MARA! A BITTER COMPLAINT (3 OF 8)
Scripture: Ruth 1:6, Ruth 1:19-22
This content is part of a series.
Mara! A Bitter Complaint (3 of 8)
Series: Ruth: The Far Reach of the Love of God
Wyman Richardson
Ruth 1:6, 19-22
Read Ruth 1:6, 19-22
Have you ever been in a store or country restaurant or something along those lines and seen this sign: ''Lost Dog. Three legs. Blind in one eye. Missing right ear. Tail broken. Accidentally neutered. Answers to the name 'Lucky'''?
The joke is, of course, in the surprising disjunction between the dog's description and the dog's name.
Naomi would have gotten that joke. In her own mind, Naomi was that joke. For Naomi means ''pleasantness'' or ''sweetness,'' but her life had become anything but. In our text, Naomi, ''pleasantness,'' returned to her home broken and defeated. More than that, she returned bitter. This is because she believed that God had dealt bitterly with her.
Nonetheless, she returned to the small town of Bethlehem, her hometown. She returned with her foreign daughter-in-law, Ruth, in tow. And when she returned, the townswomen gathered around to gawk at her.
This is the scene that unfolds before us. If we read it carefully, we will be able to understand the reason for Naomi's bitterness and we will be better equipped to evaluate our own, should bitterness come into our lives.
Naomi's bitterness was the result of very real pain and loss.
I do not wish to sit aloof and cast cold judgment on Naomi. To be sure, I will judge a bit, but I will do so very carefully. That is because whatever blind spots Naomi had developed, there was indeed very real pain and very real loss behind the frame of mind in which we find her in our text.
19 So the two of them went on until they came to Bethlehem. And when they came to Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them. And the women said, ''Is this Naomi?'' 20 She said to them, ''Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. 21 I went away full, and the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi, when t ...
Series: Ruth: The Far Reach of the Love of God
Wyman Richardson
Ruth 1:6, 19-22
Read Ruth 1:6, 19-22
Have you ever been in a store or country restaurant or something along those lines and seen this sign: ''Lost Dog. Three legs. Blind in one eye. Missing right ear. Tail broken. Accidentally neutered. Answers to the name 'Lucky'''?
The joke is, of course, in the surprising disjunction between the dog's description and the dog's name.
Naomi would have gotten that joke. In her own mind, Naomi was that joke. For Naomi means ''pleasantness'' or ''sweetness,'' but her life had become anything but. In our text, Naomi, ''pleasantness,'' returned to her home broken and defeated. More than that, she returned bitter. This is because she believed that God had dealt bitterly with her.
Nonetheless, she returned to the small town of Bethlehem, her hometown. She returned with her foreign daughter-in-law, Ruth, in tow. And when she returned, the townswomen gathered around to gawk at her.
This is the scene that unfolds before us. If we read it carefully, we will be able to understand the reason for Naomi's bitterness and we will be better equipped to evaluate our own, should bitterness come into our lives.
Naomi's bitterness was the result of very real pain and loss.
I do not wish to sit aloof and cast cold judgment on Naomi. To be sure, I will judge a bit, but I will do so very carefully. That is because whatever blind spots Naomi had developed, there was indeed very real pain and very real loss behind the frame of mind in which we find her in our text.
19 So the two of them went on until they came to Bethlehem. And when they came to Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them. And the women said, ''Is this Naomi?'' 20 She said to them, ''Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. 21 I went away full, and the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi, when t ...
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