Rut 1:20-21 | KingComments | STEP | Naomi and Ruth go together on their way to Bethlehem. It is likely that Ruth asked her mother-in-law on the way how life in Bethlehem had been. Old memories will have come back with Naomi. Maybe she has spoken about God’s care for His people. She may have also told Ruth about the family’s departure from Bethlehem and why they left. She may have already told her that in Moab, but now it speaks all the more to the heart of Ruth. After all, they are on their way to Bethlehem, with the beautiful meaning ‘house of bread’. Soon she will be there! For Ruth it will be her first acquaintance, which she looks forward to with full expectation. With Naomi, other feelings prevail. This is evident from the first words she speaks in Bethlehem. These are words in response to what the women say who know her from the past. She will be curious to know what it looks like if much has changed during her absence. Even more, she must have wondered how the people of the city would react to her return. There is a reaction. There is a wave of excitement through the city. Her return to the people of God shakes up the whole city. It goes from mouth to mouth. The women who know her from the past, see in this Naomi someone who reminds them of the Naomi from the past, but she is no longer the same. She used to respected, but now she walks around looking shabby. We can learn another lesson from the city’s reaction to the return of Naomi. If we compare this with the return to the church of someone who has backslidden, how is our reaction? Does it do anything with us? It can cause a shock. The question is whether this is of joy or of fear. A person who has strayed but returns with repentance should be accepted by us with the assurance of our love ( ). When the women pronounce her name, a name that means ‘lovely’ or ‘pleasant’, she resists. They no longer need to call her by that name. For her life is not lovely and pleasant anymore. Nor does she experience that the LORD finds her lovely or pleasant. They should call her “Mara”, which means “bitterness”. By her departure she has lost her vision of the LORD, and His relationship. In so doing, she attributes incongruous things to the LORD. She accuses Him, that He, the Almighty, “has dealt very bitterly” with her. God once revealed Himself to Abraham as “God Almighty” ( ). By virtue of that name God has made His covenant of blessing with Abraham. Naomi, however, does not mention this Name because she experienced His blessing, but because He has dealt very bitterly with her. The Almighty is not for her, but against her. He did not do her good, but evil. His omnipotence did not comfort and strengthen her, but was in her mind the cause of her misery. She does acknowledge that she herself (“I”, emphatically) left. It was her own initiative. She went voluntarily, without being forced to and she also went “full”. She also acknowledges that the LORD has made her return. She has not returned because she wanted to, but because the LORD has inwardly urged her to return. That happened when she was “empty”. Selfishness made her go away, grace brought her back. She is on her way to restoration, but she is not yet fully restored. Restoration is a process. Discipline must be fully effective. Where the road to restoration has begun, the first results of the full harvest are visible. It is therefore significant that they come to Bethlehem “at the beginning of barley harvest”. This means, that the people are harvesting from the field the sheaf of the first fruits after the Passover. The sheaf of the first fruits speaks of the resurrection of Christ. At that moment they return. Faith can see this. Restoration takes place on this basis. The resurrection of Christ is the proof that His work of atonement has been fully accepted by God. As a result, there is the possibility of restoration for anyone who has backslidden. The ‘beginning of the harvest’ contains the promise of the entire harvest. The beginning of restoration means the promise of a full restoration. The resurrection of Christ also contains a promise. He rose as “the first fruits” ( ), from all those who are asleep. His resurrection promises the resurrection of all who are in Christ. The full harvest of His work will become visible when He appears among all His own on earth, to establish His kingdom of peace. Despite all our failures, we can focus on that.

‏ Ruth 1:20-21

Naomi and Ruth Come to Bethlehem

Naomi and Ruth go together on their way to Bethlehem. It is likely that Ruth asked her mother-in-law on the way how life in Bethlehem had been. Old memories will have come back with Naomi. Maybe she has spoken about God’s care for His people. She may have also told Ruth about the family’s departure from Bethlehem and why they left. She may have already told her that in Moab, but now it speaks all the more to the heart of Ruth. After all, they are on their way to Bethlehem, with the beautiful meaning ‘house of bread’. Soon she will be there! For Ruth it will be her first acquaintance, which she looks forward to with full expectation.

With Naomi, other feelings prevail. This is evident from the first words she speaks in Bethlehem. These are words in response to what the women say who know her from the past. She will be curious to know what it looks like if much has changed during her absence. Even more, she must have wondered how the people of the city would react to her return.

There is a reaction. There is a wave of excitement through the city. Her return to the people of God shakes up the whole city. It goes from mouth to mouth. The women who know her from the past, see in this Naomi someone who reminds them of the Naomi from the past, but she is no longer the same. She used to respected, but now she walks around looking shabby.

We can learn another lesson from the city’s reaction to the return of Naomi. If we compare this with the return to the church of someone who has backslidden, how is our reaction? Does it do anything with us? It can cause a shock. The question is whether this is of joy or of fear. A person who has strayed but returns with repentance should be accepted by us with the assurance of our love (2Cor 2:6-8 ).

When the women pronounce her name, a name that means ‘lovely’ or ‘pleasant’, she resists. They no longer need to call her by that name. For her life is not lovely and pleasant anymore. Nor does she experience that the LORD finds her lovely or pleasant. They should call her “Mara”, which means “bitterness”. By her departure she has lost her vision of the LORD, and His relationship. In so doing, she attributes incongruous things to the LORD. She accuses Him, that He, the Almighty, “has dealt very bitterly” with her.

God once revealed Himself to Abraham as “God Almighty” (Gen 17:1). By virtue of that name God has made His covenant of blessing with Abraham. Naomi, however, does not mention this Name because she experienced His blessing, but because He has dealt very bitterly with her. The Almighty is not for her, but against her. He did not do her good, but evil. His omnipotence did not comfort and strengthen her, but was in her mind the cause of her misery.

She does acknowledge that she herself (“I”, emphatically) left. It was her own initiative. She went voluntarily, without being forced to and she also went “full”. She also acknowledges that the LORD has made her return. She has not returned because she wanted to, but because the LORD has inwardly urged her to return. That happened when she was “empty”. Selfishness made her go away, grace brought her back. She is on her way to restoration, but she is not yet fully restored. Restoration is a process. Discipline must be fully effective.

Where the road to restoration has begun, the first results of the full harvest are visible. It is therefore significant that they come to Bethlehem “at the beginning of barley harvest”. This means, that the people are harvesting from the field the sheaf of the first fruits after the Passover. The sheaf of the first fruits speaks of the resurrection of Christ. At that moment they return. Faith can see this. Restoration takes place on this basis.

The resurrection of Christ is the proof that His work of atonement has been fully accepted by God. As a result, there is the possibility of restoration for anyone who has backslidden. The ‘beginning of the harvest’ contains the promise of the entire harvest. The beginning of restoration means the promise of a full restoration.

The resurrection of Christ also contains a promise. He rose as “the first fruits” (1Cor 15:23), from all those who are asleep. His resurrection promises the resurrection of all who are in Christ. The full harvest of His work will become visible when He appears among all His own on earth, to establish His kingdom of peace. Despite all our failures, we can focus on that.