Naomi

STUDY 2: NAOMI

In the story of Naomi we meet a woman who was at the same time both a woman of faith and a ‘product’ or ‘victim’, if we might use those words, of her circumstances. We see how, despite the circumstances, her faith survived.

The meaning of the names
The names of each of the characters in the story have interesting meanings. How much we are to make of these meanings I don’t know. The only character to make anything of it is Naomi (1:20, 21).

Elimelech means my God is King.
Naomi means pleasant, beautiful.
Mahlon means song or infirmity/sickness.
Chillion means finished, complete, perfect, but some say it means consumption.
Ruth means filled, satisfied.
Orpah means the neck or skull, or nakedness of the face.
Boaz means in strength.

A. THINGS WE CANNOT KNOW

There are some things in her story that we cannot say for certain, that we must simply say ‘I do not know.’

Naomi’s involvement in the decision to go to Moab.

Ruth 1:1 & 2 tell us that the family ‘went to live for a while in the country of Moab’ and ‘they went to Moab and lived there’. They did this because there was a famine in Judah, where they lived. We do not know if Naomi was part of that decision or not. From our liberated, twenty-first century perspective we might assume that it was a joint decision; but from the perspective of her culture it may well have been Elimelech’s decision, or a decision made by both her husband and her sons, depending on their age at the time. Verse 1 tells us that ‘a man’ went to live in Moab, together with his wife and two sons, which sounds like it was his decision.

The decision to go to Moab, even ‘for a while’, was out of order on two counts:

[1] Moab was not part of Israel’s inheritance from the Lord. It was outside the ‘promised land’.

[2] The Israelites were forbidden to live among the nations.

Regardless of the level of her involvement in the decision, the move put Naomi in a situation forbidden by God, outside of the land God’s promised to Abraham and his descendants. In addition, the initial plan, to be in Moab ‘for a little while’ ended up being 10 years. And there was nothing Naomi could do about that.

Naomi’s involvement in her sons’ marriages

At some time during those 10 years, the two sons became old enough to marry, and married Moabite women. We are not told if this was with their parents’ consent or not. We are not told whether or not the parents had thought they would be back in Judah before their sons were old enough to marry, or if the sons got tired of waiting for that return. But again we see Naomi in circumstances forbidden by God:

Deuteronomy 23:3 – 6 not only forbids any Moabite from entering the assembly of the LORD, but also forbids Israelites from seeking a ‘treaty of friendship’ with any Moabite.

Numbers 25:1 – 5 reports how, when living in Moab on their way to the promised land, Israelite men indulged in sexual immorality with Moabite women, and how those women involved the Israelite men in the worship of their gods. This incurred God’s fierce anger.

Naomi’s sons, by marrying Moabite women, have broken God’s law, and potentially offended God. Naomi is now in a position where she has two Moabites as daughters-in-law, whose religion included idol worship (see Ruth 1:15).

If Naomi was part of their decision that her sons marry these women, then Naomi is also guilty, and had to live with that. If she was not part of the decision, then she is a ‘victim’ – a person potentially suffering because of the choices of others, a person whose faith is both offended and challenged by those with whom she has to live.

How much time passed between each reported event

We are told that the family’s sojourn in Moab lasted ten years, and that during that time:

Elimelech died.

Mahlon and Chilion (Kilion, in some translations) married Moabite women.

Mahlon and Chilion died.

Naomi found out the Lord had brought the famine in Judah to an end.

We don’t know how soon Elimelech died, or how much time passed before the sons married. We can fairly safely assume that there was not a great deal of time between the sons’ marriages and their deaths, as there were no children.

B. WHAT WE DO KNOW ABOUT NAOMI

But there are some things that we do know about Naomi.

B.1 Her suffering – Ruth 1:1 – 5
From the first five verses of Ruth, and from Section A above, we can say with some certainty that Naomi suffered.

Describe the suffering Naomi would have experienced:
By moving to a foreign country and culture:

Because of the death of her husband:

By her sons’ marriage to Moabite women:

By her sons’ death:

By the failure of her husband’s/family’s plan to escape death:

[Note that the very thing they as a family sought to avoid actually happened: instead of escaping death by moving away from the famine in Judah, death came to the family in Moab.]

B.2 Her courage, initiative, insight and compassion – Ruth 1:6 – 18

In the report about Naomi’s decision to return to Judah, verses 6 – 18, where do you see these qualities in Naomi?
Her courage?

Her ability to make up her mind and take the initiative?

Her insight into the situation regarding her daughters-in-law and the Levirate marriage law?

Her compassion for her daughters-in-law?

B.3 The nature of her ‘faith’
[Because we do not know how much Naomi was involved in the decision to move to Moab, we do not know how that move related to her faith. If she was involved in the decision, that involvement involved her in disobedience to the Lord’s commands, and a failure to trust God to provide for them in the land allocated to them in Judah.]

[1] The first thing we read about Naomi’s understanding of God and faith in God is that she heard, in Moab, that the LORD had responded to the needs of his people by providing food for them. In other words, Naomi understood the end of the famine in Judah as the work of God – 1:6.

[2] In 1:8 she committed her two daughters-in-law to the LORD, praying that he would show them kindness and grant them rest in the home of another husband.

[3] In 1:13 Naomi expressed her belief that ‘the LORD’s hand has gone out against me’, referring to the death of both her husband and her sons.

Note: Naomi, like Job, and like all who lived in the time of the patriarchs, Moses and the judges, had no understanding of the existence of the evil one. All they knew was that God was the almighty, sovereign Lord of all, the one who gives and the one who takes away. And because God is indeed sovereign over all, he also takes responsibility for all that happens. See Section C in this study .

[4] Another thing we notice about Naomi’s understanding and faith, is her recognition that her daughters-in-law’s ‘gods’ were different from her God – 1:15. But, in encouraging Ruth to join Orpah in going back to those gods (1:15), rather than encouraging them to believe in the living God, Naomi also displayed a level of ignorance about how different and inadequate those ‘gods’ actually were, compared to the God who alone is God.

5] Whatever the inadequacies of her faith, it would seem that Naomi’s faith, and the God in whom she believed, had a significant impact on Ruth – ‘your God will be my God’ (1:16). Just how much Naomi had told Ruth we don’t know.

[6] Naomi knew that God’s name was ‘the LORD’, and that he was ‘the Almighty’ – 1:20, 21. Such is her understanding of his sovereign authority and power, that she again attributes her misfortunes to him.

[7] Similarly, Naomi saw the kindness of God over and above all that had happened to her and her family. When Ruth came home after her first day’s gleaning in Boaz’ field, Naomi said of God ‘He has not stopped showing his kindness to the living and the dead’ – 2:20. As Naomi understood it, not even the bad things that happened had interrupted God’s kindness.

Questions:
What are the strong points of Naomi’s faith?

What aspects of her life and circumstances would have made it difficult to keep believing in God?

Describe how Naomi’s various life circumstances are similar to or different from yours.

If you were in Naomi’s situation in Moab, how much pressure would you feel to believe that your suffering was God punishing you for your sins?

We are not told whether or not Naomi saw her suffering as punishment for sin. Read Romans 4:8 and 2Corinthians 5:19. How do these verses reassure you that the Gospel of Jesus Christ contradicts the popular idea that if you are suffering it is God punishing you for your sin?

B.4 Naomi’s deep depression – 1:20 - 21

Answer these questions:
How did Naomi describe her feelings?

How did she explain the cause of her suffering?

Why did she tell the women to call her ‘Mara’?

What truths about God, that Naomi did not know, help you to endure difficulties without becoming bitter or overwhelmed with despair?

C. NAOMI’S BLESSEDNESS – 4:13 – 17

Naomi again took the initiative, and advised Ruth how to go about reminding Boaz of the kinsman-redeemer role – 3:1 – 4. This part of Ruth’s story may seem rather strange, even bordering on the immoral, to us. But it was not strange in that culture. Boaz understood exactly what Ruth was asking, and knew exactly how he should proceed.

Out of Naomi’s courage and initiative came the result she desired – a husband and security for Ruth, security for herself, then later, a grandson to carry on the family name and the inheritance of her deceased husband and sons. Her life, which was full of suffering, had been turned around, so that she now had something/someone to live for, and could look forward to a life and a future of purpose and hope.

The women recognized God’s goodness to Naomi both in the provision of Boaz as the kinsman-redeemer and in the birth of her grandson, Obed. The women also pointed out to Naomi the blessedness of having a daughter-in-law like Ruth.

Some challenges:
Think of all the people who contributed to Naomi’s blessedness. Now think of the various people in your life. Through which of these has God brought blessing, meaning and hope into your life?

The women told Naomi that Ruth was ‘better to you than seven sons’. Is there anyone in your life whom you are under-valuing or taking for granted? How could you better express your appreciation of them and your thankfulness to God for them?