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11 But Naomi said, “Return, my daughters. Why should you go with me? Have I yet sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands? 12 Return, my daughters! Go, for I am too old to have a husband. If I said I have hope, if I should even have a husband tonight and also bear sons, 13 would you therefore wait until they were grown? Would you therefore refrain from marrying? No, my daughters; for it is harder for me than for you, for the hand of the Lord has gone forth against me.” 14 And they lifted up their voices and wept again; and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her. ~ Ruth 1:11-14
Today, we return to our study of the book of Ruth. One of the great themes of Ruth is that of redemption. I believe it was Augustine who once said, "The Old Testament is in the New Testament, explained, and, the New Testament is hinted at in the Old Testament. Throughout the Old Testament are shadows, and types, and prophecies. So, the New Testament is contained in the Old Testament." the Bible is all about the redemption of man by a loving God who laid down His life for His friends.
In v.11-13 of today's passage we read, "11 But Naomi said, 'Return, my daughters. Why should you go with me? Have I yet sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands? 12 Return, my daughters! Go, for I am too old to have a husband. If I said I have hope, if I should even have a husband tonight and also bear sons, 13 would you therefore wait until they were grown? Would you therefore refrain from marrying? No, my daughters; for it is harder for me than for you, for the hand of the Lord has gone forth against me.'"
As they started out along the road and got further from Moab, Orpah kept dragging behind. When Naomi saw that Orpah's heart was really not in the journey, she kissed both daughters-in-law and gave them permission to return to their homeland. With the multiple usage of the word "return" is an incredible contrast introduced. The contrast is simple and yet the results are eternally impactful.
When Naomi started her journey back to Bethlehem, she was traveling from east to west, reversing the journey she and her husband had taken ten years earlier. In addition, Naomi was also turning her life around in a spiritual sense. After living in a pagan land for a decade, she now made the decision to return to her own people and to the God of the Bible. It’s a journey both literal and spiritual, in which a bruised believer makes the long journey home.
I have discovered this is a daily reality in my life. The daily reality of returning to the Lord is a must for us all because this world quite easily desires to harden our hearts toward the Lord and His ways. Therefore, it is a good idea to make it our habit at the end of each day to do inventory of our hearts. Since we have been forgiven of all of our sin, we need not confess our sins each day to God for forgiveness.
It is a great habit to confess our sins to God daily so that our hearts are not hardened toward Him. In Psalm 139, King David wrote, "Search me O God, and know my heart…see if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." This explains God's description of sinful King David as a man after God's own heart. Confession to God is a must in order to have a heart for God.
When we get to the New Testament, we have the explanation of the Old Testament. When we read the New Testament, all that Old Testament stuff makes sense. The Lord Jesus is all throughout the Old Testament. He unlocks the key to so much of that which is in the Old Testament. And, He explains it all. I find Naomi's response at the end of v.13 rather interesting. She said, "...the hand of the Lord has gone forth against me." From her Old Testament vantage point, it takes sense that she thought the way she did. But, the Lord Jesus removed all of the enmity created by our sin. We should not look at it as "the hand of the Lord is against me." Knowing that our sin, past, present and future has been forgiven, we now look at the negatives in life differently. We now must look at it as opportunities for God to instill His culture into our souls.
I find it most instructive that the book of Ruth opens up with a choice-- actually, several choices-- one choice that leads to another choice that leads to another. And one thing all of us eventually come to grips with is how precious and how precarious our choices can be. One little dynamic, one little choice can be a hinge of so much.
These two daughters-in-law had a choice here. And Naomi knew the prejudice of her people toward a cursed people like the Moabites. As afore mentioned, the Moabites were cursed because Moab was the result of incest. Naomi knew that if her daughters-in-law were to come with her back to Bethlehem, it was going to be very hard for them. This is why Naomi told the young ladies to go back to their homes in Moab.
In v.14 of today's passage we read, "And they lifted up their voices and wept again; and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her."
Orpah gave Naomi, her mother-in-law, a goodbye kiss and she walked off the pages of history. She is never mentioned again in the Scriptures. But, "Ruth clung to Naomi." The word "clung" here is the same word used in Genesis 2:24 when speaking of the relationship between the man and his wife. It is also the same word used in Psalm 63 to describe the person who was absolutely determined to follow the Lord. The implication here is that Ruth wanted to follow the true and living God, the God of Naomi.
In the end, there are only one of two directions we can go. One is toward the face of God which is seen in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ, or we can turn back and go in the opposite direction. The first leads to eternal life, the latter leads to eternal separation. The choice belongs to each of us, and we must choose wisely.
