, and a woman who was very upset with the Lord. This is a wrong picture of her
Like all believers, she was seen as a woman with many troubles and lamentations.

She went to a foreign land because of severe famine and poverty in her place and lived there for 10 years. This was not her fault.
Not only that, she went to Moab because of her husband.
It was not her fault that she went to a country that God hated.

There is nothing wrong with Naomi being upset with God for the loss of her husband and two sons.

Here we should remember the lamentation of the great prophet Jeremiah.He also was upset with the Lord.Because he felt that his ministry was insulted and not being recognized. Because of this, he lamented that "cursed be the day in which I was born" (Jere 20:14).

I think there is nothing wrong with the poor woman Naomi being upset with God.
The prophet Jeremiah was also upset with God when he encountered the disappointments.

Moreover, she did not want her two daughters-in-law to return to her country with her. Because she felt that God's favorable hand was not upon her family ( Ruth 1:13).

She was a practical woman.

“When I realize that God's hand is not in my favor, why should I needlessly take the two women and make them suffer?" she could have stopped them for good intentions.



So I think there is nothing wrong with being upset with God and not willing to take the two daughters-in-law to come with her.

But Ruth was stubborn on her stand.

She replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.
(Ruth 1:16) After that Naomi did not force her further. This is the first part of Naomi.

The next part is that when Naomi realized that God's hand was favorable to her family after she came to know that the land of Boaz was accidentally visited by Ruth and Boaz met Ruth. Then the state of her mind changed. By giving her the right counseling, Naomi laid the foundation for the marriage of Boaz and Ruth.

Later, she laid Obed on her bosom, who was born to Boaz and Ruth, and became a good grandmother and mother.
Ruth 4:16

Naomi's beginning was surrounded by poverty, loss and death, but the end was full of joy and happiness.
Let's not forget that Naomi was also a part of God's plan.

There are two parts in our life as well. Although we are surrounded by these struggles and losses in our early spiritual life, we hope that the Lord will replace them at the
right time and give us double portions of happiness and joy.
Ezekiel Shanmugavel


Our God will never lead us to sorrow.
When He has fixed a time for us to suffer tribulations, he has also fixed joyful times equally.
God will give those refreshing times in our life.

He will never tempt us beyond our strength. The bitterness in Naomi's life turned to joy in her final days.
God will surely change the bitter experiences in our lives into happiness.
May our God grant us the grace to run this spiritual race, with this strong belief.
Ezekiel Shanmugavel