Bitterness complicates life. As discussed yesterday (part one), bitterness settles into the heart and becomes the way through which a person views life. It influences the bitter person’s interpretation of life’s circumstances, others, and God. Essentially, bitterness affects one’s sight similar to the way a cataract affects vision or a dirty lens affects the way one views everything.
Bitterness in the soul toward God and other people sours the attitude, spoils everything else, and taints one’s outlook. What a person could see as one thing, once bitter, that person sees it as something completely different. In other words, bitterness of the soul affects the way one interprets everything else in life. With a modified, corrupt, and sour interpretation, the bitter person responds from that viewpoint which influences one’s attitude, thoughts, emotions, and actions.
Naomi misinterpreted her circumstances.
But God was working in and through it not just for her good but also for the good of all of us.
Naomi’s Bitterness of the Soul
Naomi asked everyone to call her Mara or bitter. She explained how God had afflicted her and upon returning home, she is empty. But why?
Naomi earned her bitterness, if I can use that term. Consider what she had been through over the years. A famine from which they moved in order to escape. A husband die. Two sons die. Two daughters-in-law who could not have children. Her life could be summarized under two great problems: no food and no future.
As each of us, the pressures of life and key events that leave us sad can produce a rich breeding ground for bitterness. No doubt life was hard for Naomi. She is a widow who lives with the loss of the three men in her life, who does not have any grandchildren to help her and carry on her name, who is too old to remarry in order to have more children, and has the responsibility of taking care of two daughters-in-law.
Possibly you are there today as well. Yes, your list looks different; however, your response is trending the same direction. The sadness of your soul impacts everything. In a similar way like Naomi, you might misinterpret and misconstrue your circumstances, God and those around you.
The Effect of Misery
Naomi announced to all the ladies to call her bitter. Her summary: “Call me ‘Mara’ because the Sovereign One has treated me very harshly. I left here full, but the LORD has caused me to return empty-handed. Why do you call me ‘Naomi,’ seeing that the LORD has opposed me, and the Sovereign One has caused me to suffer?” (Ruth 1:20-21).
But is this true?
No doubt she underwent much suffering. Her losses were real. She had no food. She then had no future with both her husband and sons lost to death. The fog of loss and sadness settled into her life. Every day she lived with this reality.
However, that was not her only reality. In fact, God worked to provide her food. The reason she returned to Bethlehem after ten years is summarized in verse six: “because while she was living in Moab she had heard that the Lord had shown concern for his people, reversing the famine by providing abundant crops” (Ruth 1:6).
God worked on her and others’ behalf to bring them food. God had shown concern and provided abundant crops.
But that is not all He provided. Naomi explains that she left full and came home empty-handed, The narrator adds, “So Naomi returned, accompanied by her Moabite daughter-in-law Ruth, who came back with her from the region of Moab” (Ruth 1:22). She was not empty-handed. She brought home with her a beautiful, sweet, compassionate daughter-in-law who chose her over another husband, possible children, and a better life. Ruth willingly determined to leave her own family to serve her mother-in-law. She chose to stay instead of escape Naomi’s bitterness for a different life and routine.
Ruth served her and was with her. Naomi’s bitterness caused her to miss this. She was not empty-handed.
God’s Sovereignty and Covenant Faithfulness
As I mentioned yesterday, the story does not end at this point. The Bible records:
(Now they arrived in Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest.) (Ruth 1:22)
Why is that important?
This statement transitions us to scene two of this great story. They arrive at the beginning of harvest. What does that mean? It means God has provided them the food they desired as Ruth can get out and gather the leftovers from the field for the two of them.
But that is not all!
Once they were all settled, Ruth asks Naomi if she can go out to the fields to gather grain. Naomi agrees. The Bible records:
Now she just happened to end up in the portion of the field belonging to Boaz, who was from the clan of Elimelech.
Now at that very moment, Boaz arrived from Bethlehem and greeted the harvesters,… (Ruth 2:3-4).
This is so much better than a Hallmark movie!
She just happened to end up in the field of the person who by Israel’s law could redeem Naomi at the exact same time Boaz, the very wealthy land owner, arrived.
Under Jewish law, when a man dies and leaves a widow, the nearest relative could take the widow to provide for her – possibly provide her children and an inheritance or at least provide her care. This was known as the Kinsmen Redeemer.
In God’s sovereignty and covenant faithfulness, He providentially brings Ruth to the man’s field who can do something for Naomi and Ruth at the very exact same time as He brings the Boaz to the field to meet Ruth.
A Relationship Begins
Boaz asks his men about Ruth and meets her. He is moved with compassion at her story. Boaz immediately does two things: 1) He tells his men whenever she is close to them to leave extra grain on the ground for her to be able to get it, and 2) He invites her to do all her grain harvesting from his fields. He even provides for her lunch.
Ruth asked Boaz why he was being so kind. He says to Ruth,
“I have been given a full report of all that you have done for your mother-in-law following the death of your husband—how you left your father and your mother, as well as your homeland, and came to live among people you did not know previously. May the Lord reward your efforts! May your acts of kindness be repaid fully by the Lord God of Israel, from whom you have sought protection.” (Ruth 2:11-12).
He says in a wish prayer, “May the Lord reward your efforts! May your acts of kindness be repaid…” Here, the word kindness is the word for covenant faithfulness. Ruth already demonstrated lovingkindness to Naomi. Boaz recognized that and prayed for God to bless her. Little did he know that God was orchestrating the entire thing in God’s own covenant faithfulness to provide for Ruth, Naomi, Boaz, and the children of Israel through him.
Ruth and Naomi Talk ~ Naomi’s Transformation Begins
Ruth gets home from the field with 30 pounds of barley and leftover lunch which she shared with Naomi her mother-in-law.
Naomi can’t hardly believe it. She asks for the full story. Ruth, full of excitement and gratitude, tells her all about it.
This is where you begin to see some light in Naomi’s struggle with bitterness. She begins to put some pieces together. Not the whole story. Bitterness does not flee. But a glimmer of awareness of God’s grace and covenant faithfulness even in the midst of deep sorrow and sad circumstances. Naomi replied:
“May he be rewarded by the Lord because he has shown loyalty to the living on behalf of the dead!” Then Naomi said to her, “This man is a close relative of ours; he is our guardian.” (Ruth 2:20)
“It is good, my daughter, that you should go out to work with his female servants. That way you will not be harmed, which could happen in another field.” (Ruth 2:22)
She begins to see it. Light begins to glimmer.
Scene two ends with the following statement:
So Ruth worked beside Boaz’s female servants, gathering grain until the end of the barley harvest as well as the wheat harvest. After that she stayed home with her mother-in-law. (Ruth 2:23)
The story is not finished. There is more. Although Naomi is bitter against God, what we have observed today is that even in the midst of the trials, God never stopped being covenant faithful to her and the people of Israel.
The story continues.
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