I Have Nothing to Give.

And she said, Behold, thy sister-in-law is gone back to her people, and unto her gods: return thou after thy sister-in-law (Ruth 1:15 KVJV)

Return to your little “g” gods.

After Elimelech, Naomi, and their two sons left Bethlehem-Judah to live in what they perceived would be a more prosperous land, Moab, nothing good happened for them there. All three men ended up dead and Naomi was left with her two daughters-in-law.

Before we visit what, Naomi had to give, let’s talk about why maybe, just maybe, they should never have left.

God was in Judah, and though there was a famine in the land, it did not mean that God could not still bless in the midst of a famine. Instead of trusting the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Elimelech, the husband, chose to take his family to a foreign land where they served a different, or should I say many different gods.

Way back in Genesis 25, God was angry with the men of Isreal for entering into intimate relationships with the women from Moab and worshipping their false god, Baal-peor. Knowing this, why would you take your family to live among these people? What was calling you?

Is it the same thing that calls us to serve false idols today? Comfort. We do not want to be uncomfortable or to suffer. Would you go live amongst an ungodly people to have things a selfish heart may desire? Just food for thought. Let’s put a pin in that and maybe pick it up another time.

We are here to talk about Naomi. Did you think I forgot?

Noami was now ready to go back to Bethlehem-Judah because she heard there was bread there. Remember, their reason for leaving was the famine.

When she decided to make the journey, she turned to her daughters-in-laws and told them to go back to their parents’ house and their gods, find husbands and be well. The question is, how would they expect to be well when she is sending back to death?

The children of Israel served the true and living God. She was going back to where this God was, yet she told her daughter in laws not to come with her because she had nothing for them. She mocked, even if she were to get a husband and have more sons, it’s not like they would wait round for the sons to come of age. She was correct, she did not have, sons, she had seemingly lost everything, but the one thing she had that mattered most was God.

God is what she had to give — she could have given them the true and living God. Why did she not take them back to her land and introduce them to this God?

As the story goes, one daughter in law Ruth, refused to leave her side.

And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: (Ruth 1:16 KJV).

Ruth’s loyalty to Naomi would extend to serving her God.

I believe that piece of the story often goes unnoticed, so I wanted to share that today.

I hope this read was enjoyable.

Up for more discussion about Noami?

Check out the Live Replay: Ready for Battle PART TWO – Restored: where we talk a little more about the face of restoration.

Chasing God Collective – YouTube