7 So she departed from the place where she was, and her two daughters-in-law with her; and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah.

Naomi's motives were not good so she went back to Bethlehem.

8 And Naomi said to her two daughters-in law, "Go, return each of you to her mother's house. May the Lord deal kindly with you as you have dealt with the dead and with me."

9 "May the Lord grant that you may find rest, each in the house of her husband." Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept."

10 And they said to her, "No, but we will surely return with you to your people."

11 But Naomi said, "Return my daughters. Why should you go with me? Have I yet sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands?"

12a "Return, my daughters!"

The word Return is very strange because the women are in Moab; therefore, it does not mean for Naomi's daughters-in-law to go back to their homeland. It means—

Apparently, both Orpah and Ruth had professed faith in Yahweh, and here, Naomi is testing them—

12b "Go for I am too old to have a husband. If I said I have hope, if I should even have a husband tonight and also bear sons,

13 would you therefore wait until they were grown? Would you therefore refrain from marrying? No, my daughters; for it is harder for me than for you, for the hand of the Lord has gone forth against me."

14 And they lifted up their voices and wept again; and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her.

The two daughters-in-law wanted to go with Naomi, but Naomi insisted they stay in the land of Moab. What chances would two Moabites have in Israel, where the Law condemned them (Moabites)? Orpah was somewhat easily convinced to stay in Moab; however, Ruth was not.

Orpah was convinced to stay in Moab; she was a classic case of Hebrews 6—

Orpah [was someone who] had tasted of Holy Spirit, but she did not partake of Him, and then she did not digest the heavenly gift. She lived in it, but fell away, even though she desired it.

15 Then she said, "Behold, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and her gods; return after your sister-in-law."

Naomi was testing Ruth when she said Return — go back to your old beliefs.

16a But Ruth said, "Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you;

This is a mirror of Ruth's relationship with God; she is saying—

16b For where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge.

16c Your people shall be my people,

16d And your God, my God.

17a Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried."

17b Thus may the Lord do to me, and worse, if anything but death parts you and me."

18 When she saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more to her.

Naomi was convinced that Ruth's relationship was with the Lord God, and not with religion.

There was always a sense in which many of the Jews understood: Grace triumphs over Law.

Naomi's husband died. Elimelech had no unmarried brothers because, if he had, Naomi would have married him. Otherwise, she was to find the nearest kinsman. (See Deuteronomy 25:5-10.)

That is where Boaz came in. The basis of acceptance for being part of the family of God is GRACE. And it was the grace relationship with Boaz that gave Ruth acceptance.

Ruth's first husband, Mahlon, was a Jew, but Ruth was still a Moabite. Ruth's second husband, Boaz, was a Jew, and Ruth was not a Moabite anymore. The key distinction between Ruth being married to Mahlon and Ruth being married to Boaz was not the man; rather, when Ruth was married to Mahlon, she was outside the Land. When they were in Moab there was some protection, but there was not full provision. That changed for her in the Land.

Part of the Mosaic Law involved a human government of Israel. When Elimelech and his family were outside the Land, the laws of Israel had no jurisdiction [in Moab]. If an Israelite married a Gentile, the Gentile had to be proselytized in Judaism, and that could only happen in the Land.

19 So they both went until they came to Bethlehem. And it came about when they had come to Bethlehem, that all the city was stirred because of them, and the women said, "Is this Naomi?"

20 She said to them, "Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me."

Spiritually it was foolish because they left their Father's house; she says Do not call me Naomi.

Then Naomi said something fascinating…

21 "I went out full, but the Lord has brought me back empty."

The word full means:

That casts a different light on this whole matter. The decision to go to Moab was not just foolish spiritually; it was foolish economically. This specific word means:

This was a classic case of FEAR.

Application: Fear always gets mistakenly projected. What the redeemed should say is:

Instead, they project into the future, and the basis of fear then becomes projecting what might or might not happen in the future.

22 So Naomi returned, and with her Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law, who returned from the land of Moab. And they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest.

Here is a Gentile stepping in on the foundation of Israel.

Father, thank You for showing us how easy it is to make foolish mistakes when we are not in Your house. Many of us can remember instances in our own lives when, like Elimelech and Naomi, we too made worldly decisions, according to our flesh, that were foolish for us. How tragic it was, particularly since we could have been protected and possibly even prospered, but instead we lost out spiritually, and many times, economically.

However, I thank You that You always give me HOPE! Now I know that it is always safer to be in Your house, so help me to say I want to go back to my Father's house when I have moved away. And when I get back home, help me to say Right now I have all that I need for sustenance and provision, because fear of what I may or may not have in the future just moves me back out of Your house.

Father, thank You for the new name You have reserved for me that is part of my character — the way You see me. Keep the desire of my heart to stay with You, because that is where what You have for me will be lived out in this life. What a blessing it is to have my spiritual name become a reality, and all because I am in Your house.

Thank You for freedom from the Law, encompassing all forgiveness without any punishment at all, through Messiah Jesus.

It is in His name that we pray. Amen.

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