Reversals
| 16 Then Naomi took the child, laid him in her lap and cared for him. 17 The women living there said, "Naomi has a son." And they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David. (Ruth4:16) |
"The conclusion (4:13-17) of the story balances the introduction (1:1-5):
- In the Hebrew both have the same number of words;
- both compress much into a short space;
- both focus on Naomi;
- the introduction emphasizes Naomi's emptiness, and the conclusion portrays her fullness."
The story of Ruth is a powerful portrayal of God's gracious provision in our sadness and sorrow. It illustrates the promise that God can and does work in our lives to restore what sin has broken. Look at these Scripture promises:
- Joel 2:25 "I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten..."
- Romans 8:28 "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."
- Genesis 50:20 (Joseph to his brothers) "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives."
Sometimes God brings about restoration in dramatic and wonderful ways. Not so in the book of Ruth... Here the turnaround takes time and is the result of a number of "God-incidences" where God is working in the little details of life to fill Naomi with blessing and joy in spite of the hardships she has been through.
There are no guarantees that life will be easy. Famine can come, death is a reality we always face. We can find ourselves in a foreign place far away from home and we might even have chapters in our lives where we have to say that our lives are "Mara" (bitter).
But we have a Saviour who ate the bitter herbs of the Passover with His disciples before going to the cross to endure the worst bitterness of sin-brokenness so that we will never be alone in our hardship. And then He rose from the dead so that brokenness will never have the final say.
Healing may take time and may happen slowly, but like Naomi, we will find that God fills us up when life has emptied us out.
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This brings us to the end of our series on Ruth - I hope it has been meaningful to you.
