Call Me Mara - Naomi's Story

image credit: BreatheDeeply.org

I've not had to suffer by losing my husband or my child, thank the Lord.  I cannot even begin to imagine the hurt, pain, suffering, and bitterness that would follow.  I have watched people lose spouses and children, and it is heartbreaking.

Naomi is often times remembered for her bitterness and pain.  But she must have been a very strong and resourceful woman.  Once her husband and both of her sons are gone, she is determined to return to Bethlehem - alone.  This was not an easy journey from Moab.  Depending on the route, it would be 30 - 60 miles, which is 7 - 10 days on foot - walking mostly uphill in rugged and steep terrain.  It also required crossing the Jordan River.  The last time Naomi made this journey she was 10 years younger and was with her husband and two sons.  We also must remember that Naomi was making this journey during "the dark and bloody days of the judges" - "a time characterized in the book of Judges as a period of religious and moral degeneracy, national disunity and frequent foreign oppression," (NIV introduction to Ruth) so I'm guessing a widow traveling this route alone was not a super plan.

However, Naomi did not end up traveling alone.  After pleading with her daughter in-laws to return to their own mothers, Ruth refused and would not leave Naomi's side.  And so the two made the journey together.  Naomi leaving a foreign land and returning home, while Ruth was leaving home and entering a foreign land.  For about a week the woman traveled together, with nothing but each other.  And because they are women, I'm guessing that at some point along the trip, they talked.  And Naomi may have answered a lot of questions that Ruth had about her new home, people, and God.

When Naomi finally walked through the streets of Bethlehem, the people knew her, but she was still struggling and suffering.  She remembered leaving her home, full of life and family and God.  But now she was empty and had nothing left.  And so she asked to be called "Mara," because she was not longer 'pleasant' but 'bitter.'

But the Lord had plans for the one who was known as "Mara" - her bitterness and emptiness would not last forever.  And even in her grief, it seems Naomi could sense that her life may still have a purpose - and possibly a happy ending.

Although her husband and sons were gone, she still had family in Bethlehem.  And when Ruth came home with arms full after working in the fields, Naomi knew she had not been forgotten by the Lord.  She carefully coached her foreign-born daughter in-law in how to approach the man who would become Naomi's Kinsman Redeemer - redeeming her hope for the future, her inheritance, and her family name.  Naomi did not wallow in pain forever - she actively moved forward, allowing God to move through her and those around her.

Naomi was real - with real feelings of loss and sorrow - but even when it felt to her like God had abandoned her, she never abandoned him.  She allowed herself to feel deep sadness and bitterness, but she eventually came back to life and recognized God's blessing in her life. 

"The book is a story of Naomi's transformation from despair to happiness through the selfless, God-blessed acts of Ruth and Boaz.  She moves from emptiness to fullness, from destitution to security and hope." (NIV)


**Notes about Kinsmen Redeemer from Steve Finkill's message about Heroes.  I will reference more of his message in Ruth's Story.  Click here to watch his message about Ruth and Boaz.**


You can read more about Naomi's story at She Reads Truth.  Also read Ruth 1:1 - 2:2; 2:17 - 3:5; 4:1 - 17;