God in the Shadows

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? No, my daughters. It is more bitter for me than for you, because the Lord's hand has turned against me!" (Ruth 1:12-13). What a place for hope to show up! It's the first time we find it in the Bible. And its not hopeful. Here's the story in a nutshell. Naomi and her husband fled famine in their hometown of Bethlehem (house of bread) in Judah. It was an act of disobedience to the God of Israel. Famine was understood as an act of judgement. God had said through both Moses and Joshua that obedience would lead to flourishing and disobedience to judgement, famine being close to the top of the list of God's punishments. However, judgement and punishments were also God's call to his people to return to him. But Naomi and her husband, instead of returning to God in obedience, ran away from him. They landed in Moab where their two sons married Moabite women. Also acts of disobedience, because non-Jewish people were bound to lead their Jewish spouses away from God. Naomi's husband and her sons die. They are buried in Moab. According to her cultural norms, Naomi has nothing left. When she hears that there is food again in her homeland she decides to return, destitute. As she says, "Don't call me Naomi, which means pleasant, but Mara, which means bitter" (1:20). As she leaves Moab, her two daughters-in-law decide to trek along. But she discourages them with the words of our text. 'There is no hope for me,' she says, 'don't pin your future on me, because there is nothing for me.' Hopeless. Maybe we wouldn't dare put it as strongly as Naomi. Yet, many of us have had such feelings: loss of all sorts causes hopelessness to well up in us. We have had a sense of what Naomi is expressing. But Naomi had it wrong. Her life was not hopeless. Why not? Because God was still around. The beauty of Naomi's story is that God is in the shadows. He doesn't do anything on page. He is only referred to in the common greetings among the Israelites: "The Lord be with you!" "The Lord bless you!" Its like he's hiding in the corners, hidden by shadows. But he is there. And he's at work. At the end of the story Naomi bounces a grandson on her lap. And that grandson becomes an ancestor of Jesus Christ. God saved Naomi from bitterness, enabling her to laugh again. Sarai once laughed in disbelief; Naomi's laughter is filled with newfound faith and hope. I'm reminded of Psalm 126, "Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, 'The Lord has done great things for them.' Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them (Psalm 126:2, 6). Jesus is our Saviour: he takes our bitterness and fills our mouths with laughter. He is our hope. Noami's story is given to encourage our faith, to fill us with hope. It reminds us that God has never failed his promise to be with his people. So, lets look in the corners and the shadows to find God at work. Let's see how God is our hope. As you journey on, go with the blessing of God: May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May your day end with rejoicing at the wonders he has shown you.  May you rest in his provision as he brings night, and then new dawn.