” God did not bring her back empty. He brought her back to fill her life in ways she couldn’t even imagine. He did not oppose her, He orchestrated her rescue, called out to her with the good news, had a place waiting for her when she returned, and was going to do even more.
But Naomi felt like Yahweh was the source of her misery. Her emotions told her that it was God who heaped all this trouble onto her. Her circumstances had worn her down and she resigned.
We have to be a little critical of Naomi’s words and choices in chapter 1. Even if we try to give her all the benefit of the doubt, she is most definitely pitting herself against Yahweh in this moment.
But here’s the great news about Naomi: This is the start of her story, not the end! By the end, she’s not going to be Mrs. Bitter-Fear-Face. She’ll be Mrs. Sweetness again. We see her totally restored to faith in God, worshipping God, being used by God, a precious part of His amazing work.
Naomi’s story is one of the most amazing in the Old Testament. Her example shows us how we can return to God after living as prodigals. How God can bring us joy after life has beaten us down. How broken hearts can be mended by His hesed love. But we don’t want to cheapen the impact of chapter 4 by excusing what’s going on in chapter 1.”
