My Heart Will Go On

Introduction 

Ruth’s story happened during the rule of the Judges (v.1).

Judges depicts a chaotic period in Israelites’ history in the Promised Land with rampant idolatry, bloodshed and violence, while Ruth portrays the serenity of country life, the family bond of love, and human loving-kindness. So Judges and Ruth, together present a complete contrast of ‘war and peace’.

The story of Ruth is neatly divided into four scenes, of which the first scene is described in Chapter One as follows:

“In the days when the judges rule, there was a famine in the land, and a man from Bethlehem in Judah, together with his wife and two sons, went to live for a while in the country of Moab. The man’s name was Elimelech, his wife’s name Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem, Judah.”  (vv. 1—2)

Bethlehem means “the house of bread”, but at that time there was no bread. So Elimelech’s family journeyed to the country of Moab, which was able to sustain life. The whole family was lured by the fertility of Moab’s land and to partake of the fat of the land. However, what followed was death.

First, Elimelech died and Naomi is left with two sons (v.3). The two sons married Moabite women and continued to live in that land for another ten years. Then they too died, leaving behind Naomi and the two daughters-in-law. All the men died without saying a word.

Wives became widows and mothers became non-mothers. They lost their identity and security of life. They needed men for provision, protection, and legal representation. So how did they respond?

My Heart Will Go On

Naomi heard that Judah was now blessed with food, she wanted to return. On the way back, Naomi urged her two daughters-in-law:

“Go back, each of you, to your mother’s home. May the Lord show kindness to you, as you have shown to your dead and to me. May the Lord grant that each of you will find rest in the home of another husband.”(vv.8—9)

Naomi was right that her daughters-in- law would have a better chance of building a good life for themselves in Moab. After all, Naomi could not provide for them in Israel. And, what’s more, Israel’s law deters Israelite men from marrying foreign women. But Ruth and Orpah did not buy her argument. They just would not accept it. So Naomi came up with another pressing line of reasoning:

“Return home, my daughters, why would you come with me? Am I going to have any more sons, who could become your husbands? Return home, my daughters; I am too old to have another husband. Even if I thought there was still hope for me—even if I had a husband tonight and then gave birth to sons—would you wait until they grew up? Would you remain unmarried for them?”(vv.11—13)

Israel has an ancient law or custom, known as the levirate law, which requires a man to marry the widow of his deceased brother. But this law does not help Naomi because she was too old to bear children.

This time Orpah buys her argument. She turns and heads back home and, by this decision, she lives in Moab but dies in God’s grand narrative. Do you want the same—relinquishing your role in God’s divine story?

But Naomi just can’t shake Ruth off. Ruth clings to her mother in law, and utters these moving words:

“Don’t’ urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die. And there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me.”(vv.16—17)

What a stirring expression of love and loyalty. Here, Ruth commits herself heart and soul to Naomi, to her people and to her God. Ruth is not only kind to Naomi but she is clinging on to Yahweh God.

Ruth is leaving behind the security of her mother’s house and homeland. Instead, she chooses to depart for a foreign country where she may have to scavenge for food in order to look after her mother-in law.

Ruth’s act of faith – “hesed” – surpasses even the faithful act of father Abraham who, likewise moved out of his father’s house to head towards the Promised Land. Abraham had family support and God’s calling and promise to bless him, but, in contrast, Ruth had none to back her up.

It is by this risky and faithful act that Ruth will remain and excel in God’s great salvation plan as the story unfolds for us. In contrast to Orpah, Ruth plays a prominent role in God’s divine story. What role do you play in God’s divine story?

The Invisible Hand of God Upholding Us 

Now, when Naomi, accompanied by Ruth, arrived at her hometown, the women of Bethlehem saw her. They saw how Naomi left with a complete family, but now she returned without her husband and sons. The women folk exclaimed in disbelief: “Is this Naomi?”

Naomi in self-pity replies, “Do not call me Naomi (sweet one), call me Mara! (bitter one), for Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. I went away full but Yahweh has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi when Yahweh has afflicted me and the Almighty has brought calamity upon me.

Naomi mourned that God has deprived her of all protection and property. She experienced God as the author of death and she perceived no way out of this divine curse. Naomi concluded this because she was blinded by her grief and pain, which is understandable – to a point.

However, is that all about Naomi’s life as she has concluded?

Are we, or is our church at this point of time being concluded and defined, as so and so with failure….; as such and such type of church …. ?

No! With God’s presence with us, we shall transform from strength to strength. Let not anyone, or devil’s word define God’s children to a standstill state!

The narrator acting like a Google Map for the readers, intervened just in time to “usurp” the right to speak from Naomi, saying with a divine perspective, ‘Naomi returned from Moab accompanied by Ruth the Moabites, her daughter in law, arriving in Bethlehem as the barley harvest was beginning,’(v.22).

Ruth's name is mentioned – an epithet of determination and total commitment. Now she is with Naomi. Barley harvest was around the corner. Both Ruth and Barley harvest foreshadow blissfulness and prosperity ahead. Naomi is not alone. Ruth and the barley harvest are two forces of life that will overwhelm the forces of death!

The timely remarks of the narrator alludes to ‘the invisible hand of God’, which has been leading Naomi and Ruth towards a happy future. Naomi can’t see the bigger picture as she returns to Bethlehem. God is about to bless her starting from Chapter Two, and it is accomplished through Ruth.

Like Naomi, we often don’t see God’s kindness towards us in the midst of our hardship or suffering because we are myopic and blinded by many things. We are seriously in need of a spiritual Google Map. As a result, we are tempted to become resentful towards God.

We won’t always immediately understand the reason for our suffering. God may not even reveal the ultimate reason for our suffering in this life. But God is using our suffering for our good. It is amazing how many people can testify that God has used suffering in their lives for their good.

When we are hurting, it is an act of faith to move on as Ruth clung on to God; we should continue to trust that God still loves us. God is in control. His invisible hands are upholding us. Let no one, no circumstances define you now. In God’s scheme of things, he is working out something for our good and bringing glory to His name.

Can you see that God has placed a “Ruth” with you? Or rather you are to step out to play the role of “Ruth” in God’s great divine narrative. Can you see that the “barley harvest” is around the corner?

In Christ, we have a hopeful future. “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:4-7)