March 21 Daily Devotional

Ruth 1

In the days when the judges ruled, there lived a man whose name was Elimelech. The name of his wife was Naomi, and his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. This happy family lived at Bethlehem, a few miles south of Jerusalem. A tract of land provided for them the daily bread. But a famine came and the good people decided to leave Bethlehem. They came into the land of Moab across the Jordan river, where they lived for about ten years. In the course of these years Elimelech died, leaving his wife and her two sons in a strange land. When the sons grew to manhood they married daughters of the Moabites. Their names were Orpah and Ruth. They had been brought up in idol worship, but now they heard about the true and living God. After some time death entered her house again, and both her sons were taken away.

What should Naomi do now? She heard that the famine in her homeland had ended, so she decided to return to Bethlehem, that she might at least be among her own people and relatives. But how about Orpah and Ruth, whose homeland was Moab? Naomi tried to persuade them to stay in Moab, where they had been born and brought up. She knew it would be a long journey and they had no friends waiting to welcome them at Bethlehem. Orpah and Ruth accompanied their mother in law for a while; then Naomi said to them, “Go, return each to her mother’s house: the Lord deal kindly with you, as ye have dealt with the dead, and with me. The Lord grant that ye may find rest.” Then she kissed them; and they lifted up their voice and wept. They loved Naomi and did not like to part from her. After a while Orpah was persuaded and decided to stay in Moab. But Ruth insisted on going with Naomi. She said to her, “Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the Lord do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.”

So the two women went on over fields and hills, until they came to Bethlehem. The people at Bethlehem were glad to see Naomi again, but they noticed how sorrow and affliction had changed their old friend. They said, “Is this Naomi?” She replied to them, “Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me. I went out full, and the Lord hath brought me home. again empty … the Almighty hath afflicted me.” The word Naomi means pleasant, while Mara means bitter. Naomi thought her name should be changed because of the sorrow she had experienced. Naomi and Ruth came to Bethlehem in the beginning of the harvest.