God Gives Meaning to Our Choices

These posts are based on notes from our sermon series on Ruth.

Read:  Ruth 1:19-22; 4:13-17

Bethlehem was an important town, but a small town.  So we’re looking at maybe 1,000 people in the town and surrounding area.  So everybody knows everybody, and the return of Naomi is a big deal.  She’s probably in her 40s at this point.

She gives herself a new name.  Mara, which means bitter.  You can connect this name with Exodus 15:23, where the Israelites during the exodus complain about the bitter water in the desert.  Again, we continue with the bad look.  Naomi is comparing herself to the bitter Israelites who were complaining about being abandoned (so they said) to die in the desert.  Naomi knows the story.  Therefore she is doubting, I would say, the promise contained in the story—the history, mind you. 

What happens at the waters of Marah?  God “shows” Moses a log that he is to throw into the waters that sweeten them.  I don’t know what the log signified—I haven’t found a good explanation—but there was a log provided by God to sweeten the well.

Naomi has no such hope here.

But, Naomi and Ruth have made a choice.  Instead of remaining in Moab, they have returned to Judah.  We’ll see going forward that they’re submitting themselves to God’s laws in Bethlehem.  They don’t understand their fate—indeed they’ve given up hope!  But, in the face of their hopelessness, what will they do?  OBEY.

God honors that.  God honors that big time in this case.  In Christ, God gives redeems/gives meaning to our choices.