The Almighty Has Brought Calamity Upon 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?”
The book of Ruth is one of the most beautiful in all of Scripture. Ultimately, it is a book reflective of our Lord Jesus Christ in so many ways. The book essentially focuses on three characters: Naomi, Ruth and Boaz. It is a love story. It is a story of redemption, obligation, loyalty, faithfulness, willingness, obedience, honor, covenant and trust. Ruth (the bride) is a type of the Church, and Boaz (the husband) is a type of Christ as a kinsman-redeemer. Ruth is a Moabite and she is a widow (1:4, 22; 2:2, 6, 10, 21; 4:5, 10). She had married Naomi’s son Chilion, but he subsequently died (1:5). Naomi’s husband, Elimelech, was from Bethlehem, and when a famine came they moved to Moab. They all died in Moab, except Naomi and her daughters-in-law, Orpah and Ruth.
Having heard that the famine had eased and that things were better back in Judah, Naomi decided to go back to her people and her two daughters-in-law decided to go with her (1:6, 7). When Naomi urged her daughters-in-law to stay behind with their own people, Orpah decided to remain in Moab (1:14), but Ruth decided to stay with Naomi (1:16–18). Ruth’s decision to stay is an incredible description of covenant obligation and loyalty. It is obvious that she has come to know Yahweh, for she claims that Naomi’s people will be her people and Naomi’s God will be her God (1:16). This is the essence of a biblical covenant—God and his people (see Jer. 31:31–34). One of the fruits of this covenant understanding is the expression of loyalty or kindness reciprocated. Boaz expresses his understanding of what Ruth has done for Naomi in Ruth 3:10: “And he said, ‘May you be blessed by the LORD, my daughter. You have made this last kindness greater than the first in that you have not gone after young men, whether poor or rich’” (also 2:11, 18, 23).
Ruth is the story of redemption. It will be Boaz who redeems her for himself (Ruth 4). Though the practice of redeeming another man’s widow was done according to the Law, Boaz, it would appear, has fallen in love with Ruth and is not merely fulfilling an obligation. This redemption was two-fold. First, there was the securing of property rights by a near-kinsman (Lev. 25:23–25), and second, there was “levirate marriage” (marrying a childless widow to secure the family name (Deut. 25:5, 6). The Law of Moses does not require the combination of both of these duties, but here in Ruth they are combined. This means in Ruth that Boaz, who was a close relative but not the closest (there was closer kinsman), redeemed the property (after securing the right from the other closer kinsman who felt he could not fulfill the levirate marriage obligation) (see 4:8). Boaz not only redeemed the property of Chilion (4:9), but also married Ruth (4:10, 13). He and Ruth would become the parents of Obed (4:13, 17), who would be the heir to Chilion’s property. Obed would become the grandfather of King David (4:21). This is the beautiful story of Ruth. We see love develop and blossom. We see Ruth, as a pagan, becoming the ancestor of King David, and more particularly, the ancestor of the Lord Jesus Christ (Matt. 1:5, 6).
But the story of Ruth also revolves around Naomi. She has experienced heartache and heartbreak: she lost her husband and her two sons. She regards herself as having nothing. She says that she went away full (meaning her life had purpose and she was fulfilled in her family), but that she returned to Judah empty (having nothing). As a woman she would be dependent upon family members, who might or might not really care for her. In this she was blessed to have Ruth with her. She attributes her emptiness to the Lord: “… the Lord has brought me back empty” (1:21).
In a culture where names have great meaning, Naomi points to her own name as not indicative of her condition. Naomi means “pleasant,” and life was anything but pleasant for her. So in verse 20 she urges the women of Bethlehem to call her Mara. Mara means “bitterness,” and Naomi says “the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me” (1:20). In verse 21, she says that Lord has testified against her and brought calamity upon her. This calamity is her destitute condition, her lack of children and her widowhood. Like Job, she ascribes the removal of all that was precious to her to God (Job 1:20, 21; see esp. 27:2). Naomi sees her hardships and troubles as God’s condemning her for some sin, perhaps of which she is unaware.
Such thoughts are very hard to consider. They exacerbate pain and suffering, because the solution to or understanding of them remains unknown. Such thinking goes round and round in the heart and mind. All sorrow is essentially like this, especially if we blame ourselves for our troubles. Now some troubles are due to the consequences of our sins. Some troubles may simply be mental and spiritual, while others may be experiential and spiritual. In all of our troubles this spiritual element exists. Even unbelievers question “why?”
Such experiences can lead to self-examination, which is a good thing, but sometimes the answer to our difficulties is not found in self-examination. Job couldn’t find it. Sometimes our troubles lead justifiably to self-condemnation. But all of our troubles are the ground for God to bountifully bless us. This certainly was Naomi’s experience. She had no idea what awaited her, just as Ruth had no idea what awaited her. Isn’t it remarkable how the Lord can weave together from a variety of the troubles such magnificent solutions or blessings? We are such slow learners, just like the disciples of our Lord.
The word “calamity” (ESV) is the word for evil. Other translations use “afflicted.” It also contains the idea of shattering or breaking, and this is what “calamity” refers to in the translation. It certainly refers to misery and distress. Isaiah 45:7 makes the startling assertion: “I form light and create darkness, I make well-being and create calamity, I am the LORD, who does all these things.” The word “calamity” here is the same as Ruth 1:21. God claims to create evil. His does not mean that God is the author of sin, for he cannot be, but he makes use in his sovereign purposes of evil. Was it not God who granted Satan permission to harm Job? Yet it was Satan who broke forth in malice upon Job. We all know that the real protagonist was God.
So God can make use of evil because his purpose and will supersedes such evil. Scripture often makes no attempt to reconcile these things. God does not have to explain himself or his actions ever. Satan is not excused either. It was he who moved against Job. It is always important to begin with the end of a matter. The end for Job, as far as God was concerned, was to exercise the patience or steadfastness of his servant by calamity. Satan does his thing and the Chaldeans do their thing in destroying Job’s family and property. It is God who gives the Chaldeans over to Satan who motivates them to exercise wickedness. And in the end, God achieves what he told Satan in the first place about his servant. We have a similar example in Pharaoh. There is no inconsistency in God. He displays his righteousness always and Satan displays his wickedness. So Naomi points to a very real truth. For her God is against her. But God is really for her, working all things after his own will and for his glory and her good. He does the same with us.