A BITTER OUTBURST

If you read the story of Ruth: Naomi started out brokenhearted and ended up blessed. This is the story of an actual, flesh-and-blood hurting person. if we see how God dealt graciously with her pain, we’d see how God dealt graciously with yours and mine.

Naomi experienced tragedy after tragedy. Israel experienced famine. Naomi’s husband decided to bring the family to Moab, a pagan country. Think about the relocation for a while. Naomi was settled in her hometown, Betlehem. Very likely, she was comfortable in her Jewish religion, customs and traditions. She had her circle of friends. Then one day her husband said, “Let’s relocate to Moab.” How disconcerting it must have been for Naomi to uproot herself from her home, culture and friends.

During their stay, Naomi’s husband died. Their two sons married Moabite woman, yet had no children. Then the two sons themselves died. Try to imagine her standing beside three tombstones. The men in her life… gone.

By then, she really has a problem. No husband, no sons, no grandchildren! In those times, if you were a widow without anyone to provide for you, you’d be facing poverty, hunger and loneliness. Some widows who were still physically appealing would turn to prostitution just to survive.

Racked with pain, she decided to go back to her hometown, she heard that God was providing food back in there. Naomi’s two daughters-in-law, Ruth and Orpah, wanted to join her, but she dissuaded them. Orpah returned to her people in Moab, but Ruth pressed forth with Naomi to Betlehem. When they arrived, the women there apparently still recognized Naomi after being away for many years. Now listen what Naomi told the women:

“Don’t call me Naomi,” she told them. “Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter. 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.” (1:20-21)

Naomi’s name means “Sweet.” Mara means “Bitter.” So when she changed her name, she was declaring that her life used to be sweet, but now is bitter. She was very vocal and honest with her hurts. She did not whitewash her tragedies with pious platitudes. She accused God, not just once, but at least five times.

…the Lord’s hand has gone out against me (v13)

…the Almighty has made my life very bitter (v20)

…but the Lord has brought me back empty (v21)

…the Lord has afflicted me (v21)

…the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me (v21)

Naomi is the picture of a person with a broken heart. Our misfortune in our love lives would pale even to the point of being petty, by comparison. But our hearthaches are still real to us, aren’t they?

Naomi wailed, “I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty.” Do you remember how it was to fall in love? You were so full of love, full of dreams, full of hopes. Visions of bliss danced before your eyes.

You went away full of dreams and expectations. But the courtship – or the relationship, if it got that far – did not work out. The romance, just wasn’t happening. You’re stripped of your hopes and dreams. So now you come back empty. Like Naomi, you’re thinking, “God has dealt very severely against me.” So you lash out bitterly. You ventilated your grief to anyone who’d hear.

If only God did this… did that, I’ll be very happy!” “You know, Lord, I have been faithful to You. I’m serving You. But it is this all there is? Will I be single forever? Lord, what’s with You?” We are in effect saying, “It’s God fault.” You thought He wants you to be happy. He could have given you the woman of your dreams… but He didn’t. And so you say, “The Lord has made my life very bitter.” Deep down, you may be resentful against God.

The Bitter Becomes Sweeter

While you would find it encouraging to read Ruth’s story for yourself, let me give you the gist: Ruth found herself collecting grain from Boaz field. Naomi heard of this and recalled that Boaz was a close relative. She then coached Ruth how to bring Boaz to marry her (Ruth.) It worked:

“So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. Then he went to her; and the Lord enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son. The women said to Naomi: Praise be to the Lord, who this day has not left you without a kinsman – redeemer. May he became famous throughout Israel! He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. For your daughter-in-law, who loves you and who is better to you than seven sons, has given him birth.” Then Naomi took the child, laid him in her lap and cared for him. The women living there said, “Naomi has a son (4:13-17.)

What a radical turn-around of Naomi’s fortunes! When we first meet Naomi, she was brought so low that she accused God of being rough on her. But now, Naomi was exalted. The women recognized the hand of God, leading them to praise Him. Naomi lost her two sons. But the women avowed that Ruth was better than seven sons. Even Ruth’s son was considered as Naomi’s own!

From the Book: How to Mend a Broken Heart

Written By: Nelson T. Dy

God Bless Us..

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