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Wow! I can hardly believe this is the last week for Ruth 1. I am again amazed at how the Spirit has helped me learn anew through this story. If you’re working with me, I hope you’ve discovered new ways of reading, studying, and thinking about Naomi’s situation. Here’s how I think the Spirit is leading me to practice what I’ve found.
Last Week’s Work
LESSON(S) LEARNED
As I went back over my study notes, the Spirit showed me these principles:
- You can’t run from God’s discipline. Elimelech, Naomi, and their sons left Bethlehem during a famine—a scriptural punishment for the disobedience common in Israel during the time of the Judges. But a change of habitat didn’t make that much difference. Elimelech and his two sons died anyway, leaving Naomi in a strange land with only her two Moabite daughters-in-law.
- God’s discipline can make us bitter. It certainly did so to Naomi, she recognizes it in verse 20, call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.
- But the Lord doesn’t want us to be alone in our bitterness. By God’s provision, one of Naomi’s sons married Ruth. We don’t know much of Ruth’s background, only that she was a Moabite. Her country didn’t acknowledge Naomi’s God (our God), but by the time Naomi was ready to return home, Ruth knew enough about Him to take an oath converting to Judaism (v16). From whom but her husband and her husband’s mother would she have learned about God? And, even when Naomi turned into a bitter, old woman, Ruth committed to stay with her anyway.
I’m really excited about these revelations! I see them coming together in an awesome way as we dig deeper into Ruth, so I hope you’ll stay tuned through this whole series, my friend!
CONVICTION
In this section of study, my focus landed on what Naomi did in her bitterness. She turned back to God by going home.
In a sense, I’ve been where Naomi was. I also left home for greener pastures only to become destitute through a series of self-serving decisions. I, too, was embittered by the failure of my plans—so bitter I wanted to take an easy, though permanent, way out. Looking back through the lens of this chapter, I see how God placed several Ruth-like women in my life who stuck with me when I needed their energy and assistance. What a wonderful God He is, providing companions like Ruth who walked with me on the difficult journey back to Him.
CORRECTION
This time I didn’t find a correction text from Ruth 1 or its cross-references. As I was doing a little more reading about Moabites in general, the Spirit brought up from nowhere this partially memorized verse:
… if my people, who are called by my name, humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land (2 Chronicles 7:14).
When I get Scripture like this, I always look it up, paying particular attention to the literal context. In this case, it’s the second part of a sentence God spoke to King Solomon after he finished and dedicated the temple in Jerusalem. Here’s the first part:
When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, (2 Chronicles 7:13)
Sounds like the kind of stuff that would cause a famine, huh?!
And the amazing thing is, we know Naomi humbled herself and turned from pursuing her own solution to the famine crisis. I think it’s probably fair to assume she also prayed and sought God’s face, even as she complained to others of her bitterness at His outstretched hand.
ACTION PLAN
This is one of the easiest action plans I’ve ever developed for a study because my correction verse spells it out so well!
When I feel bitterness, resentment, indignation, etc., coming on—and it happens more often than I want to admit—I will turn back to God, humble myself, pray, and seek Him through His Word.
Our Next Study
Thanks so much for joining me for this study! If you’re working along with me, we’re 25% done with the book of Ruth! I hope you’ll continue to check in as I start Ruth chapter 2 next week. After the long journey back to Bethlehem, Ruth’s life is about to get really interesting!