[One-Verse Meditation]

Ruth 1:20 (NIV) “‘Don’t call me Naomi,’ she told them. ‘Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter.’”

[Meditation]

When Naomi finally returns to Bethlehem, the people exclaim in surprise and gladness, “Can this be Naomi?” But she waves away her name, which means “my joy.” “Don’t call me Naomi,” she says. “Call me Mara (bitter),” packing all the emptiness of her return into that one name. Naomi honestly confesses that all this suffering has come from God, the Almighty.

Knowing the end of the story, we can see what a remarkable, paradoxical beginning this confession was. Contrary to Naomi’s own perception, God was not making Naomi into “Mara”; rather, He was in the process of restoring the life of “Mara” back into the life of “Naomi.” The book of Ruth is a story filled with this zealous work of God.

The author of Ruth beautifully reveals this delicate work of God through literary devices. When Ruth sets out to glean, asking, “in whose eyes I might find favor” (2:2), it shows the humble heart of one who knows she cannot live without grace. This is a heart made by God, a heart the Bible calls “humble.” Likewise, the fact that she arrived “by chance” at the field of Boaz (2:3) is a form of ironic emphasis, highlighting God’s perfect, and in no way accidental, providence. We are meant to read it as: “God did this.”

In this place of seeming chance, which was in fact destiny, Boaz blesses Ruth: “May you be richly rewarded by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge” (2:12). That “full reward” was the son, Obed, whom she would have through Boaz; and through him, David would be born, and finally, Jesus Christ would come. In the end, the full reward given to the bitter life of “Mara” was Jesus Christ, Life Himself. It was, therefore, destiny, because it is the work of God.

In our own lives today, many things unfold that seem to happen “by chance.” But nothing is an accident. It is all a time filled with the zealous work of God, who is turning our “Mara” into “Naomi.” Therefore, in the midst of our busy lives, the saint must step back and examine their life. Because that time of meditation is the very time we come to know more deeply the One who became flesh and dwelt among us.

[Prayer]

Lord, according to my own will and plans, I have proudly considered myself a “Naomi” (joy). But before Your word, you make me honestly see the bitter cup (“Mara”) of my life. And so, you make me realize that I cannot live without Your grace alone. And right in that very place, you allow me to taste the true joy that comes from the Giver of the “full reward.” This is grace. May this be a blessed new day, begun with the power of this grace. Amen.
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[Daily Reading]

Ruth 1:19-2:12