Bitter and Blind
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?”
So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabite her daughter-in-law with her, who returned from the country of Moab. And they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest.
Ruth 1:20-22 (ESV)
C. S. Lewis once called suffering “God’s megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” This is proved time and time again by stories within the Bible and in the lives of the saints today. And yet, to the one who is in the midst of suffering, the opposite may seem closer to the truth. Sorrow and pain can seem less like a great wind clearing away the fog and more like dark clouds blotting out the sun.
The author of the famous hymn “Holy, Holy, Holy”, understood this darkness well. He penned the lines: “Holy, Holy, Holy, though the darkness hides thee. Though the eye of sinful man thy glory may not see.” It is in this state blindness of that we find Naomi at the end of the first chapter of Ruth. In the darkness of true bankruptcy, poverty, and loss of loved ones she says “the hand of the Lord has gone out against me.”
In a sermon on this chapter, John Piper said “I would take Naomi’s theology any day over the sentimental views of God which dominate evangelical magazines and books today. Naomi is unshaken and sure about three things: God exists. God is sovereign. God has afflicted her.”
The problem Naomi faces is not that she wrongly attributes her pain to God (in fact the biblical authors attest to God’s sovereignty in suffering). Naomi’s problem is the bitterness which has blinded her. Is it true that Naomi went out full and returned empty? No! Naomi went out with her family and returned with Ruth! Her grief is understandable, but her bitterness has lead her to miss God’s work!
It is through Ruth that Naomi will have a grandchild and will be cared for all of her days! And it is through Ruth that God will bless all of Israel with the greatest figure to stand in the shadow of Christ, King David! Through the suffering of Naomi came the providence of David. Through the suffering of one humble, bitter woman, came the lineage of Jesus Christ who would embrace suffering for the salvation of God’s people forever!
There is no simple cure for sorrow. There is no potent verse that will reveal the reasons behind every move of God in our lives. Because of this we can grow bitter. We can accept that the Bible teaches that God is sovereign and miss that God is good. We can dive deeply into hopelessness and miss the wonders of God around us. When we suffer, we should, like Naomi, not weaken our view of God. However, unlike Naomi, we should not think ourselves full and perfected in times of peace or empty and ruined in times of suffering.
It is the lie of Satan that God brought you from fullness into emptiness. Suffering is meaningful! While the details may be forever obscure, the mighty hand of God behind our pain brings confidence. This is the God who afflicted Naomi and Ruth. And it is this affliction that brought about the love between Boaz and his bride. It brought about joy for Naomi in the form of a lineage. It is this affliction that would bring us the King. Blessed be the God who sends us out lacking and brings us back fuller than we know!
Holy, Holy, Holy, though the darkness hides thee. Though the eyes of sinful man thy glory may not see. Only Thou art Holy. There is none beside Thee. Perfect in power, in love and purity! Amen.
