29/03/2023 - THE DIFFICULT RETURN

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Therefore she went out from the place where she was, and her two daughters-in-law with her; and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah. Ruth 1.7

Coming back in defeat is always problematic, because it brings a feeling about what others will say about us. However, if we want to stand up in front of everyone, we have to speak what happened. Telling the truth is the best way to get up in front of people. Remaining in error is simply worse. Returning to the House of Bread was Naomi’s best decision; after all, she should have never left her home.

The journey would be long, and they would depend on the good will of people to give them a place to stay, or take shelter somewhere. Naomi did not venture out alone; probably her husband gave the final word. However, since he and her two sons died, the best thing for her was to take the road home, in order to restart her life. Living in a land where the Lord is not welcome is difficult, unless we are missionaries.

Because they were three women walking alone, they could have problems with people who do not respect their neighbor, being victims of theft and abuse. Naomi had lost everything, but she had kept her faith, and so she felt it was time to go back and rebuild everything she had lost. Now, if her world had collapsed, why not build a better one? So, they went to her people, but there would be some trials.

Elimelech left Bethlehem with one goal: to escape from trouble. In the end, Naomi lost her family. Now she returned with only her two daughters-in-law. She could not escape the difficulties, but rather returned with one more – she had lost everything. Her daughters-in-law followed her, and the question that perhaps was in her heart: until when? They were mourning the loss of their husbands, but what were they to do when they felt the need to remarry?

Naomi felt that she would have to test both of them. If they were not in the same spirit, further down the road, she would have more problems. We need to test the person we choose as our spouse, to see how they are doing in relation to God’s work. If there is no love for the Lord, imagine what they feel for us. Naomi set out to check whether her daughters-in-law were in fact God’s people, or were with her out of charity, and this reason was certainly not enough.

The beautiful thing was that with each step, she felt that this time she was making the right choice. Therefore, anxiety took over her heart. For a while, all she could think about was arriving in Bethlehem, not knowing that in it the Messiah would be born. He would bring salvation and full authority over evil deeds, including sickness and all sorts of evil. Not only do we have redemption in Jesus, but also all necessary things (Matthew 6.25-34)

Naomi did the best thing. She felt the divine hand when Ruth told her that the Lord would be her God, and that justified all sacrifice (Ruth 1.15-17). However, Naomi wondered whether the two were going with her out of compassion or love – whether they were ready to renounce their gods, accepting the one true God!

In Christ, with love,

R. R. Soares