*Some Key Points About Naomi:
1 - She was a woman who lost so very much as a result of following her husband’s leading to leave their homeland and live amidst foreigners who did not serve the Lord God Most High. (Sometimes we bear the weight of other people’s decisions and as a result of simply living our life in light of choices beyond our control, we can end up lonely, misunderstood, or wrongly judged. When it seems as if no one understands you, try to remember that God saw Naomi’s lot in life, and He sees yours, too.)
2 - She made an impact on her Moabite daughters-in-law that was significant enough for them to express their great love for her and willingness to follow her back to her homeland and forfeit any future opportunity to become mothers themselves (some of this was cultural, of course, but I think we see more than the normal culturally expected response; these women had been impacted not only by Naomi, but by the God of Naomi. Is my life a witness for the Lord that bears a mark that others cannot deny? Do I tend to forget that my role as a mother reaches far beyond my own children?)
3 - I have heard Naomi criticized for calling herself Mara, which means “bitter”; some have said she was wrong for stating that she went away full but came back empty. But isn’t that an accurate response for a woman who had lost so much? First, her home and land and family status to a famine, then her husband to illness while living in a foreign land, then both of her sons as well as any societal status and position she had gained while living in the land of Moab, and any hope for her family’s lineage to carry on. Perhaps she was grieving appropriately, and from the perspective of our Western culture, from the outside looking in, it seems as if she were merely complaining. Does it change the way that we feel about Naomi if we recognize her self-imposed name-change as an outward expression of tremendous grief, rather than assume it to have been an affront to God? If she had so great an impact on her two Moabite daughters-in-law, is it logical per the text we find in the Bible for us to assume the worst about her? Should we instead examine our own hearts and ask whether or not we are grieving our biggest losses in life in a way that actually allows us to walk through them and onward into a future with God that is not all-consumed with hidden grief that eats away at us, impacting our life, our relationships, and even our health in untold ways?
4 - Through the life of this woman who lost so much, there comes about the marriage of Boaz and Ruth (which draws many parallels to Jesus’ redeeming love for mankind). This union led to the birth of Obed, the father of Jesse, who was the father of King David. Ruth the Moabite woman is listed in the genealogy of Jesus - what a remarkable turn of events! (If you are in need of a turnaround, bear in mind that the same God who worked so profoundly in the lives of Naomi and Ruth will do His profound work in your life, as well. Don't give up, hang on to your hope and keep trusting the Lord!)
5 - Boaz had a significant woman in his family line, as well; Rahab the prostitute who hid the spies in Jericho when Joshua led the Israelites out of the desert and into the promised land following the death of Moses. It is interesting to note that Boaz was the kinsman-redeemer for Naomi’s family, and perhaps his ancestor Rahab’s story left him with a tender heart toward the foreigner woman named Ruth who was gleaning his fields.
6 - Naomi’s life as a mother clearly left an impact, and her role as grandmother to Ruth’s son Obed indicates that she was still capable and competent in the rearing of children. As mothers, how can we look at the life of this woman, viewing her long-lasting impact through the lens of our own lives, and in turn be willing to do the hard work of Biblical parenting day after day?
Does she spark hope in you, that your perseverance and endurance and self-sacrifice will be worth it down the road? I hope so!
Because Naomi shows us that a life lived well is an excellent investment that all Christian mothers can emulate.
Final thoughts of mine about Naomi: She directed Ruth clearly about what to do when they arrived back in Israel in the direst of circumstances, with nothing to their name and in a state of extreme need and poverty. Naomi knew what the Old Testament said, and she followed it’s instructions to a “t”. Her grief did not prevent her from believing that God’s method of caring for her as a widow woman in Israel with no living sons would prove true. How often do you and I look at our circumstances and turn to Google, to TikTok, or perhaps to fear, fret and complaining, rather than turning to God’s Word, seeking Him in prayer, and trusting the Holy Spirit to instruct us and lead us forward? Too often I have not lived like Naomi, and it has never fared well for me or for my loved ones. What have you learned from this look at Biblical motherhood expressed via the life of Naomi, one of the most famous widows of the Bible?
I invite you to check out this resource for praying parents available on Amazon:
A 60-Day Prayer Journal for Parents
Keep up the hard work of parenting, my friend. Your labor in the Lord is not in vain!
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