When Naomi and Ruth arrived back in Israel, Naomi wanted people to call her bitter. That was the state her heart was in and she just wanted to stay there. She didn't want to feel the pain that was deep in her heart and gave up on experiiencing Joy and happiness ever again. Life had robbed her and now she just wanted to live as poor me. In her poor me stated before she left Moab, Naomi tried to reject the love of her daughters in law. Orpah left Naomi more than likely feeling rejected and hurt too. Naomi's bitterness had created a second victim. However, Ruth chose not to leave Naomi but to go with her to a land that she would not be very welcomed in.
So why was Naomi so full of bitterness? Let's look over the bitterness band aids Naomi has piled up to stop the hurting.
1. Famine in Israel.
2. Husband decides to move family to a land that God had forbidden them to go to.
3. Sons marry women in this country.
4. Husband dies.
5. Both sons die.
6. Stuck in a strange land with no one to care for her.
7. Doesn't see a future for her or her daughters in law.
8. Decides to return to Israel not knowing what to expect.
9. One daughter in law stays behind.
10. Has no clue how she is going to take care of Ruth and herself.
There is probably more that are not obvious to us. That is a lot of hurt right there that she is covering up with bitterness. I'm sure that she was able to justify why she felt the way she did. She probably blamed God for the famine, her husband for moving, God for his death, God and her husband for her sons' death and so it snowballs.
Yet there was something about Naomi that Ruth found desirable, so much so that she chose to give up her old life to be with Naomi. Ruth chose to give up the life as a princess of Moab for the life of uncertainty with Naomi. Obviously, Naomi must not have always been so full of bitterness. Like God, Ruth didn't see Naomi as she saw herself. Ruth saw beyond the bitterness that Naomi was waddling in. God saw beyond Naomi's bitterness, for not once in the book of Ruth was Naomi's name ever changed. I'm so glad that God doesn't see us as we see ourselves and the negative self talk. He sees us as who He has made us to be.
So why was Naomi so full of bitterness? Let's look over the bitterness band aids Naomi has piled up to stop the hurting.
1. Famine in Israel.
2. Husband decides to move family to a land that God had forbidden them to go to.
3. Sons marry women in this country.
4. Husband dies.
5. Both sons die.
6. Stuck in a strange land with no one to care for her.
7. Doesn't see a future for her or her daughters in law.
8. Decides to return to Israel not knowing what to expect.
9. One daughter in law stays behind.
10. Has no clue how she is going to take care of Ruth and herself.
There is probably more that are not obvious to us. That is a lot of hurt right there that she is covering up with bitterness. I'm sure that she was able to justify why she felt the way she did. She probably blamed God for the famine, her husband for moving, God for his death, God and her husband for her sons' death and so it snowballs.
Yet there was something about Naomi that Ruth found desirable, so much so that she chose to give up her old life to be with Naomi. Ruth chose to give up the life as a princess of Moab for the life of uncertainty with Naomi. Obviously, Naomi must not have always been so full of bitterness. Like God, Ruth didn't see Naomi as she saw herself. Ruth saw beyond the bitterness that Naomi was waddling in. God saw beyond Naomi's bitterness, for not once in the book of Ruth was Naomi's name ever changed. I'm so glad that God doesn't see us as we see ourselves and the negative self talk. He sees us as who He has made us to be.