"Return, my daughters! Go,
for I am too old to have a husband. If I said I have hope, if I should even
have a husband tonight and also bear sons, would you therefore wait until they
were grown? Would you therefore refrain from marrying? No, my daughters; for it
is harder for me than for you, for the hand of the Lord has gone forth against
me." And they lifted up their voices and wept again; and Orpah kissed her
mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her.
Crying
and weeping. Tears are so hard to so “NO” to. My grandchildren can turn on the
tears and have me saying “OK” so fast. I’m learning though to not give in to
their tears, to stand my ground, say “NO” and then quickly change the subject.
Amazing
how fast they turn off the water works when they know they won’t get their way!
For Naomi, it didn’t take much to convince Orpah to go back, but Ruth was not to be dissuaded. We’re back to the Israeli custom of husbands and bearing sons again (Deuteronomy 25:5-10). Naomi can’t provide sons to be new husbands for Ruth and Orpah; it is physically impossible at her age. Well, Sarah must have been much older when she had her son, but Isaac was a gift of God. Naomi was in Moab, and not likely to given such a gift from God. God had another plan, and it included Ruth going to Bethlehem. Ruth must have had a deep respect for Naomi and her God, that provided the desire not return to her parents’ home and their gods.
For Naomi, it didn’t take much to convince Orpah to go back, but Ruth was not to be dissuaded. We’re back to the Israeli custom of husbands and bearing sons again (Deuteronomy 25:5-10). Naomi can’t provide sons to be new husbands for Ruth and Orpah; it is physically impossible at her age. Well, Sarah must have been much older when she had her son, but Isaac was a gift of God. Naomi was in Moab, and not likely to given such a gift from God. God had another plan, and it included Ruth going to Bethlehem. Ruth must have had a deep respect for Naomi and her God, that provided the desire not return to her parents’ home and their gods.
Spiritually
Naomi was feeling that the hand of the Lord was against her. She had just been
through more than ten years of living apart from her own culture just to avoid
the famine in her homeland, God’s Promised Land. Famine brought on the death of
her husband and sons, so with their demise, Naomi felt abandoned by God. Now
she was returning to Bethlehem, back to the land of her God, empty handed,
alone. Do you ever feel abandoned by God?
Lord, as we trek through our
lives, please don’t abandon us. Show us your love and give us spiritual food to
sustain our souls that we would cling to you, as Ruth did to Naomi.
No comments:
Post a Comment