The Book of Ruth 1
How do we respond to tragedy when it happens? Usually, our response depends greatly on how we perceive it.
Ruth 1
1 In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land. So a man from Bethlehem in Judah, together with his wife and two sons, went to live for a while in the country of Moab. 2 The man’s name was Elimelek, his wife’s name was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon (mach-lone) and Kilion (kill-yone). They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to Moab and lived there. 3 Now Elimelek, Naomi’s husband, died, and she was left with her two sons. 4 They married Moabite women, one named Orpah and the other Ruth. After they had lived there about ten years, 5 both Mahlon and Kilion also died, and Naomi was left without her two sons and her husband. 6 When Naomi heard in Moab that the LORD had come to the aid of his people by providing food for them, she and her daughters-in-law prepared to return home from there. 7 With her two daughters-in-law she left the place where she had been living and set out on the road that would take them back to the land of Judah. 8 Then Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go back, each of you, to your mother’s home. May the LORD show you kindness, as you have shown kindness to your dead husbands and to me. 9 May the LORD grant that each of you will find rest in the home of another husband.” Then she kissed them goodbye and they wept aloud 10 and said to her, “We will go back with you to your people.” 11 But Naomi said, “Return home, my daughters. Why would you come with me? Am I going to have any more sons, who could become your husbands? 12 Return home, my daughters; I am too old to have another husband. Even if I thought there was still hope for me—even if I had a husband tonight and then gave birth to sons— 13 would you wait until they grew 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 turned against me!” 14 At this they wept aloud again. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, but Ruth clung to her. 15 “Look,” said Naomi, “your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods. Go back with her.” 16 But Ruth 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. 17 Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.” 18 When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her.
Naomi is an unsung hero of faith. Both of her daughters-in-law wanted to go with her and forsake their own people and homeland for hers.
Not your typical in-law situation.
Ruth is sacrificing to go with Naomi, but Noami takes issue with it. She was extra bitter since Ruth would remain unmarried and have to care for her. One example of this present day is a son moving back home to help his mom who was just diagnosed with cancer. He loves his mom and wants to make the sacrifice for her, but his life is upended.
So, Ruth is set on staying with Naomi, against Naomi’s wishes, no matter the personal sacrifice.
Ruth 1
19 So the two women went on until they came to Bethlehem. When they arrived in Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them, and the women exclaimed, “Can this be Naomi?” 20 “Don’t call me Naomi,” she told them. “Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter. 21 I went away full, but the LORD has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? The LORD has afflicted me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me.”
“Don’t call me that.”
Names had meanings and those meanings were important.
Noami = pleasant or sweet
Mara = bitter
It’s important to note that Naomi doesn’t say she had become bitter, but her life had made her bitter.
She changed her name and identity based on her surroundings and circumstances. God didn’t change her name.
Names were important. They served as reflections of who the people were, where they were from, and what they were about. Naomi took her name seriously and changed it to match her lived reality.
We may never change our names, but we will take on the identity our circumstances give us.
When a thought or idea about who we are starts to take root, usually through repetition, and then gets reinforced by others and other things happening around us, we can start to accept it as though it must be true.
We do change how we view ourselves, others, and God through the lens of personal experiences. And THAT identity is what we live out of. Bullying is a great example of this. Someone being bullied might begin to believe the lies they’re being told. They might think they deserve the treatment they’re receiving.
As verse 21 tells us, she sees this as coming from God’s judgment against her. The word “afflicted” translates in Hebrew to “testified against.” It’s used with a judicial tone. This is God’s justice being imposed. She’s internalized her circumstances, believing she deserves this, without reason for it!
Ruth 1
22 So Naomi returned from Moab accompanied by Ruth the Moabite, her daughter-in-law, arriving in Bethlehem as the barley harvest was beginning.
This verse sets the stage for the rest of the book.
Naomi and Ruth didn’t know yet that all of their devastating circumstances, brokenness, and misfortune weren’t a punishment, judgment, or neglect from a far-off God who didn’t see them, know about them, or care for them. It was God creating a picture of His redemption for Israel and the whole of His creation. He had not allowed their suffering to cause them pain, but rather to redeem it.
For more LHC content, subscribe to our newsletter below or follow us on Instagram.
Want to play catch-up, or are you looking for a specific topic? Check out our collection of sermons here.
Ruth 1
1 In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land. So a man from Bethlehem in Judah, together with his wife and two sons, went to live for a while in the country of Moab. 2 The man’s name was Elimelek, his wife’s name was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon (mach-lone) and Kilion (kill-yone). They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to Moab and lived there. 3 Now Elimelek, Naomi’s husband, died, and she was left with her two sons. 4 They married Moabite women, one named Orpah and the other Ruth. After they had lived there about ten years, 5 both Mahlon and Kilion also died, and Naomi was left without her two sons and her husband. 6 When Naomi heard in Moab that the LORD had come to the aid of his people by providing food for them, she and her daughters-in-law prepared to return home from there. 7 With her two daughters-in-law she left the place where she had been living and set out on the road that would take them back to the land of Judah. 8 Then Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go back, each of you, to your mother’s home. May the LORD show you kindness, as you have shown kindness to your dead husbands and to me. 9 May the LORD grant that each of you will find rest in the home of another husband.” Then she kissed them goodbye and they wept aloud 10 and said to her, “We will go back with you to your people.” 11 But Naomi said, “Return home, my daughters. Why would you come with me? Am I going to have any more sons, who could become your husbands? 12 Return home, my daughters; I am too old to have another husband. Even if I thought there was still hope for me—even if I had a husband tonight and then gave birth to sons— 13 would you wait until they grew 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 turned against me!” 14 At this they wept aloud again. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, but Ruth clung to her. 15 “Look,” said Naomi, “your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods. Go back with her.” 16 But Ruth 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. 17 Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.” 18 When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her.
Naomi is an unsung hero of faith. Both of her daughters-in-law wanted to go with her and forsake their own people and homeland for hers.
Not your typical in-law situation.
Ruth is sacrificing to go with Naomi, but Noami takes issue with it. She was extra bitter since Ruth would remain unmarried and have to care for her. One example of this present day is a son moving back home to help his mom who was just diagnosed with cancer. He loves his mom and wants to make the sacrifice for her, but his life is upended.
So, Ruth is set on staying with Naomi, against Naomi’s wishes, no matter the personal sacrifice.
Ruth 1
19 So the two women went on until they came to Bethlehem. When they arrived in Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them, and the women exclaimed, “Can this be Naomi?” 20 “Don’t call me Naomi,” she told them. “Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter. 21 I went away full, but the LORD has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? The LORD has afflicted me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me.”
“Don’t call me that.”
Names had meanings and those meanings were important.
Noami = pleasant or sweet
Mara = bitter
It’s important to note that Naomi doesn’t say she had become bitter, but her life had made her bitter.
She changed her name and identity based on her surroundings and circumstances. God didn’t change her name.
Names were important. They served as reflections of who the people were, where they were from, and what they were about. Naomi took her name seriously and changed it to match her lived reality.
We may never change our names, but we will take on the identity our circumstances give us.
When a thought or idea about who we are starts to take root, usually through repetition, and then gets reinforced by others and other things happening around us, we can start to accept it as though it must be true.
We do change how we view ourselves, others, and God through the lens of personal experiences. And THAT identity is what we live out of. Bullying is a great example of this. Someone being bullied might begin to believe the lies they’re being told. They might think they deserve the treatment they’re receiving.
As verse 21 tells us, she sees this as coming from God’s judgment against her. The word “afflicted” translates in Hebrew to “testified against.” It’s used with a judicial tone. This is God’s justice being imposed. She’s internalized her circumstances, believing she deserves this, without reason for it!
Ruth 1
22 So Naomi returned from Moab accompanied by Ruth the Moabite, her daughter-in-law, arriving in Bethlehem as the barley harvest was beginning.
This verse sets the stage for the rest of the book.
Naomi and Ruth didn’t know yet that all of their devastating circumstances, brokenness, and misfortune weren’t a punishment, judgment, or neglect from a far-off God who didn’t see them, know about them, or care for them. It was God creating a picture of His redemption for Israel and the whole of His creation. He had not allowed their suffering to cause them pain, but rather to redeem it.
- What life circumstances have you allowed or are you currently allowing to define who you are?
- Are there things that were said and done to you, or maybe things that happened to you that negatively influence the way you think about yourself, others, or God?
- Have there been reinforced ideas about yourself that cause you to self-criticize or create a negative internal dialogue?
For more LHC content, subscribe to our newsletter below or follow us on Instagram.
Want to play catch-up, or are you looking for a specific topic? Check out our collection of sermons here.
Recent
Archive
2025
2024
May
June
July
August
September