Here are two more truths we learn from how Naomi navigates her grief.

Grief distorts. “I went away full, and the LORD has brought me back empty” (1:21). When Naomi left Bethlehem, she had a husband and two sons. None of them are with her now. When she left, she may have been prosperous, but she came back in poverty. So, what Naomi says is true, but it is not the whole truth.

Why did she go away? She went away because there was a famine. Life was not as full as her grieving memory was suggesting. If the Lord brought her back empty, then who is this beside her? Ruth has made an extraordinary commitment to her.

Grief embellishes what God has given in the past and it loses sight of what God is giving now. Making much of what God has given will help you to bear what He has taken away.

Bitterness lurks at sorrow’s door. “Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara” (1:20). Naomi means “pleasant,” and Mara means “bitter.” Was Naomi bitter or is she saying that her experience had been bitter? There’s a big difference. There may have been times when bitterness got the better of her. But it did not win the battle with this godly woman.

When you endure sorrow, watch out for bitterness. If you allow it to grow, it will take hold and spill out into the lives of others. You are a redeemed child of God. Bitterness has no place in your life. Put it away!

Are there any areas of your life where the seeds of bitterness are beginning to grow? Ask God to help you root them out.

Ten years had passed since Naomi left Bethlehem. Three bereavements had taken their toll and when she arrived home with Ruth, her friends barely recognised her. The first thing they would say would be, “How’s Elimelech?”

“Oh, he died shortly after we arrived in Moab.”

“Oh, Naomi, we are so sorry. You were left with the two boys… How are they doing?”

“Both of them died too.”

No wonder the whole town was stirred. In Naomi’s response, we will gather three truths for navigating sorrow, as well as a strategy for growing in faith. Here is the first truth.

“Call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me” (1:20). When Naomi began the journey back home, it seemed that she was doing well. But in Bethlehem, she was hit by a new wave of sorrow. This was where Elimelech had courted her. This was where the boys had been born. Memories flooded back and she was overwhelmed with sorrow.

Everyone who endures trauma or loss knows what this is like. You think you have got through the crisis, and then something triggers a new wave of sorrow. To your surprise, your loss feels even more painful than before. To be forewarned is to be forearmed. Waves of sorrow will come and go in the wake of shock, trauma, and loss.

Is there a sorrow or loss you are dealing with today? What comfort do you find in the experiences of Naomi?

Ruth makes a marvellous commitment to Naomi, and we see three marks of this loving commitment in her words.

Love commits to God. “Your God [shall be] my God” (1:16). Ruth is saying, “I have watched you love your God through three losses. I have felt His love through your love. What I have seen, I want for myself. So, your God has become my God.”

Love commits to God’s people. “Your people shall be my people” (1:16). This would not have been easy for Ruth. Naomi was going home to her own people. Ruth would arrive as a foreigner. But Ruth was determined to embrace the people of God.

Love commits forever. “Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried” (1:17). Ruth’s faith does not depend on Naomi. Ruth’s faith is her own, and she is saying, “God will be my God, even when you die.”

Where does this kind of love come from? It comes from Jesus. He committed Himself in love to God’s will. He committed Himself in love to God’s people. And He committed Himself in love to us forever. He said, “I’ll come and live where you live, and die where you die.”

But it did not end there. He rose from the dead and He says to us today, “Wherever you go, I will go. I will never leave you. I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

What do you know of this kind of love? If you want to know more of it, look to Jesus.

Orpah is a sad example of temporary faith. Ruth and Orpah had come under the influence of Naomi, and there is good reason to believe that they had made some profession of faith. But while Ruth persevered, Orpah turned back.

Naomi says, “See, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods.” Notice Naomi does not tell her to go back to her gods. A godly woman would never do that. But Naomi discerns Orpah’s heart: She is going back to what she loves most—her people and her gods.

Jesus spoke about this in the Parable of the Sower. When the farmer sowed his seed, some fell in shallow soil, and it grew for a while but then withered because it did not have deep roots. Some sprang up quickly but it was eventually choked by weeds.

Orpah had a genuine love for Naomi. She had set out on the journey, ready to make great sacrifices. But she found herself of two minds. Part of her wanted to believe and follow. Part of her wanted to turn back. She was torn, but she made her decision.

Scripture says that in the last days people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, and lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. They will have “the appearance of godliness, but [deny] its power” (2 Tim. 3:2-5).

Here are people who look like Christians and talk like Christians, but they have never really experienced the lifechanging power of the gospel. Somewhere along the line, they will turn away from the faith.

Love chooses, and we all choose what we love the most. What you choose reveals what you love.

What are some things that might keep you from choosing God?

The book of Ruth is a love story. As events unfold in these ordinary lives, we will see three distinguishing marks of genuine love. First, we see that love considers.

Naomi had moved to Moab, but she never really belonged there. So, when she heard that the famine in Bethlehem was over, she wanted to head back home. Ruth and Naomi decided to go with her (1:7).

But at some point, they stopped, and we come to this moving scene: Naomi tells her daughters-in-law that they should go back. Orpah kisses Naomi and returns to her home. Ruth clings to Naomi and continues on in the journey.

Naomi is often criticised for what she says here. Was she abandoning her daughters-in-law to idols? Here are four reasons to believe that Naomi’s words were a genuine expression of love.

Love seeks the blessing of God on others. Naomi’s words are a prayer of blessing. She wants them to know God’s kindness and to enjoy His peace.

Love puts the interests of others above its own. If Naomi had been thinking about her own interests, she would have done all that she could to keep Ruth and Orpah with her.

Love never forces its will on another person. Naomi was the matriarch of this family, and she could have imposed her will if she had wanted to. But she wants the women to make their own decision, free from obligation.

Love is candid about the cost of commitment. Naomi said, “Turn back… Have I yet sons in my womb that they may become your husbands?” (1:11). If Ruth and Orpah continue on in this journey, their odds of finding another husband are slim.

Reflect on the ways Jesus demonstrated these four marks of genuine love for us.

When you bring ordinary people and our extraordinary God together, you get a story of redemption. The words redeem, redeemer, and redemption occur 23 times in the 85 verses of the book of Ruth, so in order to understand this book, you have to meet the Redeemer.

A redeemer is a person who brings the best out of the worst at his own expense. That is what Boaz did for Ruth, and this is what Jesus Christ will do for us. He is the great Redeemer. He brings the best out of the worst. He does this by making us His own, bringing us into His family, and giving us a glorious inheritance.

He does these things at His own expense: “You were ransomed [or redeemed]… not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ” (1 Pet. 1:18-19). This is what it cost for Jesus to redeem us, but He did what it took when He laid down His life for us. As the women said to Naomi, “The LORD... has not left you… without a redeemer!” (Ruth 4:14).

This is why there is hope for each one of us. Your losses may be many, your sorrows may be great, and your burdens may be heavy, but there is a Redeemer. Jesus Christ will work for you and through you. There are future joys He has already prepared for you. And there are people He has already planned to bless through you.

Pray this prayer: Father, thank you that our lives, loves, and losses are woven into Your hidden plan to bring blessing to the world. Help me to show Your kindness to those around me. You have not left us without a Redeemer. Help me to look to Him in faith, in hope, and in love.

Right from the start we need to understand that the lives, loves, and losses of these ordinary people are woven into God’s hidden plan to bring blessing to the world. This story is about Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz. But the central character is God Himself. Everything good comes from His hand, and we will see three truths about Him.

God cares about ordinary people. The book of Ruth is sandwiched between Judges and 1 Samuel, which are both concerned with national and international crises. In the middle is the story of ordinary people who matter to God as much as any king. God cares about people who struggle to make a living, face difficult choices, are anxious about their children, and want to do the best they can.

God is at work even in the worst of times. We will see that Naomi and Ruth return to the Promised Land. Ruth marries Boaz and God gives them a child. The story begins with Naomi weeping but ends with Naomi rejoicing with the baby in her arms. This baby will be the grandfather of King David, and into his line, the Lord Jesus Christ will be born. God’s big-picture purpose is to bring blessing to the world.

God works through the kindness of His people. God blessed Ruth through the example of Naomi, God blessed Naomi through the kindness of Ruth, God blessed Ruth through the kindness of Boaz, and God blessed Boaz through the initiative of Naomi.

God works for and through these people. Each one receives blessings from the others. And each one brings blessings to the others. Their faith, hope, and love shine like a light in the darkness. God works through the kindness of His people.

Who is the Naomi you can befriend and comfort? Who is the Ruth you can help and provide for? Who is the Boaz you can strengthen and encourage?

Here we come to a question that will affect how we understand and apply this story. Some commentators castigate Elimelech and Naomi for moving to Moab. Should they have stayed in Bethlehem and trusted God to provide?

God’s Word offers other examples of faithful believers moving in times of famine, such as Jacob going to Egypt (see Genesis 46). The Bible makes no comment on this family’s decision. It simply tells us that this is what they did.

A similar question arises over the marriages of Mahlon and Chilion. Were they breaking Old Testament law by marrying those who did not believe? The fact that both Ruth and Orpah accompanied Naomi back to the Promised Land seems to indicate that they had made some profession of faith.

Swiss theologian Ludwig Lavater says, “When the Scriptures do not accuse men, neither ought we to accuse them. And when matters are ambiguous, we should rather believe better things about men.”

That’s an important principle: Where there is doubt about another person’s actions, choose to believe the best. Take the most generous view possible. Always think the best, unless compelled by evidence that cannot be put in a better light.

The focus in this story is not on Elimelech’s decision. It is on how God brings blessing to His people in every circumstance. Don’t waste time reassessing your choices. What is done is done. God works for our good when our decisions were wise. God works for our good when our decisions should have been wiser.

Which of your own decisions have you been reassessing in the rearview mirror? Turn them over to God and trust Him to work out all things for your good.