June 01, 2020
Sam did a wonderful job in our first post of this mini series discussing women of great faith in scriptures. When trying to think of a topic to follow Ruth, I thought there was no one better to research than Naomi! Knowing the book of Ruth and its emphasis on Ruth and Boaz, I knew that when discussing Naomi I wanted to approach her story differently.
The Hardships:
At the beginning of the first chapter, Naomi and her family move out of Bethlehem into a neighboring city called Moab in order to escape the famine that has entered their city. Shortly upon arrival, at the end of the first harvest, Naomi’s husband passes. Naomi is left to raise her two sons, Mahlon and Chilion, alone in a foreign land. After a few years, her two sons marry Moabite women, Orpah and Ruth. They all live with Naomi in Moab for ten years, but then her sons pass away. Naomi is left with just Ruth and Orpah, she feels even more “alone” in this foreign land, left with only her two daughters-in-law. She is left uncomfortable and hurting in an unfamiliar place. Through the loss of her husband and sons and having limited resources to support her and her daughters-in-law, Naomi begged the young women to stay in Moab and remarry.
The Hopeful Return to Bethlehem:
Towards the end of the first chapter, Naomi and Ruth travel back to Bethlehem hearing that the famine is over and in hopes to regain some normalcy. In verse 16 of chapter 1, we see how loyal Ruth is to her mother-in-law:
The relationship between Ruth and Naomi is never discussed, but I believe there is something to be said about Ruth’s decision to leave everything in her homeland to live with her mother-in-law. Ruth saw something in Naomi that led Ruth to leave her normal life to follow Naomi and the God of Naomi.
Naomi’s Leadership:
You don’t usually think of bitterness when you think of the qualities of a leader. While reading the whole book of Ruth, I noticed how Naomi allowed God to use her and her pain to change not only her own life but the lives of those around her. Because of her intentional heart of leadership and the relationship she built with Ruth, she led Ruth to marry and join the lineage of David. It is Naomi’s love and leadership that led Ruth to seek a God and a land that she didn’t know. Even though Naomi was in a dark place in herlife, Naomi was still a light to those around her.
Who is your Naomi?
As Christian women, the leadership that Naomi showed should be the kind of devoted leadership and friendships that we all long for and seek out. Naomi was strong and remained faithful to God and her family, even during tough times, and I believe Ruth saw that in her and clung to her. I have had many women in my life that have poured into me, and I pray that I can pour into other women in that way. The value of having a Christian woman in your life that will always point you to Jesus with their actions and words, challenge you in your walk, and love you like Jesus is immeasurable. So, who is your Naomi?
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