Bible Women: Naomi and the Theology of Suffering

And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me. Rth 1:20 

Grief Has a Face

The book of Ruth is amazing. It is short, compact and grand. It reads like a drama, in one part teeming with unbounded pathos, and on another a romantic thriller.

An old man embarks on a journey. He is not alone. He has a wife and two sons. He also has a history. He comes from the ‘tribe of God’. His God is a covenant God. He is the life and soul of Israel.  

This ‘came to pass in the days when the judges ruled’. And ‘In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own eyes.’

So Elimelech ‘went to sojourn in the country of the Moab, he and his wife and his two sons.’ And they ‘continued there.’

But soon misfortune rained on this poor family.

And Elimelech Naomi's husband died; and she was left, and her two sons. And they took them wives of the women of Moab; the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth: and they dwelled there about ten years. And Mahlon and Chilion died also both of them; and the woman was left of her two sons and her husband. Rth 1:3-5  

And from here the narrative narrows on this ‘woman’ who ‘was left of her two sons and her husband.’ Her name is Naomi and it means pleasant. But there was nothing pleasant about her fate.

So Naomi and Ruth left Moab and came to Bethlehem. ‘And it came to pass, when they were come to Bethlehem, that all the city was moved about them, and they said, Is this Naomi?’ 

Grief had settled on Naomi’s face. And it was implacable. The bitterness which rolled forth out of her mouth ran for miles. 

And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me. 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? Rth 1:20-21 

The Sovereign God

The Jew sees God in everything, whether in happy times or sad times, whether in riches or poverty, whether in life or death. The God of the Jew is a Sovereign God. The Jew God was the one who defeated the Egyptian gods. The Jew saw it. And the Jew never forgot that. God was the centrality of his faith. So Naomi sees only God in her suffering. And Job laments, ‘Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him.’

Now one form of modern Christian theology runs that Christ died to make everybody rich, and if anyone today is poor then that is their own fault.

The other form of Christianity is traditionally based, and like Naomi’s religion, believes in the sovereignty of God. Life and suffering, and riches, and poverty and death are all within the ambit of God.

But these competing theologies were also prevalent during Job’s time. His friends believed Job suffered because of his sins. They defended God vigorously while they heaped all the blame on Job himself. A righteous man (so they believed) was rewarded by God with riches and not suffering. But in the end God rebuked Job’s friends for speaking falsely about him.

The Problem with Not Believing in a Sovereign God

Not believing God for everything is to limit the wisdom and power of God, as it is written:

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isa 55:8-9  

This makes believing dependent upon results or works which we can see with our own eyes, and this is a problem to faith which endures. This also makes one permanently discontent and open to covetousness. 

For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for. Rom 8:24-25

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of  yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. Eph 2:8-9  

These all died in faith, not having received the promises… Heb 11:13  

It is true God rewards faith, but mostly it is with the internal graces of the heart, like peace, joy, contentment, patience, knowledge, and wisdom.

But godliness with contentment is great gain. 1Ti 6:6  

For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God Col 3:3. 

So hang in there fellow Christian. Keep the faith and believe up to the end, even if it sounds like hoping against hope!

Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. Rom 5:1-5  

My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. Jas 1:2-4  

Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. Jas 1:12  

Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. 1Pe 4:12-13  

Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf. 1Pe 4:16  

Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator. 1Pe 4:19