Ruth_1:21 I went out full, and the LORD hath brought me home again empty: why then call ye me Naomi, seeing the LORD hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me?
God Loves Bringing Souls Home
“the LORD hath brought me home again”
Imagine with me we are in the streets of Decapolis:
We walk inside a humble cottage
A woman, I have named Lydia, whose hands are hardened from work and brow is furrowed from sorrow and stress works feverishly to weave baskets to supply for her and her son.
Someone darkens the doorstep, a lady who must be Lydia’s friend, she says, “Do you think it is true?” “What’s true?” “Well, you know…” “No, I don’t, please come out with it…”
“About your old husband?”
Lydia’s expression grows tight she whispers harshly, “NOT IN FRONT OF MY BOY!”
“Well, I just wanted to ask, because you know I have heard something has happened to him.”
“If you knew him like I did, you probably wouldn’t believe any of that, now be on your way I have got to finish my work if me and mine are going to eat.”
Lydia’s friend bids her farewell and Lydia is left with her mind… her memories…
They were not all bad… he always had been wild… but he had some times he was nice… they enjoyed being together… but things gradually GOT WORSE… he started hearing voices… he started beating her… he became a drunk… and then… HE COMPLETELY GAVE HIMSELF TO THE EVIL ONES…
She came home and the house was nearly DESTROYED, it took a large group of men with clubs and weapons to drive him off!
But NOW??? What about the stories??? What about this news she had heard???
Could she care for him again? After all this? In the depths of her heart, she knew she always would love him…
She suddenly notices a growing noise outside???
She opens the door and a large crowd of people has formed and is seems to be nudging the direction of her house?
She hears someone say, “LEGON HAS COME HOME!”
And then there is a break in the crowd and she spots the man who is DRAWING ALL THE ATTENTION… a nicely dressed man, with bright eyes and a beautiful countenance BOLDLY but HUMBLY says… “The man who WAS LEGON HAS COME HOME!”
Right after that moment their eyes met… she found herself in her LONG-LOST HUSBANDS EMBRACE…
He had a lot to tell her… for he had to tell her about THE DELIVERANCE… but also the DELIVERER!!!
I have a feeling they lived happily ever after… lol
GOD BROUGHT HIM HOME AGAIN!!!
The Prodigal Son
He Left Home
He Lost All
He Realized
He Returned Home
Onesimus
A servant who had either stolen or done some type of wrong to his master
He somehow by the grace of God is converted by Paul
Paul writes a letter to his former master who was ALSO A CONVERT OF PAULS
Phm 1:18 If he hath wronged thee, or oweth thee ought, put that on mine account;
Phm 1:19 I Paul have written it with mine own hand, I will repay it: albeit I do not say to thee how thou owest unto me even thine own self besides.
Notice though that GOD IS BRINGING HIM HOME but that he is going to be a blessing
Phm 1:11 Which in time past was to thee unprofitable, but now profitable to thee and to me:
OH, FOR THE SINNER TODAY!!! OH, FOR THE ONE WHO HAS STRAYED FROM YOU! BRING THEM BACK LORD!!! NOT ONLY BRING THEM BACK BUT PUT THEM TO WORK!!! HALLALUJAH!!!
All Naomi Sees
The truth is… her family left Israel because of a famine…
In a Pagan land… she lost her husband, two sons, and one daughter in law.
Hence our TEXT…
Ruth_1:21 I went out full, and the LORD hath brought me home again empty: why then call ye me Naomi, seeing the LORD hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me?
All that Naomi could see was ONE WORD of that sentence… “EMPTY” … the other phrase is still ALL ABOUT THAT WORD… why then call ye me Naomi seeing the Lord hath testified against me… and the Almighty hath AFFLICTED ME…
All she can see is EMPTY
The real question is not, “WHY AM I BACK IN ISRAEL?”
“Why did I have to pack up everything and move?”
No the real question was, “WHY I AM I HERE LIKE THIS?”
“WHY AM I EMPTY?”
This is really the OPPOSITE of the reaction of Job…
He was full of worshipped
She was full of wrath
Remember we are talking about God’s Plan in Our Panic…
The Truth about the Situation
God brought her right where she needed to be…
Even though she seems to be CRYING ABOUT GOD… it is also a CRY TO GOD!!!
Why have you done this???
Just wait??? God has a plan…
I am not saying it was God’s fault for her misfortune
Not at all
Most of that may have been because of her families poor decisions
But GOD BROUGHT HER BACK TO BLESS HER!!! SHE JUST COULDN’T SEE IT YET…
You probably know the story:
Ruth, Naomi’s daughter in law, by the blessing of God finds favor with a rich man in Israel…
Not only that he is really close in line to be the one to MARRY HER!!!
The only one that could have had first place to marry her BACKS OUT!!!
BEAUTIFUL STORY MUST READ!!!!
Boaz marries Ruth becoming her KINSMAN – Redeemer
Ruth 4:13 So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife:…and she bare a son.
Ruth 4:14 And the women said unto Naomi, Blessed be the LORD, which hath not left thee this day without a kinsman, that his name may be famous in Israel.
Ruth 4:15 And he shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life, and a nourisher of thine old age: for thy daughter in law, which loveth thee, which is better to thee than seven sons, hath born him.
Ruth 4:17 And the women her neighbours gave it a name, saying, There is a son born to Naomi; and they called his name Obed: he is the father of Jesse, the father of David.
Jesus Christ would be born out OF THEIR LINEAGE!!!
God’s Plan in Our Panic…
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