1:18,19
Naomi realised that there was no changing of Ruth’s mind. So she stopped trying to change Ruth’s mind, and the two of them went on to Bethlehem. When they arrived there the whole town became aware of Naomi’s return. We aren’t told what their reaction to her leaving had been. Was there any reproach for Elimelek deserting the place? If so, it would be Elimelek, more than Naomi, who would be the object of reproach.
1:20-22
Naomi means “pleasant”, but Naomi told them to call her Mara, which means “bitter”. Naomi felt that God had dealt with her harshly, and saw the loss of her husband and two sons as God’s direct action against her. She saw the loss as misfortune brought upon her by the Lord. Today we would quickly react against such an attitude, but maybe there is something in Naomi’s approach. She knew that everything was ultimately in God’s hands. There are times when this seems a very hard thing to think, but the upside is that it also means that God can change the circumstances. If He “inflicted” them, He can reverse them.
By the way, we needn’t think that Naomi actually changed her name, but was simply expressing what she felt about the way her life had gone.
So Naomi had returned from Moab with her Moabite daughter-in-law. The time of the barley harvest was a few weeks before the wheat harvest. The significance of this is that it meant there would be work for Ruth to do in the fields.
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