What a great feeling when you fill up your car’s gas tank and look down at that gauge. That little white needle is touching the big capital F and man, it just feels good. The tank is full, you’ve got miles ahead of you, and if you’re like me, you're happy because you don’t have to stop for gas again for a while. But oh boy, is it ever the opposite as you near that big E. Cars today have all kinds of alarms to let you know when your getting close to empty. Lights, bells, and buzzers, all sounds that usually mean good, but in this instance mean you’re about to come to a grinding halt if you don't fill up soon. But as you think about these full and empty moments, there’s really no story within them. They are merely singular moments. If you really think about it...the real story of the journey lies in what happens between full and empty.
Today we start an amazing little book in the Old Testament, the book of Ruth. The book of Ruth clocks in at a mere 2,574 words over a short 4 chapters. But within it lies one of the most poetic, most compelling, love stories in existence. Within it lies redemption, repentance, true love, grace, and mercy. Yet within this love story also resides judgement, sacrifice, suffering, and humility. And within it also is planted a compelling and vital piece of the genealogy of our Lord Jesus Christ. But the story starts out not as a jovial love story, but a tragedy. It starts out with a family fleeing a harsh famine and ultimately, fleeing from God Himself.
Meet Elimelech and Naomi, husband and wife. Elimelech’s name means “my God is King” although we’ll see through our story, he does not act like it. Naomi means “pleasant.” If we were to encounter Naomi we would encounter a happy-go-lucky, bright-eyed, positive woman. They have two sons Mahlon and Chilion. Mahlon means “unhealthy” and Chilion means “puny.” At birth both must have been very unhealthy to receive such names. The family was living in Bethlehem, within the borders of the Promised Land in the time of the judges. And it was a wicked time amongst God’s people. The Israelites had turned from God and “all did what was right in their own eyes.” As a result, God brought judgement upon the rebellious people in the form of a bitter famine. (By the way, there are 13 famines mentioned in the Bible and all of them involve God judging a rebellious, sinful Israelite people.) And Elimelech thought that he would simply outrun the famine, move beyond its borders. So he decided to move his family to Moab which lied outside of God's promised land. Mistake number one.
Moab lied directly within the heart of the gentile land of false gods, idol worship, and vile religious practices. In fact, in Psalm 108:9, God says “Moab is my washpot” directly correlating Moab with what you would wash your feet in after a long dirty journey. Not exactly a glowing review from the Lord. But for whatever reason, Elimelech decides it's a great idea to move his family there.
Many times in life we feel just as Emilelech, feeling we can just run away from the problems in front of us. That somehow a fresh start or a new place will change everything, shedding our problems with mere distance. But true to the saying, “wherever you go, there you are” you can’t run away from God. Just as we see in the story of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32) putting more distance between you and God only causes the problems to multiply. As do the problems for Elimelech and Naomi. Elimelech dies leaving Naomi to raise her two sons alone. She eventually gets them married off to two gentile Moabite woman (mistake number 2) and soon after the two sickly sons die. Naomi has suffered so much living in the washpot of Moab. But in the crux of our lesson, Naomi in her suffering and loss does not decide to run farther from God. She does not become bitter and angry and blame God for her great troubles. She does not deny God and turn her back on Him. In the middle of her heartbreak, in the middle of her suffering, in the middle of her anguish and loss, she turns back to God. She makes a decision to return to the Promised Land and to her hometown of Bethelehem. And as she arrives back to the village in which she grew up, we get our focus verse for the day.
“And when they came to Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them. And the women said, “Is this Naomi?” She said to them, “Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. I went away full, and the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi, when the Lord has testified against me and the Almighty has brought calamity upon me?” Ruth 1:19-21
Imagine the scene here. Bright eyed, happy, ever pleasant and upbeat Naomi is back in town after a long ten year absence. But the energetic, positive woman they recalled from 10 years ago is no longer. She looks much different. Her husband had died, and she dealt with it. Her sons had died, and she dealt with it. She was left with two daughters-in-law to care and provide for and she dealt with it. One daughter-in-law left her and the other, Ruth, clung to her, her only support structure left on the planet. As the people gaze into those broken, dull, hurt-filled eyes, they barely recognize Naomi. She tells them not to call her pleasant any more, but bitter, for her life in Moab had indeed been just that. But in the glory of the passage, she changed her name, but the Lord had not. God still saw the real Naomi buried deep within the hurt.
She went away full and came back empty. As we intentionally depart from the Lord and the path He has for us, our gas gauge really starts to drop. A life that seemed to have the occasional problem is now riddled with them. As we stray from the Lord, His protective hand pulls away and life can become oh so bitter to the palate. Some would see the treatment of Naomi as punishment from God, but folks, God is no punisher. Out of God’s great love He is constantly guiding our steps, even when we rebel against Him. And in His ultimate wisdom, he will guide us in the ways that He knows we will respond to the best.
Has God dealt bitterly with you? Don’t keep moving farther from Him, repent and turn back to Him. Has God emptied out your fuel tank, leaving you feeling lost and stranded? Go to God, only He can refill you. You see, Naomi, in her utter emptiness, knew this. And she turned from Moab and the empty life there and returned to Almighty God. And what only her faith would soon reveal, God had not forsaken her in His bitter dealings. In fact, God is about to do amazing things in the life of Naomi through Ruth. And it’s all because Naomi in her absolute emptiness, realized the only way that she could once again be filled was to go to God. She went back to God.
Wherever your gas gauge may be today, go to God and be filled to overflowing.
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” Romans 15:13
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