Watchword
(Job 39.19-40.2; Mark 1.1-13)Ruth 1: 19-22
As Naomi’s life became harder, so did her heart. If there are “questionable characters” in this story, they certainly seem to be Elimelech and Naomi. One cannot help wondering exactly how concerned they were for the worship of the true God.
Elimelech gets his family into this whole mess by leaving his estate in Israel and heading for godless Moab. It is not hard to pick up on the irony here. He leaves Israel to escape famine and death, resulting not only in his own untimely demise, but that also of his sons. Nonetheless, God’s plan will not be thwarted by man’s poor decisions.
Naomi decides to head home to Bethlehem but she strongly urges the girls to stay behind in their god-forsaken homeland. At best we can say that Naomi was looking out for her daughter-in-laws’ temporal well being; certainly it seems that life would be better for them in their home country.
If anything, I think we can see Naomi’s downfall here. She fails to see the big picture. The panoramic view is that in Israel, God is known and worshiped, in Moab He is not. Naomi’s pleasantness was found in earth-bound attachments - her family. Take this from her and she had no other hope, only bitterness. Indeed, the matriarch suffered from myopia. If she only had a clue as to how her life and lineage would have played into God’s vast redemptive plan, even bitter old Naomi would have been in awe.
Bible Reading:
Genesis 8: 20-22
Sacrifice has always been a constant in religious life. The ancient pagans were under the impression that they were at the mercy of hungry gods. Offering meats would satisfy their insatiable appetites and gain favor with the fickle deities. Modern pagans continue on with the same principle, spiritualized of course. True worshipers knew better, sacrifices were God’s prescribed form of worship, allowing mankind to confidently approach the Almighty for covenant renewal.
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