You Meant This For My Good? Yes!

Because of her lack, Naomi attempts to dissuade her two daughter-in-laws from accompanying her to Bethlehem. Orpah finally gives in to her requests after Naomi enumerates all of her deficiencies:  no husband, no sons, no ability to have children, no money, and no revenue from the land.  Confused and disillusioned, Naomi announces, "the hand of the Lord has turned against me"(1:13). Oy vey!  Naomi believed that she had nothing to give Ruth or Orpah; she was absolutely right.  She had nothing to offer. We, sinners, had nothing to give God either, so God sent Jesus  or Y’Shua in Hebrew.  Y'Shua walked our paths on earth to reach us-that was the only way. Let’s see, this period in Israel's history was one in which there were no kings, just judges, and none righteous (Judges 21:25). Therefore, every man did what was right in his own eyes. Yikes! There exists the problem.  Here comes God’s solution: famine.  Naomi's family decides to flee to Moab, but then they hear that God has relented and  brought the harvest back to the nation of Israel. God hopes to draw His people back to Him through the trial of lack and the hope of restoration. Even into this difficult situation, Ruth willing returns with Naomi.  She cleaves to her mother-in-law and begs her to remain by her side. She empathetically declares, "don’t ask me to leave you: Your God will by my God; your people will be my people; may God do so to me if anything other than death separates us” (Ruth 1:16).   Ruth vows, “Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried" (1:17).  In essence, she states, "there is no point in sending my bones back to Moab; I will become one with the soil of your people."

Little does Naomi realize that her value came from her relationship with Adonai- being a part of the chosen people of Israel. Similarly, our value comes from being God’s creation, and if we have entered into a relationship with Jesus, we are now His children: "The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children" (Galatians 4:4). In reality, “when the time had fully come, God sent forth His Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons" (Galatians 4:5). This divine adoption is mirrored in the story of Ruth.  In a sense, Naomi adopted Ruth first by accepting her as a daughter-in-law; then it was Ruth’s turn to reaffirm her covenant and love for Naomi by adopting her God, family and kinsmen, and a nation that was her native country’s enemy. Y’Shua did the same, "but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. " According to Philippians 2:17, Y’Shua “Instead [. . .] gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. However, the International Standard Version distills it best: “Instead, poured out in emptiness, a servant's form did he possess, a mortal man becoming. In human form he chose to be.”  Jesus chose to become other so that He could reach us; Ruth did the same- she became a servant to Naomi and a servant to the nation of Israel. We, too, became servants to the people and family God gives us as well.  May we have the courage or chutzpah and the grace or chesed to do so.

Let's go in God's chesed and do likewise,

M.J.

P.S. Check out the video of "Love Never Fails" on the blog (February)- you will be blessed.