The story of Naomi is usually overshadowed by that of Ruth. Bible Stories – Naomi is the first in this series. We are introduced to Naomi and learn a bit of her story. She played a key role in getting Ruth to her place in destiny. We’ll get to Ruth eventually, but first Bible stories about Naomi.
Bible Stories – Naomi
Naomi was old and tired. She sat by the window in a corner of the little house she had shared with her husband and sons and looked at the strangers who went up and down the street. Each one with a purpose, some in a hurry, some strolling casually like they had time to spare and were in no rush to get to their destination.
Naomi remembered sitting at the same window as she waited for her husband, Elimelech, to get back from his business selling wares at the market each day. They had come to live in the land of Moab as immigrants from Israel. She did not have too many friends and spent most of her days teaching her sons Mahlon and Chilion the stories from the Torah about Jehovah. Stories she had learned herself growing up as a child in Israel. She wanted them to remember their roots even as they became young men growing up in a different land.
Life in Moab
Her family had left Israel in the heat of the famine when it had become difficult for Elimelech to provide for them. They came to Moab with the hope of buying a small farm and raising some animals as they had done in Israel. But they had spent most of their savings trying to settle down and build a new life. Elimelech resorted to purchasing common items and selling them in the market to pay their bills and keep his family fed. In time, he lost the zeal to own a farm and taught Mahlon and Chilion to be traders as well.
He started getting ill after a few years and eventually succumbed to a strange illness. Mahlon and Chilion promptly took up the responsibility of providing for their mom and maintaining the roof over their head. In time they both got married to Moabite women and for a while, things seemed to be looking good for Naomi. Her sons were doing well, her daughters-in-law, Orpah and Ruth were kind and respectful and she prayed they would bear children and fill the house with the sound of happy feet tapping around. She planned to teach her grandkids the ways of her people, but alas, that was not to be.
One after the other, both Mahlon and Chilion succumbed to the strange illness that had taken their father and she was left staring out the window at strangers in a strange land with no hope, no joy or laughter, and no hope of having any grandchildren. She sighed deeply as Orpah walked into the room. “Lunch is ready, Naomi.” She took in Naomi’s look and guessed what she had been thinking. “You really need to stop worrying so much, Ruth and I will take care of you, we will not let anything happen to you”
Ruth who was coming up behind Orpah with a tray of fruits in her hand chimed in “Is there anything we can do to make you feel better, Naomi?”
The Big Decision
Naomi rose from where she had been seating and looked gratefully at her daughters-in-law. “I am extremely blessed to have you both,” she said. “You are both so wonderful to me and I don’t know what I would do without you”
“And I apologize for being so morose, I know I am not the only one hurting here. In fact, that’s why I have come to the decision I just made”
“What is it Naomi?” they both asked looking surprised. It had been a while since they heard her speak with so much determination.
“It’s ok, I did not mean to alarm you. I just decided that I wanted to return to my homeland” She paused as they took in her words. “To Israel” she finished.
Orpah and Ruth both looked at each other.
Ruth was the first to recover and find her tongue. “That makes perfect sense Naomi,” she said. “You will be able to reunite with family and loved ones back home. It’s a wonderful idea!”
“And you will have us there with you as well” concluded Orpah. “It is settled. When do we leave?”
Naomi smiled at the excitement in their voices. She meant it when she said she did not know what she would do without the young ladies. They had been good to her sons and even in the death of their husbands, they showed Naomi so much love like they were her children. She blessed them again and she knew that her decision to return home was a good one. It was as much for her sake as it was for theirs.
The girls did not need to grow old in her house living as widows, and there was no point in them coming to Israel with her either. They would not only be strangers in Israel, but widowed strangers who would likely have no hope of finding husbands to care for them or raise children with.
Winding Down
No, she would not allow them to do that to themselves. She was going home so she could free the young ladies to marry again and live a full life like she had before she was beset with sorrows and ill fortune. But that did not have to be these young ladies. She would break the news to them eventually that she must depart alone and that they were free to go back to their parent’s homes. With that determination, she finally found a bit of relief and went to bed.
The next morning, she began to put the house in order. She sorted their things into piles of things she would like to give away to the friendly neighbors with whom she had shared good times and many laughs. They had cooked, run errands, and gone to the market square together, and they were part of her Moab experience. They had been good to her in so many ways.
She made another pile of treasured items that had belonged to her husband and sons, some she planned to keep, and some she would give to the girls. She went about her task of putting the house in order resolutely and after a few weeks, she had disposed and given away the little they had and was ready to make the journey back to Israel.
End of an Era
Ruth and Orpah had helped and had also put their belongings together and said goodbye to their parents and families. On the day Naomi chose for them to leave. She made sure they had both packed their things and returned the keys of the house to the landlord and as they made their way to the city gates, she eventually looked at them both and finally disclosed her intentions.
“Ladies she began, “I wanted to make sure that you both removed all your belongings from that house so that you would not feel obliged to stay there out of loyalty to me and to your husbands. I needed to be sure that we were all closing that chapter of our lives and moving forward.”
Thank you both for the love and care you showed to your husbands and to me since they died. I want you to know that I do not hold anything against you if you decide to marry again and please do not feel obliged to care for me. I am old and have lived my life and it is now time for you both to live yours. Please return home to your parents and the Lord be with you as you go”
Farewells
“You can’t be serious” they both cried “Was that your plan all along? You were right in doing all that, because you know there is no way we could leave you”
“But there is, you see. You are both young and beautiful and have a lot to look forward to. I don’t want you spending your life looking after a poor, sorrowful woman who has been so unfortunate…”. As she said this she broke down and began crying and the girls cried with her and they all wept for a long time as they remembered what they had lost.
She finally regained her composure and pleaded with them to return home to their parents and hope for a better life ahead. Orpah wept a lot as she picked up her belongings and hugged her mother-in-law tight. “I will never forget you or Chilion” she said.
She hugged her sister-in-law as well and went on her way, but Ruth stayed.
Ruth’s Determination
“It’s your turn to go, Ruth,” Naomi said as Orpah departed. “You need to go back home to your people.”
“Don’t even think of making me leave you” Ruth said with a force that Naomi had never heard in her voice before. “I am going with you wherever you go. Your people will become my people, and your God will become my God. Where you die is where I will die and be buried. And may God’s hand be against me if I allow anything but death to separate us”.
When Naomi heard this she realized how determined Ruth was and she said no more. They both made the journey to Bethlehem in Israel. It was Naomi’s native town and the entire town was excited at her arrival.
“Is it really you, Naomi” the townswomen cried excitedly.
And she responded with a mirthless laugh. “You can’t call me Naomi seeing there is nothing pleasant about my life,” she said
“Call me Mara. That’s more befitting because I am bitter. I went out full but I’ve returned empty. Befallen with one tragedy after another. Call me Mara” She said.
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