Dealing with loss can be the most difficult experience especially if you don’t have people around you to bear you up. The grief, the heartbreak, and the physical pain caused by the void, can lead you to additional health complications if care is not taken. Whenever you are around grieving people, please comfort them, pray with them and support them in any way you can to help them recover from the pain. In case you missed the first discussion on Naomi, you can always check it out. So, Naomi and her family relocated to Moab to escape the famine. We are not told how long the famine lasted, but “they went to Moab and lived there” (Ruth 1:2c). Thus, the family’s relocation seemed like a permanent move but not a temporary movement to escape the famine. For the years they lived in Moab, Naomi and her family might have found Moabites acquaintances, they would have built relationships and they probably started a business to survive. If you live far away from your native country, you do everything you can to thrive and make ends meet. Naomi probably supported her husband in their new venture. For the years they spent in Moab, Naomi and her family would have still worshipped God, held onto their religious beliefs and possibly celebrated religious festivals of the Israelites. Now Elimelek, Naomi’s husband, died, and she was left with her two sons. They married Moabite women, one named Orpah and the other Ruth. After they had lived there about ten years, both Mahlon and Kilion also died, and Naomi was left without her two sons and her husband. (Ruth 1:3-5) Moab might have been a good place to start all over but Naomi was suddenly riddled with painful experiences. Ruth 1:3 quotes that, “Now Elimelek, Naomi’s husband, died, and she was left with her two sons.” The first blow to Naomi was the death of her husband. She would have grieved her husband for a long time. As a foreigner in a strange land, her husband’s presence was the shield of protection against unnecessary attacks. Her sons, Mahlon and Kilion moved on and “they married Moabite women, one named Orpah and the other Ruth. After they had lived there about ten years” (Ruth 1:4). Starting another family in Moab might have brought relief to Naomi. Her son’s wives would possibly provide for her grandchildren to continue the family line. Naomi would have probably taken off her garments of grief and in joy she would have welcomed her daughters-in-law. Before Naomi would welcome a grandchild, “both Mahlon and Kilion also died, and Naomi was left without her two sons and her husband” (Ruth 1:5). Both Naomi and her daughters-in-law became widows. Naomi lost it all. She went in full with her husband and two sons. But, she lost all of them. The pain of losing it all and being far away from her own family would have been difficult to bear. Her support system, who by then were her daughters-in-law also needed to be comforted. Naomi’s story is so sad and knowing that her entire family died in a place they had relocated to find food makes it even worse. She would have been in deep grief for her losses. Her daughters-in-law would have been in deep pain as well. Their pain would have been compounded by the fear of living alone in a masculine society. Three widows in one house with no male protection would have made them vulnerable. Their vulnerability would have led them to look for opportunities to fend for themselves and protect one another. The story of Naomi and her losses reminds us of Job (see the book of Job). He also lost everything except his wife. He moved from a wealthy man to a sickly poor man in a short period. Losses of any kind can cause one to go through a series of emotional trauma. The pain of having it and suddenly losing it can become a scar that can only be wiped by genuine love. For Naomi, although she was grieving, she had two daughters-in-law to comfort as well. Life might have been quite overwhelming but Naomi still held on until she made her next move. If you have experienced loss of any kind, I pray for the Lord’s comfort for you. May God bring you people whose presence will make you forget your pain. If you know someone dealing with losses, be intentional about demonstrating love and support. Your readiness to listen to them, encourage them and pray with them would be a great step for their healing. The Lord provides us comfort when we commit our pain and grief unto him. Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins. A voice of one calling: “In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. (Isaiah 40:1-3) The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.(Jeremiah 31:3)
top of page
bottom of page
コメント