Title Arrival in Bethlehem
Ruth 1:19-22
So the two men went and went as far as Bethlehem. And when they came to Bethlehem, the whole city clamored for them, saying, Is this Naomi? And Naomi said to them, "Do not call me Naomi, but call me Mara, for the Almighty has afflicted me exceedingly. I went out in abundance, and the Lord brought me back empty. The Lord has punished me and the Almighty has tormented me, so why do you call me Naomi?” Naomi returned from the region of Moab with her mother-in-law Ruth, a Moabite woman, and they began to harvest the barley. came to Bethlehem
Today's text is the scene of Naomi and Ruth arriving in Bethlehem.
“Then the two went on as far as Bethlehem.”
The long journey from the land of Moab to Bethlehem has come to an end. Now your new life in Bethlehem begins. It is a new beginning at the same time as the end.
From the second half of verse 19, the reaction of the townsfolk when they came to Bethlehem is recorded. There were two reactions from the locals.
The first reaction was that the people of the whole town made a fuss.
"The whole city trembled because of them, saying,"
The people of all the towns of Bethlehem told the story of these two men. The word "talking" in this verse does not appear well in Korean verbs, but in the original language, the subject is female. Also in verse 20, “Naomi said to them,” and the word “they” here refers to women, not men. In other words, the women went from house to house and said "Naomi is back". After more than 10 years, Naomi is back. Meanwhile, Naomi has been through a lot. I went to a foreign land and worked hard to build a new home. In addition to the loss of her husband and two sons, Naomi may have looked much older than the people of Bethlehem can remember. But the whole city of Bethlehem made a fuss because of them. It would have been nice and happy.
Let's look for expressions such as chattering or making loud noises in a few places in the Bible.
1 Samuel 4:5, "When the ark of the covenant of the LORD came into the camp, all Israel cried with a loud voice, and the earth shook."
1 Kings 1:45, "The city shook, because Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anointed him king at Gihon; and the crowds went up from there and rejoiced. This is the voice you have heard."
Micah 2:12, “I will surely gather you all together, O Jacob, and I will surely gather the remnant of Israel, and I will put them in one place like a flock of Bozrah, like a flock of pastures; ."
All of the above verses describe shouting out loud for joy and joy.
The second reaction the Bethlehemites showed was to come to Naomi and ask a question.
"Is it Naomi the tooth?"
"Is Naomi really here? Are you really Naomi?" It was both happy and surprising, so Naomi's old friends reacted like this. In the parable of the prodigal son, isn't this the way the father greets the prodigal son? This is the heart of the good shepherd who finds the one lost sheep. If so, the way we welcome those who come to church with the bitter wounds of life and the way we welcome new families should be like this.
By the way, in verses 20-21, the people of the neighborhood show a welcome reaction, but Naomi's reaction is completely different.
1:20-21 Naomi said to them, "Do not call me Naomi, but call me Mara, for the Almighty has afflicted me exceedingly. I went out in abundance, and the LORD brought me back empty. The LORD punished me, and the Almighty tormented me. “How can you call me Naomi?”
Naomi returned to her beloved hometown after ten years. What if you were like you when you looked at the street you used to walk with your old neighbors and the street where your two sons played when they were little? Impressions will be invaluable. I will shed tears. Naomi would have done just that.
But Naomi tells the happy neighbors not to call her Naomi. Naomi's meaning was "pleasure, joy". But now Naomi is not happy at all. Rather, call me Mara. The word Mara means "suffering".
Why is Naomi so annoying? The reason is given in the second half of verse 20.
“Because the Almighty has afflicted me exceedingly.”
In a way, it seems that Naomi is blaming God for her sad situation, but it's not just that. Who is in charge of life? It is confessing that God is in control of human life and death, and that everything does not happen by chance, but is in God's hands and in God's sovereignty.
Naomi was honest with God. In the Psalms, this phrase appears frequently. “God, how long will you be like this? The wicked prosper like this, and the righteous suffer.” Isn't this kind of confession an honest face before God?
Psalm 13:1, "How long, O LORD, will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?"
Psalm 35:17, "How long, O Lord, shall you wait? Save my soul from that perisher, and deliver my only thing from the lions."
Psalm 41:5, "My enemies speak evil of me, saying, At any time he shall die, and his name shall always perish."
Also, Naomi showed no embellishment in front of people. He sees his own sorrow. “I am in pain now, it has become so difficult.” Normal people don't. They try to hide their weaknesses. When someone else finds out about your difficult reality or weakness, you think that something big is about to happen. So, they dress up in front of people and act pretentiously. But Naomi was not.
If Ruth is an example of total devotion to God, Naomi is a person who set an example for us by being honest, truthful, and honest with God and people.
In Naomi's opinion, God was very tormenting her, so how did she torment her?
Ruth 1:21, "I went out in abundance, and the Lord has brought me back empty."
Two things are contrasted in this verse. One is "to go out in abundance" and the other to "return empty". Being "abundant" doesn't mean that you have plenty of food, but that you are a woman of abundance. You don't go out alone when you go out. I had a husband whom I loved, trusted and depended on, and two strong sons. As a woman, she was supremely affluent, but when she returned, she returned empty. Her husband died, and her two sons died. Four of us went out and came back alone. Who said all of this was done?
"The Lord has brought me back empty."
It is by Jehovah. It means that the Lord is in control of your life. It is to confess that human life and death are in God's hands.
“How do you call me Naomi, when the Lord has punished me and the Almighty has afflicted me?”
It means that he cannot bear the name Naomi, which means joy. Rather, he tells them to call her by the name of Mara, which is appropriate for her situation.
Where did Naomi and Ruth live when they returned? Did he live in Elimelech's old house, or did he get someone else's house to live in temporarily? And how did the Bethlehemites react to Ruth, who came with Naomi? The biblical author doesn't tell us about that in verse 22. Just a brief introduction to the woman who came with Naomi.
1:22, "Naomi returned from the region of Moab with her mother-in-law, Ruth the Moabitess, and they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest."
Her name is Ruth, she is from Moab, and her relationship with Naomi is daughter-in-law, that's all.
Where did Naomi and Ruth come from? I am from Moab. After the statement that Naomi returned from Moab with Ruth, there is a very important statement in the book of Ruth. When did they return to Bethlehem?
"At the beginning of the barley harvest."
It is very important to say that they returned at the beginning of the barley harvest. At what time did Naomi leave Bethlehem in 1:1? It was a time of famine in the land. But when Naomi returned, it was time to harvest the barley. It was also when the harvest had just begun.
2:23, "So Ruth stayed close to the girls of Boaz until the barley and wheat harvests were over."
In this area, the wheat harvest begins as soon as the barley harvest is over. The barley harvest is in April and May, and the wheat harvest is in May and June. The harvest season gives us the impression that something is plentiful and plentiful. When I left, there was a famine and I went out very lonely. But when he returned, it was harvest time. Think about what it would be like if it were written like this.
"Naomi returned from the region of Moab with her mother-in-law Ruth the Moabite woman, and they came when a cold wind blew."
It's ugly and bleak. This makes the situation even darker than when you go out. But when they arrived, they said it was the beginning of the barley harvest. This verse gives us a feeling of joy and hope and that things are going to go well.
As we go through life, there are times when we face famine, and there are times when the barley harvest begins. But it is said that God is in control of everything. It is God who cares for us and takes care of us at all times, whether we are in trouble or in good times, in bad years or at the beginning of the barley harvest. So we don't have to be proud of our successes, we don't have to be disappointed or desperate when we've been through hard times. Sometimes God gives us sunlight and sometimes rain. Let's assume that there is only sunlight 365 days a year. The land has become a desert, and we cannot live there. God provides rain and sunlight as needed. Therefore, there is no need to be discouraged when times are difficult.
I hope that all your worries, worries, anxiety, nervousness, and fears in your heart will be blown away by faith. God's children should remember that they have a responsibility to guard their hearts so that these things do not break into their hearts.