God’s Redemption in the Midst of Grief
The book of Ruth is filled with lessons and examples of loyalty, faith, and redemption, and for good reasons, we often focus on those lessons from this short yet powerful narrative that took place towards the end of the days when Judges ruled. But before we talk about those wonderful lessons, I want to take a moment to talk about the lingering and difficult seasons of grief we find in this story.
In the first chapter of Ruth, we learn that Naomi had a husband named Elimelech who was from that little town of Bethlehem we sing about every December. Naomi and Elimelech had two sons, Mahlon and Chilion. When a famine hit Bethlehem and the surrounding area, Elimelech did the thing he believed he had to do in order for his family to survive. He packed up and moved to Moab where he heard there might be food.
What Naomi could not see headed her way was the death of her husband. We know that death comes to us all, but often we do not see when or how death will visit us or those closest to us. Elimelech’s death put Naomi in a very vulnerable situation. She was on foreign soil with no resources. The loss of a family member is painful enough, but Naomi’s loss was compounded by not knowing how she would provide for herself or her sons. And then after her sons married, they too died and left Naomi in a whirlwind of grief.
Naomi’s grief can be felt in these verses from chapter one:
“Turn back, my daughters; go your way, for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say I have hope, even if I should have a husband this night and should bear sons, would you therefore wait till they were grown? Would you therefore refrain from marrying? No, my daughters, for it is exceedingly bitter to me for your sake that the hand of the Lord has gone out against me.”
She said to them, “Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. I went away full, and the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi, when the Lord has testified against me and the Almighty has brought calamity upon me?”
When we are grieving a loss, it is common to pull back from the help of others. Some of the pullback comes from the sadness and depression that can accompany grief. Some of it comes from not wanting to burden anyone with your pain because you don’t want to bring them down. And some of it comes from the lack of energy one has in our times of grieving. It sometimes feels like another burden to even tell someone what we think or feel.
What a wonderful gift Ruth was to Naomi. She did not allow Naomi to go through her pain, loss, or fear alone but rather, through her words and actions, committed to going through the pain with her and find a path to the other side. We must remember that there is another side. We will soon celebrate the victory that we have over death because of the resurrection of Jesus!
As you read through chapters two, three, and four, we watch both the tension of hope and the unknown collide. We learn of Boaz letting Ruth glean in his fields and the protection he offered. This awakened Naomi’s eyes that God had not abandoned her. She couldn’t see the final outcome, but she saw that in the moment God was meeting tangible needs of food for the two of them. But God, as he always is, was many steps ahead of Ruth and Naomi. In fact, God’s steps were so far ahead that in this book we see God not only take care of Naomi and Ruth. This story reveals that God was working on his plan to one day unite the twelve tribes and eventually, from this bloodline, redeem even you and me!
In this season of Lent, take time to read the short book of Ruth that is filled with hope and leads us straight to Jesus. And as you read Ruth, consider the promises of Isaiah that Jesus claimed early in his ministry:
“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion— to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified. Instead of your shame there shall be a double portion; instead of dishonor they shall rejoice in their lot; therefore in their land they shall possess a double portion; they shall have everlasting joy.”
(Isaiah 61:1-3, 7)
Father, thank you for your promise to always go before us. Thank you for your promise that you will never abandon or forsake us. Thank you for your promise that we have victory over death. As we face the pain of grief and loss, may we experience the oil of gladness that flows from you and is poured out to us through the Holy Spirit and by your sons and daughters who walk in your ways. Use us to allow your love and kindness to flow through us and meet someone in need even today. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Your Time with God’s Word
Ruth 1:1-22 ESV
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