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Ruth

Naomi

I said before to the people of Bethlehem to call me Mara, meaning a bitter woman. I was not always bitter. Once, I had a wonderful husband and two fine sons. They were the pride of my life. They meant everything to me. They married two nice girls in the land of Moab where we had gone to find food. I am Naomi. (Bows) In our home in Bethlehem, there was a famine and my good husband Elimelech decided we should move to Moab where there was no famine. It was a difficult decision for him to make because we had to leave our home behind us and go into an unknown country which had a different culture, totally different values and pagan gods. I loved my husband and I would go with him anywhere he decided, but unfortunately after our journey to Moab, my husband died. It was awful for me. The death of a spouse is always difficult, but I had loved him so much and now I was away from my family and normal surroundings. Then, the worst thing imaginable happened to me. My two sons also died. I was left totally alone in a pagan country. Everything had been taken
from me. I wonder if anything worse could happen to a woman. The grief I felt was overwhelming and there was nothing I could do. I could not bring my two strong sons back to life. There was no hope for me at all. I felt as though I had nothing to live for. I decided to return to Bethlehem because the famine had relented. It was a long way back, and if I died along the way, well, I'm not sure it mattered to me. As I said, I had nothing to live for. I told my two daughters-in-law to return home and find new husbands. They both had a chance for a good future ahead of them. I had loved them and I said they had been good wives and good daughters-in-law. I kissed them good-bye. (Steps back, or aside)

Ruth

My mother-in-law, Naomi, had come from the land of Judah and was an Israelite. She was a totally different type of person than anyone I had known in Moab. After I married her son, I became more and more drawn to her and to her God. In fact, she represented God to me. In Moab, we do not know the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the one true God. We have other gods which are quite convenient, but they never made any difference in my life. I saw that with Naomi, her relationship was a real, true relationship with a living God. I wanted to know her God because I truly respected and loved her. I always listened and watched Naomi, especially when she was in pain or was grieving. Naomi was a servant to others at all times. She never gave up on the sovereignty or reality of her God no matter how badly she hurt or what her circumstances were. She wanted the best for Orpah and me when our husbands died in spite of what she needed herself. I could not possibly part from her. I would never know her God if she left without me and besides I loved Naomi. I felt I had to be with her no matter how bad the circumstances were. I told her I would go wherever she went; her God would be mine and I would die where she died. She became my mother. I left everything to follow her: my home, my family and any possible future that would be available in Moab. I left everything to find Naomi's God and to face possible death, starvation, cruelty, and hardship.

From Moab, we spent many days traveling to Bethlehem. It was not an easy trip for us because it was just the two of us. Two women traveling alone were vulnerable to every type of problem and danger. If something happened to one of us, the other would have a double burden. It was a terrible risk to take, and Naomi was not strong physically. I had no idea where we were going, or how long it would take. Naomi knew little, either. I didn't know how I, a woman from Moab, would be treated among the Israelites. We had no one to protect us from our many problems except the God of Naomi. She seemed convinced that he knew about us and what our situation was. When we arrived in Bethlehem, the women in the town were very distressed at seeing our disturbing situation because we were so poor and desperate. Naomi explained the tragedy that had come to her and she felt deeply ashamed. I knew I had to find some type of food supply for us because we had no husband to help us. It was awful. We were destitute. I became a beggar at the edge of a field of a distant relative of Naomi's husband. The man was kind, and generous to everyone. He allowed me to glean the pieces of wheat that were left. He left some of his grain deliberately untouched so the poor, like me, could get some type of provision. It was difficult, hard work being bent over all day in the hot sun. My back ached every day and so did my fingers. My hands became rough and raw. I hurt so badly in many ways that I wondered if Naomi's God was real anymore. I hurt inside my heart because there seemed no hope for either of us. I had never been a beggar before, and I had never been that hungry before. I wondered how much pain, exhaustion and humiliation I could take. Gleaning was a rough job. The gleaners were very poor, aggressive and desperate for food and it wasn't easy being there among them. I didn't want to cause any problems with anyone, or get hurt but I did have to get enough grain for Naomi and me to stay alive. That was all we had, day after day: the grain that I managed to collect for Naomi to grind and cook for us, or any handouts that someone might give us.

My dedication and respect for my mother-in-law never diminished. I also felt that somehow I had been brought to Bethlehem for a purpose, but I could see none. Naomi kept telling me that God was faithful in supplying our needs and that God was good to us. After weeks of back-breaking gleaning, the owner of the field took a genuine interest in me as a person and in what had happened between Naomi and me. This was totally unexpected. He became more compassionate and understanding about our situation. He surprised me with being even more generous than before and, as you can imagine, I was extremely grateful. I was afraid that he, along with other people, would be against me as a person because of my pagan background. I wanted him to understand how I felt. He said his mother had been pagan at first and had been from Jericho. She had also been a woman who risked everything to find God. Her name had been Rahab. I felt better, knowing that Boaz and I had something in common.

Boaz continued to supply our needs and he also respected me. He was not married. He desired to marry me and made his request public. I felt I would truly like to spend the rest of my life with him because he had proven he was a man of God. Having a husband like Boaz was beyond my hope. Later, I bore a child I called Obed. Obed was the joy of our life and of Naomi's. I wanted Obed to be a man of God, like Boaz. My son Obed married and had a child called Jesse, who had many children, one of whom was a shepherd called David. He later became King David. King David was an ancestor to another king, called Jesus of Nazareth.

Although it had been difficult, life threatening, and almost terrifying at times, I never regretted taking a firm stand for seeking the God I knew to be true, for the God which Naomi mirrored to me, her daughter. Had I stayed in Moab, I would be in darkness. I would not live in God's presence. I would have no soul. (Steps back)

Naomi

I was a mother to my sons and then to my daughters-in-law. I don't, however, understand when Ruth saw God in me. I did not realize it! All I know is that through our suffering, I have again the fullest joy a mother can have. I have a family and a grandchild. I am truly blessed. You may not call me Mara any longer. I am so grateful to God. He truly cares, whether you realize it or not, during times of sorrow. My wish for all mothers is that you mirror God's character to your children so they can know him. (Raises hands to audience) God bless you! Be faithful to him! (Both she and Ruth leave)