Imprisoned by Bitterness:Ruth 1:19-22

“She said to them, ‘Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the almighty has dealt very bitterly with me” (Ruth 1:20, NASB).

How we interpret our experiences has a great impact on how we live our lives. I have learned that in my life I have failed to realize some possibilities because at the time that I needed to make a decision I had a perspective on the situation that possibly was not the best and may have been just plain wrong. The good thing that I can say about this is that hopefully I have learned to be more patient and thoughtful in my decisions. I am grateful to my God who promises never to leave me nor forsake me. I am also grateful that the God that I serve is at work in all things for my good. Nevertheless, I live often thinking about what might have been if I had made a different decision. Yet, I am thankful because as I look around this world I must say that in spite of everything, God has blessed me to live a good life.

This article is about perspectives, and bitterness is the topic. I am motivated to write this article by a statement made by Nelson Mandela the first Black leader of South Africa in his book “Long Walk to Freedom” published by Little Brown & Company in 1994. He writes: “As I walked out the door toward that gate that would lead to my freedom, I knew if I didn’t leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I’d still be in prison.” I do not remember when and where I read this quote, but I wrote it down. I remember that at the time I thought about the newly freed Israelites coming to a place called Marah.”When they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter; therefore it was named Marah” (Ex. 15:23). I also thought about Naomi in the book of Ruth. I want to talk about the meaning of Mandela’s statement based on Naomi’s experiences and her perspective of them.

Before I begin the story of Naomi, I want to consider the words of Paul found in the third chapter of Philippians. Paul writes about the good things in his life that give him certain advantages over other people. Paul says that he does not allow these things to hold him back from doing the things that God calls him to do; namely preach the gospel throughout the world. Paul’s perspective of his past experiences is that he is forgetting the past so that he can grasp the future. “More than that, I count all things loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish so that I may gain Christ” (Phil. 3:8, NASB).

When we consider the words of Mandela, we see that he understands that if allows the bitterness in him that is caused by his past experiences to consume him he will be free to walk out the doors of the prison, but he will remain in prison in his mind. He must rid himself of the bitterness so that he can move forward to accomplish the very things that he is in prison for. He must let go of the past so that he is free to continue the work of ending apartheid in South Africa. Now, let us turn to Naomi and her bitterness. Naomi along with her daughters-in-laws is returning to her hometown of Bethlehem in Judah (1:1). In the story her husband Elimelech takes his family to a foreign land, Moab, because of a famine. While the family is in Moab the two sons marry Moabite women named Orpah and Ruth. Elimelech and the sons die leaving Naomi and her two daughters-in laws Orpah and Ruth to fend for themselves. Naomi hears that the famine in her home country is ended, and she decides to go back home. As she and her daughter-in-laws are on their way to Bethlehem Naomi gives them the opportunity to return home to their families. Orpah returns home, but Ruth insists on staying with Naomi. Our text begins the story of Naomi and Ruth when they first arrive in Bethlehem

The entire city sees Naomi and Ruth as they are coming into town. The women are excited to see her. From the perspective of the town people Naomi lives up to the meaning of her name. Naomi means “happy” and the women know her as a happy person that brings happiness to the lives of the other women. Can you image how the women feel when Naomi leaves town? At a time of difficulty, the famine, when they need someone to cheer them up and give them words of assurance and encouragement, Naomi leaves town. How they long to see her, just look upon her happy face, but she is gone, and they are not sure if and when they will see her again. Now, they see Naomi coming home, and when they see her they express their joy and happiness. Naomi is not happy.

Does it surprise you that Naomi is bitter? Bitter is having a sharp, pungent taste or smell. Bitter is feeling angry, hurt, or resentful because of one’s bad experiences or a sense of unjust treatment. People may say, “I have a bitter taste in my mouth.” “I don’t feel jealous or bitter.” Mandela says that he cannot dwell on past experiences because they will prevent him from moving forward in the struggle to achieve the goal of ending apartheid in South Africa. Naomi says that even though I am home physically, I am being held back by my past experiences. Paul says that he will exchange good experiences so that he can do something more valuable. He is ready to do what God calls him to do.

Naomi says that she is bitter, and she gives her reasons for being bitter. She says, “‘I went out full, but the LORD has brought me back empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since the LORD has witnessed against me and the Almighty has afflicted me’” (1:21)? From Naomi’s perspective she leaves Bethlehem with plenty. In Moab she loses everything. Her husband and two sons are dead. One of her daughter-in-law that she loves dearly has returned home to her family. She owns no land and at this point she knows no family member to redeem the land for her. She owns no home to live in, and she has no source of food as evidenced by the need for Ruth to glean grain in the fields. Her loss is because of the things that the Lord says about her. The Almighty is the reason for her affliction. She lives with all of these thoughts. This is her perspective and she is stuck in this situation with no hope of moving forward. Her happy days are over and she will live out her remaining days in bitterness.

So, these are some things that we need to think about. Do our experiences define us? Are we in a helpless and hopeless situation? Does God cause us to have bad experiences that have permanent consequences? Do Christian folk allow their experiences to cause them to lose their faith in God? Maybe their theology tells them about the punishment and the wrath of God more than the compassion, mercy, and grace of God. Are these feelings born of the flesh, or are they born of the Spirit? Have we considered the words found in the book of Hebrews: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1, NASB). This tells me that my faith in God will help me to have a positive perspective of my life circumstances whether good or bad.

Are you being held back by bitterness? Naomi learns that she has a kinsman redeemer, Boaz. Boaz marries and Ruth gives birth to a son. “Then the women said to Naomi, ‘Blessed is the LORD who has not left you without a redeemer today, and may his name become famous in Israel” (4:14). “May he also be to you a restorer of life and a sustainer of your old age; for your daughter-in-law, who loves you and is better to you than seven sons has given birth to him” (v. 15). Naomi takes care of Ruth’s child, so much so that the women called him Naomi’s child. “The neighbor women gave him a name, saying, ‘A son has been born to Naomi!’ So they named him Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David” (the king) (v. 17).

God blesses Naomi while she is in bitterness. God can also speak to you in your bitterness. Look around you and keep your ears open to hear good news. Naomi hears good news. She has someone that can be her kinsman redeemer. Do you not know that Jesus is the Christ, our kinsman redeemer? He is our hope in all situations. Trust God and do not allow bitterness to hold you back. Accept the loss with faith that God has a better future for you.