Study 2 – The Lord gives ‘rest’
Read Ruth 1.8-14
Consider: Was Naomi right in persuading he daughters-in-law to return to their homeland?
V8b …the Lord deal kindly with you. These are Naomi’s words of hope of a reversal of fortune. The author makes us read on to see if her words come true.
Why did Naomi try to persuade her daughters-in-law to return to Moab when they were already in the way back to the land of promise and plenty?
· Perhaps Orpah and Ruth accompanied Naomi because of cultural custom – to travel part of the journey to see her on the way.
· Perhaps she hadn’t thought things through very fully. In the excitement of the prospect of her going home they were all swept along with events.
· She then had second thoughts about the social and religious upheaval the Moabitess daughters-in-law would have to make.
· Was it that they had not turned from idolatry to serve the living and true God and thus there was no place for them in the Promised Land if they remained in that condition?
Or, was she continuing her testimony of faith in Yahweh and tantalising them to turn to him? After all, she wishes them the Lord’s unmerited kindness. This is the first use of the precious Hebrew word hesed in the book and is similar to ‘grace’ – God’s unmerited favour and kindness – ‘may the Lord do hesed’. The word appears three times in the Ruth.[1]
The book of Ruth is not about Naomi’s love for her daughter-in-law. It is not about Ruth’s love for her mother-in-law. Further, it is not a book about the love between a man and his wife-to-be. It is about the love of God for his people; his undeserved, providential goodness, and kindness to them. In short, his hesed.
And yet, the love and care demonstrated by men and women in this book are faint motifs of the Lord’s hesed. So, as you read the book, keep asking yourself, “What am I seeing here of the Lord and his loving care?” In that way, the book will not be a Mills & Boon novelette and will become a rich and lovely expression of the Lord’s overarching care for his people and that includes you and me.
V9a The Lord grant that you may find rest. Naomi knew that the only hope of rest in this life comes from the Lord. Perhaps in these words she was prompting a deeper desire for rest than they had known before. This is the second blessing Naomi gives. The Hebrew word for rest pops up again at 3.1.[2]
Rest is a fundamental idea in the Bible. We cannot explore this here.[3] Just let us note the words of Exodus 33:14, And he (the Lord) said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest”. We see the close connection between the Lord and rest: only he gives true rest. The Lord Jesus says, “Come to me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11.28.
The word used here in Ruth has the same Hebrew root from which the name Noah comes. God gave him and his family rest from the flood that destroyed the wickedness on the earth.
· Rest is something we all enjoy: after a hard day’s work or shopping trip, or a long drive, or activity in the garden – to sit down, relax, and unwind is bliss.
· Spiritual rest was, I feel sure, included in Naomi’s blessing when she said, “The Lord grant that you may find rest.” This is a rest far greater than physical and mental rest that we enjoy from time to time, and which is not enough in this busy world. The psalmist declared, “Return, O my soul, to your rest; For the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.” Psalm 116.7.
Consider: how much do you rest in the Lord’s ‘hesed’ – his goodness and kindness and providential care?
Vv11-13a Just maybe, Naomi feared they were going with her for the wrong reasons. For the fact is, it is not possible to enjoy the blessings of the covenant community if you do not express the same faith as the covenant community. However, as the story unfolds we know that Ruth from Moab came to share in the Lord’s blessings. From being an outsider she became an insider. “The return of physical prosperity only shadowed the reality of a coming spiritual prosperity through the line of David in the person of Christ.”[4]
This, as Christians, is our experience too. For you were once darkness, but now are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light. He (our heavenly Father) has delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of his love.[5] He is the God of reversals.
Pray: Lord Jesus, thank you that you have brought me to spiritual rest. Help me to encourage others to walk the same path to that heavenly rest which you are preparing for us. Thank you for your constant love. Amen
Michael S. Bostock, October 2020.
[1] 1.8; 2.20; 3.10 and about 250 times in the Old Testament. Interestingly, the words “redeem,” “redeemer,” and “redemption” occur 23 times.
[2] Security, NKJV; home, NIV.
[3] Perhaps you might like to do a topical Bible study on the word rest, home, security, and similar ideas.
[4] John MacArther, quoted in Bibleoutlines.com.
[5] Ephesians 5.8; Colossians 1.13.