Unlikely Redemption
The book of Ruth is often described as a story of redemption. The title character follows her mother-in-law to Bethlehem after losing her husband and son. There, she experiences the favor and rescue of God when she meets and eventually marries Boaz. I appreciate that aspect of the story. Lately, however, I have been looking more at the account of the woman she followed, Naomi. Naomi left Bethlehem with her husband and two sons when famine struck; ten years later, all three had died. She was essentially alone and without provision in a land of foreign gods. It was time to go home. But the woman who returned was not the same woman who left. “’Don’t call me Naomi [pleasant],” she told them. ‘Call me Mara [bitter]’” (Ruth 1:20). As she and Ruth settle in and begin looking for a way to get by, God immediately provides. Here, our attention usually turns to the courtship of Ruth and Boaz. Even Naomi is watching Ruth, having given up hope for her own future. Soon, the couple is ma...