Daring With Ruth: 7 Days Of CourageНамуна

The rocky beginning of the book of Ruth takes a very dark turn.

The husband who led his family away from their homeland for protection has passed away. We can only imagine what must have gone through Naomi’s mind. Then, a glimmer of hope appeared as both of her sons marry local women. But the joy was short lived. Naomi and her newly extended family live in the foreign land for only ten years before both of her sons follow their father into the afterlife.

Naomi and her two daughters-in-law are left completely alone. No one to help take care of them. No children to show for their years of marriage. 

Readers come to this passage and are shocked by the extremity of their suffering. Why did this have to happen? Was the family being punished for not staying in Bethlehem? Was it wrong for them to stay and settle in secular Moab?

We can offer many different ideas, but it’s best to rely most heavily upon the text. The narrator of this story remains silent on so many things. They never tell us what led to Elimelek and his sons’ deaths. We don’t know why Ruth and Orpah did not bear children. We never even get a glimpse into how God may be working this out for His good.

But what we can see is a pattern beginning to develop. Commentator Robert Hubbard writes that “by comparing Naomi to other well-known childless women (Sarah, Rachel, Hannah, etc.), he hints that her fate might also conform to a pattern: if Naomi somehow obtains offspring against such impossible odds, it will only be the work of God; and a divinely given birth forecasts a heroic destiny for the child.” 

The beginning of Ruth’s story is a call for us to trust in God’s unchanging nature. At this point in the story, we, as readers, are left all but hopeless. Unless, that is, we turn our eyes from the situation at hand and turn them towards the stories of God’s goodness which have carried us to this point. Sarah bore Isaac who became the father of the twelve tribes of Israel. Hannah bore Samuel who became one of Israel’s greatest prophets and was nicknamed the Kingmaker. 

Profound pain, when placed in the hands of God, leads to profound opportunity. But only if we are willing.

Takeaway: Painful periods in life are opportunities to trust in God’s pattern of provision.

Prayer: God, I may not understand why this is happening, but I put my trust in you to carry me through it. Nothing is impossible with You.