What will your Name and Legacy Testify to?

Naomi  (Ruth 1:6-13)

When any form of famine affects our husband or our family. As wives, it’s our responsibility to pray and intercede for our husbands. We achieve this by uplifting and supporting them by heeding the voice of the Lord. We must avoid nagging, manipulating, or forcing our interpretation of what we think the Lord is saying. Instead, we should give him the time and space he needs to hear from the Lord clearly, without clouding his judgment. Even if our spouse makes errors, Christ honors our role as their helpmate. Be cautious about coming into agreement if he decides to lead towards rebellion, wrongdoing, or disobedience. Complicit remains valid, even if we do not face the same consequences as the head of our household.

In this story, we observe how Elimelech’s decisions led to his and his son’s demise. Now, Neomi stands at a crucial crossroads: will she choose to repent and address any rebellion in her heart, or will she embrace her husband’s legacy and carry on? The decision she makes at this moment will impact her and her daughters-in-law, Orpah and Ruth.

“Then she set out with her daughters-in-law to return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in Moab how the Lord had taken care of His people [of Judah] in giving them food. So she left the place where she was living, her two daughters-in-law with her, and they started on the way back to the land of Judah. (vs. 6-7)

From the very beginning of these verses, we observe God guiding Naomi’s decision. The scripture indicates that she suddenly recalled the discussions in Moab about the abundance and support found in her hometown of Judah. It was mentioned that God visited His loyal followers in Bethlehem, but not His disobedient daughter in Moab. We often forget that even in our times of disobedience or rebellion, Christ still calls us His daughter. Why is this the case? Because He has chosen us, even when we do not always choose Him. The famine had ended, and unfortunately, during this time, she was only hearing about God’s blessing without experiencing it for herself. She wasn’t positioned in a place where God could bless her.

Have you ever made a choice based on the outward appearances that ultimately led you to miss out on the outpouring of the Holy Spirit due to our unbelief and disobedience in our hearts? We hold God accountable while simultaneously choosing to make choices rooted in our lack of faith. Whenever we stray from the Lord’s path and fail to follow His will, it is essential to confess our sins and reposition ourselves to the place of blessing.

Neomi decided they would leave Moab and travel to Judah. While Neomi’s choice to return was certainly the correct one, her motivations were not aligned. She prioritized her need for sustenance over cultivating a relationship with God. There is no indication of her seeking God’s forgiveness; rather, her wish was to go back to her native land, not to her Lord.

 What drives your interest in Christ? Are you pursuing His blessing or the Lord’s presence-Himself?

As they traveled, I could picture Neomi recounting stories of her hometown to her daughter-in-law. Deep in their discussion, she reflected on her friends, family, cherished locations, and the provision of the land. She must have felt thrilled, realizing that there was enough provision waiting for them upon thier arrival. So, what triggered the transition from verses 6 and 7 to verse 8? How long and how far did they travel before the events detailed in verses 8-13 began to unfold?

 ⁸ But Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go back, each of you return to your mother’s house. May the Lord show kindness to you as you have shown kindness to the dead and to me. ⁹ May the Lord grant that you find rest, each one in the home of her husband.” Then she kissed them [goodbye], and they wept aloud. ¹⁰ And they said to her, “No, we will go with you to your people [in Judah].” ¹¹ But Naomi said, “Go back, my daughters, why should you go with me? Do I still have sons in my womb that may become your husbands? ¹² Go back, my daughters, go, for I am too old to have a husband. If I said I have hope, and if I actually had a husband tonight and even gave birth to sons, ¹³ would you wait until they were grown? Would you go without marrying? No, my daughters, for it is much more difficult for me than for you, because the Lord’s hand has gone against me.” Ruth 1:8-13

Have you ever wondered why Neomi changed her mind about taking her two daughters-in-law with her after they had already begun their journey?

Neomi was hesitant to bring Orpah and Ruth to Bethlehem because they represented the reality of her family’s rebellion. What caused her to hesitate: the fear of being rejection, exposing her own mistakes, the unpredictability of her future, unwillingness to repent or simply selfishness? When disobedience creeps into our lives, the adversary begins to sow doubts about how others may respond and potentially reject her, yet we hear nothing about her “God of Israel”-only His provision. Her fear caused her to hide her disobedience, which ultimately required her to distance herself from her daughters-in-law. I’m certain she didn’t wish to send them away, but our hidden sins, acts of rebellion, and disobedience can cause us to alienate others due to the fear of being uncovered, rather than seeking refuge in the Father.

The enemy’s proposal indicated that if she went back to Bethlehem by herself, no one would know that the family had broken the Law of Moses. “He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.”(Prov. 28:13) When we attempt to conceal our wrongdoing, it shows that we have not faced them honestly and assessed them according to God’s word. True repentance demands heartfelt confession and a deep sense of remorse. “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.” (Ps. 51:17)

Instead of experiencing brokenness, Naomi was consumed by bitterness. Why was that? Because she cherished God’s provision more than Christ Himself. This explains why the scriptures do not portray her view of the “God of Israel” positively to her daughter-in-law. In verse 13, she suggested that God was to blame for the grief and suffering she had faced. She became a victim of her rebellion. Had Neomi maintained a closed relationship with the Lord, she could have guided Orpah to faith, bringing two rewards of grace back to Bethlehem. Instead, she chose to hide her sin, jeopardizing her daughter-in-law’s salvation.

Is your heart set on guiding others toward redemption? Remember, you can only lead others as far as you are willing to “surrender to Christ,” just as we observe in Naomi’s life. What kind of legacy do you aspire to reflect, because our story is not finished yet!

In this chapter, Naomi’s name and legacy were marked by rebellion and disobedience. My challenge for you today is this: what does God say about your name and legacy right now? Are you mirroring Him or merely yourself? Are you pursing Him or His provision and blessing? When you discuss the “Goodness of God”, what is your focus point? Ask yourself, “Do you genuinely, profoundly, and desperately love Christ (intimately) with all your heart, mind, will and strength or do you only cherish his provision and promises? Beware of living the Christian life that prioritized our need for sustenance over cultivating a relationship with God! This leads to a heart of rebellion, disobedience, compromise, unbelief, and missing the essence of Who God is!