2008-06-05 13:20:00
"So Naomi returned from Moab accompanied by Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law, arriving in Bethlehem as the barley harvest was beginning" (Ruth 1:22).
Yesterday I shared concerning our friends, Jesse and Anna Ruth, and their new baby they named Naomi Grace. It is common to hear the Amish call their children by both their first and middle names so the combination of the names Naomi and Grace is lovely to the ears, but the names are also packed with great Biblical meaning. Naomi, from the Hebrew language means "beautiful, pleasant, delightful." Grace, from the Latin, means "favor, blessing." This beautiful name prompted a message about the new baby's namesake, the Naomi of Scripture.
Those who regularly read this series know that I enjoy using illustrations from the farming area in which I live. I have learned that there is a predictability regarding the times of each harvest from year to year with the next major harvest in our area being barley. I noticed yesterday that the barley is turning a beautiful yellow indicating harvest is near. In the next several weeks we will see the combines working the fields all throughout our region. It's a beautiful sight to see and hear the machine slowly working back and forth across the fields.
I want to learn today from the occasion of another barley harvest which took place about 3,200 years ago. I spoke to my farming friend Darrel this morning and shared what I intended to write. We briefly discussed the vast difference in harvesting methods from that age to our own.
It's interesting to note how many times the Bible reminds us to consider our roots. History was very important in the life of the Jewish people. Great New Testament sermons like Peter's (Acts 2) and Stephen's (Acts 7) are rooted in history; the record of God's providential work in space and time.
The simple, easily overlooked, detail in the daily text places the lives of two ordinary women, Naomi and Ruth, beset by heartache squarely in history, in the context of a specific place "Bethlehem" and a specific time "when the barley was harvested". Naomi's husband had died along with her two sons in Moab, a distant land devoted to other gods. Her heart was broken as she returned to Bethlehem with Ruth her daughter-in-law who had decided to join her. When they arrived and she was recognized by the women of Bethlehem she plainly told them, "Call me Mara" (which means "bitter"). Thankfully the name didn't stick and in a wonderful way God worked things out for both Naomi and Ruth.
Some of you have lingering heartache which has resulted in bitterness today. We all have experiences where it seems life has just not been fair, some far more than others. Our experience is not at all unique to our lifetime and surely, all through the ages, people have dealt with this. Brooksyne received a meaningful Get Well card from one of our faithful Australian readers who wrote the following thought she had read in "Our Daily Bread" devotional, "One of God's purposes in pain is to brand the image of Jesus in our hearts."
Let us learn from history and rejoice as we see how the unchangeable God worked His plan out in these two ordinary women. A wonderful New Testament verse that many of us have memorized expresses this truth: "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28). Rest in deep assurance today that this is absolutely true!
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily prayer: Father, You have great purpose for our lives and for the legacy we leave for those who follow. In our journey there are bitter waters from which we drink and there are sweet fragrances that fill our nostrils. Through it all You work to bring the good out of bad circumstances, all the while reminding us of our calling to live according to Your purpose. May we be trusting in the hard times and faithful all the time. Amen.
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