“Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where yougo I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God.” – Ruth 1:16
Naomi is known as a bitter woman. In actuality the name Naomi means – Beautiful, pleasant and/or delightful. Its not until later on (Ruth 1:20) in the chapter that she changes her name to Mara, which means bitter. In all fairness its easy to see why she believes God has treated her bitterly. Naomi buried her husband and her only two sons before she received any grandchildren. She has lost everything and has nothing left, her whole family has come to an end, she is poor and is in a land where they do not worship YHWH but worship the Moabite god called “Chemosh” amongst many other gods. In a sense it is like a christian moving to a faraway land where there isn’t any churches, pastors or even any other believers. In a difficult time like Naomi was going through losing her whole family. She has come to a point where she even tells her only remaining people she would consider family to leave her (Ruth 1:11) because she has nothing to offer them. But in Gods sovereignty theres always a plan (Isa 46:10).
The reason her and her family left Bethlehem was because of a famine, but now she hears the Lord has blessed his people and given them food back in Bethlehem (Ruth 1:6). While they where on their way back to Judah one of her daughters-in-law goes back to Moab “back to her people and to her gods”(Ruth 1:15) and Naomi urges Ruth to do the same.
The first time Ruth speaks in this book she makes a promise to Naomi to stay with her until death but she does not stop there, she converts when she says may your God be my God (Ruth 1:6). Because of this conversion, a great king and leader is born, King David (Ruth 4:22) and in Gods sovereignty a savior is born through these generations (Mat 1:1-17).
God is both sovereign and good.
Just because God is sovereign does not mean that everything that happens is His will, but what it does mean is that everything that does happen is IN His will. Sin is not Gods will but somehow God uses evil, sin and sinful evil people to bring forth his will. We see it with Joseph (Gen 50:20) and we see this extremely through Christ (Acts 4:27-28). He even uses Naomi’s bitterness and her distorted view of God (Ruth 1:21) to bring forth his plan of redemption and salvation. The all-powerful God gave us a share in His power to choose freely between Him and evil, while the sovereign God allows us to still be in His plan and purpose. It is through that plan that God shows us his love, goodness and kindness. God is so good that he blesses even the unbeliever. He blesses them with money, family and even air to breath (Psalm 145:9).
Through all the evil, even the evil you and I do everyday God shows love, mercy, compassion and grace through the person and work of Jesus Christ. In hearing the gospel our response was one of Ruth “Your people shall be my people, and your God my God” (Ruth 1:16) and in our bitterness we need to be reminded and comforted in the fact that the same God that created the circumstances that lead you to your bitterness also has a plan and a purpose for it and will use your experience to advance His kingdom.
