Special Series #4: Naomi - Biblical Characters and How They Finish

As I think about the life of Naomi and how she lived her later years, I cannot help but think of a principle that we learn in the Advent story 3 you cannot tell the end from the beginning. Apart from the Old Testament promises of the Messiah ad the angelic announcements of Messiah's birth, the majestic destiny of Jesus might never be guessed from His humble beginnings and surroundings.

As we read the opening lines of Naomi's story one might never guess how the story will end. How anyone lives out the final years of life, like Naomi, is learned as we intentionally trust our lives to a sovereign God and live obediently following His hand.

Naomi's story begins with incredible hardship.

Now it came about in the days when the judges governed, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the land of Moab with his wife and his two sons. The name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife, Naomi; and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehem in Judah. Now they entered the land of Moab and remained there. Then Elimelech, Naomi's husband, died; and she was left with her two sons. They took for themselves Moabite women as wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. And they lived there about ten years. Then both Mahlon and Chilion also died, and the woman was bereft of her two children and her husband (Ruth 1.1-5).

Transcript

Dr Hal Habecker: 0:27

Greetings. I'm Hal habecker With finish and well ministries, we're doing a series on how people finished. Well, in the Bible, there's the headlines there. How did characters in the Bible finish in the end of their life. I have that little quote by Crawford loretz, Don't let me drown in shallow water. Let me finish strong to the end. That's really what life is all about. And every session I've quoted Robert Browning's poem. You should memorize it with me. Grow old along with me. The best is yet to be the last of life for which the first was made. Our times are in his hand. Hosea, a whole I planned youth shows but half. Trust God see all nor be afraid the aging years should not be timid years. We want to finish well and we want to finish strong. Today, I like to consider Naomi and Ruth. Really more Naomi, but Ruth, we learn about her in the story as well. She's a great picture of somebody who finishes life well despite the hardships in her life. Take a quick jaunt with me through her story. As I think about the life of Naomi and how she lived her later years, I cannot help but think of a principle that we've learned in the Advent story you cannot tell the end from the beginning, apart from the Old Testament promises of the Messiah and the angelic announcements of Messiah's birth, the majestic destiny of Jesus might never be guessed from his humble beginnings and surroundings. Who would have ever guessed that this little person was the king of the universe as we read the opening lines of Naomi's story, one might never guess how the story will end, how anyone lives out the final years of life like Naomi is learned as we intentionally trust our lives to a sovereign God and live obediently to his hand. The story of Naomi is tremendous at this point. At some points you think it's all despair, and you have no idea how it will end, but God always knows the end of our stories. Naomi's story is an illustration of living well through the ups and downs of life, trusting God. Her story begins with an incredible hardship. I'm amazed at it. I mean, you wonder why she didn't give up sooner. Now came about when the in the days when the judges governed, there was a famine in the land, and a certain man of Bethlehem and Judah went to sojourn in the land of Moab with his wife and two sons. The name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife, Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Malan and Killian in a frattes of Bethlehem and Judea. Now they entered the land of Moab and remained there. Then Elimelech, Naomi's husband died, and she was left with her two sons. They took for themselves, Moabite women as wives. The name of the one was Oprah and the name of the other one was Ruth. And they lived there about 10 years. Then both Malan and Killian also died, and the woman was bereft of her two children, her sons and her husband, I want to say, with the death of the men in her life, Naomi pleads with her daughter in laws to stay in their own land. As she plans to return to her homeland, she feels that God has left her desolate and she has no hope. The text says, For the hand of the Lord has gone forth against me. What a tragic story Naomi was living. Her husband dies, her two sons die. She had to leave Bethlehem and go to Moab for. Food where all of this devastation happens, and she's now left with two daughter in laws. When she returns to Bethlehem, later in the story, she renames herself Mara, a name reflecting the bitterness of how God has dealt with her. At this point, there seems to be little hope of finishing well. Just think if you had known mate Naomi at that time. You know her story was a tragic one. You know her husband died, her sons died, the they married two mo by women, and she feels like God has abandoned her. Do you know anybody like that? Have you ever been a place like that in your life, feeling like God has deserted you? So she says to her daughters in law, don't call me Naomi, call me Mara for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. I went out full, but the Lord has brought me back empty. Why do you call me Naomi? Since the Lord has witnessed against me and the Almighty has afflicted me, so she returns to Bethlehem, and that's her story. What a sad, sad story. God, however, don't you love those words, God, however, he's above you and me. He has another plan. God, however, has destined for people to help us in our journey. Her daughter in law, Ruth, chooses to return to Bethlehem with Naomi, and Naomi has no idea about what is about to unfold when they return to Bethlehem, don't you love the surprises God gives. That's why we anticipate tomorrow and trust Him in it. But Ruth said, Don't urge me to leave you or go back from following you for where you go. I will go and where you lodge. I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. Thus may the Lord do to me, and worse, if anything, but death parts you and me. Ruth has no thought of giving up being with her mother in law. Remember, she's a foreigner. She's leaving her country, going with her new mother in law, who is nothing but bitter against God and what is done. And she's going to go back with her to Bethlehem, who knows what God surprises he has in front of us. So Naomi returned with her with Ruth the Moabites, her daughter in law, who returned from the land of Moab and they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest. Two thoughts as we take this journey with Naomi. Naomi left Bethlehem because of famine, but returned to a barley harvest. Perhaps changes around the corner. I think God is always ahead of his people. You may be discouraged, but let me tell you, God is ahead of you. He has prepared people and things that will work in your life on his purposes. And she returns with a daughter in law and a new friend committed to her. I want to say friendships are crucial in finishing well, let's build friendships as we age the story continues. God has prepared a way to provide for Naomi and her daughter in law through a relative, a kinsman redeemer named Boaz. The text says so, she departed and went and gleaned in the field after the Reapers, and she happened to come to a portion of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the family of alimony. Now behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem and said to his Reapers, may the Lord be with you. And they said to him, may the Lord be with you. Then Boaz said to His servant, who was in charge of the Reapers, whose young woman is this? The servant in charge of the Reapers replied, she's the young Moabite woman who returned with Naomi from the land of Moab. And she said, Please, let me glean and gather after the Reapers amongst the sheaves. I just want to take note God always moves ahead of us. God already was ahead of Naomi and Ruth, working on their behalf, he has already prepared Boaz to marry Ruth and provide for her and Naomi's future. You. Now we go back to the story in the text. Then Boaz said to the elders and all the people you are witnesses today that I have bought from the hand of Naomi, all that belong to Elimelech and all that belong to Killian and Malan. Moreover, I have acquired Ruth, the Moabites, the widow of Malin to be my wife in order to raise up the name of the deceased on his inheritance so that the name of the deceased will not be cut off from his brothers or from the court of his birthplace. You are witnesses of all this today, he said. And all the people who are in the court, and the elders said, we are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman who is coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, both of whom built the house of Israel, and may you achieve wealth in Ephrata and become famous in Bethlehem. So in contrast to the tragic circumstances that no Naomi had experienced up to this point with the famine, the death we now see a hopeful and deeply satisfied matriarch, Naomi, full of joy facing her final years and finishing well, you simply could not have imagined that when her son in laws died in Moab, and they were at a loss for meaning and purpose in life, and then she has this child. I'm not going into all the details of the story. I'm trying to fly over it at 30,000 feet to give us a a view of what happens to Naomi So Ruth has this little boy with Boaz and Naomi, the grandmother. Now, Naomi took the child and laid him in her lap and became his nurse. The neighborhood women gave him a name, saying a son has been born to Naomi, so they named him Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David. Now, I can't imagine that. Who would have ever guessed in the story of tragedy and depression and despair and death that God would work ahead through all of her circumstances, and she would hold the baby Whose Line was in the lineage of David. King David would be in that family. So we see through the life of Naomi the importance of finishing well. God cares about us even in difficult circumstances. He works through life circumstances. Even though Naomi's lot in life was marked by hardship, God was faithful and gave her reasons again and again to be faithful. Not only was he faithful to Naomi, he was faithful to generations ahead of her. That's how God works. Who knows how he's going to work through your life of being faithful to him to the very end? Again, in wrapping up this section, I think of the apostle Paul and what he said in Second Timothy four, he says, I have fought the good fight. I have finished the course. I have kept the faith. In the future, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord the righteous judge will award me on that day, and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing like Naomi, like Ruth, like all the saints in the Scripture, who trust Him to the very end of his life, he is faithful to us to the very end, Naomi would certainly identify with the Apostle Paul. Finishing well is the work of God's grace in our lives. Finishing well is being part of the community and participating in the work of God. Finishing well is significant in the ongoing work of a sovereign God. It makes all the difference in our lives. I think of Psalm 90, verse 12, so Teach us to number our days that we may present to you. O God of heart of wisdom. Naomi wasn't sure where her life was going, but God was ahead of her. She serves as a gifted reminder to press on in the midst of our lives, knowing that God will finish the work he started in us from the very beginning. I praise God for Naomi and Ruth and their story. It encourages us to keep our eyes riveted in Christ and finish well, every day, every week, every year, God gives us let that be our goal.