Never Too Late

He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age.

Ruth 4:15

Restoration and nourishment are possible for the young… and the old.

But can this be true in the face of excruciating loss?

Loss brought Naomi and Ruth’s lives to a halt. Huddled in hopelessness, they clung to each other wondering what to do. So many losses. The death of a husband, a father, a patriarch. Loss of home, nation, and community. Death of sons. Shattered dreams: the dream of children, the joy of inheritance. Cessation of the family name. Death of identity.

Who was Naomi if she was not the wife of Elimelech, the mother of two strong sons and their beautiful wives, the prospective grandmother of grandchildren? In her culture, honor pivoted on these roles in a woman’s life, and she was proud of it. Naomi thought her honor died with her husband and sons.

She tried to contain the effects of such sweeping loss by sending the wives of her dead sons back to their homelands. Perhaps there they could start life over. Regain positions of honor. For Naomi, everything indicated it was too late. An old woman, she could no longer hope for honor. So she decided to return to Bethlehem, to her people, and take on a new name, a new identity. Mara, Bitter One. She would no longer be Naomi. 

Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Lord has dealt very bitterly with me. I went away full, and the Lord has brought me back empty.

Ruth 1:20

As Orpah and Ruth held tightly to Naomi, refusing to leave her, Naomi was blunt about her future. 

I am an old woman. I have nothing to offer you but bitterness. Go back to your families and find a new life.

Orpah kissed her and left for home and hope again. And no one would blame her. It was the honorable thing to do. 

Ruth refused. It’s interesting to me that lately, I have come across many astounding stories in the Bible that all originated in someone’s refusal.

By faith Moses… refused… choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God. 

Hebrews 11:24-25

Like Moses, Ruth had her eyes on another kind of honor, one that loss of status could not steal.

Ruth perceived something Naomi could not see through her blinding grief. Ruth saw value in Naomi that exceeded the sum of her status. Ruth loved Naomi.

Love honors. 

Love is a kind of honor that cannot be explained or manufactured. Love often makes no sense. Love goes against cultural rules and societal expectations. Love refuses.

Because Ruth refused to leave her beloved Naomi and denied the dictates of her honor-shame society, redemption was made plain for all to see.

Ruth refused, and redemption was revealed.

Another interesting observation about this story is that after Ruth refused the rules of culture, it was the very rules of culture that led to her redemption.

This is a relief to anyone serving cross-culturally. Rules aren’t the rule of redemption. Nothing can stop love. Don’t fret if you break the rules, follow the rules, can’t figure out the rules. Love is what overcomes everything in the end.

Rules, it turns out, can be redeemed too. After all, that is precisely what Ruth’s descendant Jesus would one day do (see Matthew 1 for the magnificent genealogy of Jesus Christ and note Ruth’s role). Jesus saved us from the rules, and His love secured our redemption for eternity.

Ruth followed the path of love. Love led her to remain with Naomi. Love led her to embrace Naomi’s land, people, and ultimately, her God. Love led Ruth to respect Naomi’s instruction, honor Boaz, and serve them both.

So, refusal can also lead to love.

Ruth’s refusal led to redemption in Naomi’s old age. She who declared her name Bitter became Restored and Nourished. #hope Click To Tweet

It’s never too late, dear one.

Take time today and read this marvelous story from beginning to end. Can you see Love Himself in the background, leading the mourners to redemption? If you peer closely at the text, you will see an invitation written just for you.

Come, you bitter. Come, you grieved. Come, you shamed. Come, you empty and I will fill you. I am the Redeemer, the Restorer of Life, and Nourisher of Old Age. It is never too late to live again.

Lord, I come. Amen.

@audreycfrank

 

Photo by Niklas Rhöse on Unsplash