Dealing with Disappointment:
Lessons from the Life of Naomi
We are currently facing perilous times. There is hardly a person who has not been left with some form of disappointment brought about by the current events. For some it may be something simple. But for many, major life events have had to be altered. Some events are being cancelled or postponed, while others may only be attended by immediate family members. Because of these circumstances, many people are dealing with disappointment.
What disappointment are you dealing with today? Perhaps it has nothing to do with this global crisis. Maybe it’s a broken relationship or the loss of a job. Maybe you’ve even experienced the loss of your parents or another close loved one.
No matter what disappointments you are facing, God longs to bring comfort to your hurting heart.
Romans 15:4, “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.”
The only place to find true peace and comfort during these difficult times is in the arms of Christ and in the Word of God.
There was a lady in the Bible who faced utter disappointment in her life. Certain life events had left her bitter and without hope. God, however, had a beautiful plan unfolding. She just had yet to see it fulfilled.
Friend, don’t let circumstances make you bitter. God is seeking to work all things together for good in our lives, but sometimes His plan takes time to be revealed. He often reveals His plan gradually, just like a flower waiting to bloom. Each petal opens one at a time. In the same way, God reveals each part of His will, one step at a time.
The Background
Ruth 1:1-2, “Now it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehemjudah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons.
And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehemjudah…they came into the country of Moab, and continued there.”
This story takes place in a dark period of Israel’s history. It was during the time of the judges when everyone was doing what was right in their own eyes (Judges 21:25). As a result, God had judged them with a time a famine.
Elimelech and Naomi left their native country in the midst of this national crisis. They made a critical decision that led them out of the will of God. One wrong choice that takes us out of God’s will can alter the entire course of our lives. We must be extra cautious when making decisions during difficult times in our lives.
What was wrong with moving to Moab you may ask?
Moab was located to the east of Jordan and the Dead Sea. It was a fertile area and seemed like the idea location to go to in the time of a famine. However, Moab was a picture of the World and a hub of great wickedness.
The people of Moab were descendants from the incestuous relationship of Lot and his eldest daughter. They worshipped the false god Chemosh. Their worship was very pagan and involved the sacrifice of children.
The Disappointment of Naomi
Naomi left Bethlehem and journeyed to Moab with her husband and two sons in hopes of finding a better life. Instead of finding a paradise of hope, she was left despondent and bitter. Her husband passed away followed by the death of both her sons ten years later.
Ruth 1:3-5, “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.”
When dealing with disappointment, don’t try to manipulate God’s plan. This will only bring about more problems.
Several lessons we can learn from the life of Naomi when dealing with disappointments:
God can transform our bitter hearts
After the death of her two sons, Naomi realized her best option was to return to her homeland and to her native people. Her daughter-in-law, Ruth, chose to return with her.
Ruth 1:19-21, “So they two went until they 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?
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?”
Naomi whose name means “pleasant” had been transformed into a bitter older woman. No doubt she had left her homeland with her husband with the dream of building a better future. But now these dreams had been crushed and she was now dealing with great disappointment from what life had brought her. She had gone out full – full of expectancy – full of dreams. Now she was left empty and bitter.
Life rarely turns out how we expect it. There are many dashed hopes and dreams. Sometimes it may seem that God just has it in for us.
Are you allowing your life circumstances to make you bitter?
Hebrews 12:15, “Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;”
Bitterness is a destructive force. It will quickly take hold and wrap its roots tightly around your heart, controlling your thoughts and actions. Ridding it from our souls is as difficult as removing the roots of an ancient tree.
God brings difficult times into our lives for several reasons. Sometimes it is to transform our sinful hearts. Elimelech and Naomi had clearly left the will of God and as a result faced His judgment.
Other times God brings trials in our lives so He can be glorified. The apostle John writes of a man who was born blind for the very purpose of God’s work being made manifest in him.
John 9:1-3, “And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.”
God promises that He will work on all things for good in our lives. When going through trials, we have to trust that He has a greater purpose than we can see or understand.
God’s thoughts are greater than our thoughts.
Isaiah 55:8-9, “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.”
When going through difficult times, we need to put the situation in God’s hands and trust Him with the result. God was working out His perfect plan in Naomi’s life; He just hadn’t fully revealed it yet.
If you are struggling with bitterness, I would encourage you to memorize and meditate on passages like Isaiah 55:8-9 and Romans 8:28. Find an older, wiser Christian who can help you through what you are struggling with. But ultimately, take it to the Lord. It is ok to be honest with Him. Naomi was honest about how she felt when she returned to Bethlehem.
Ruth 1:20-21, “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?”
God created us as emotional beings and it is ok to experience those emotions during difficult times. Even Jesus cried out from the cross, “why God have you forsaken me?” The sin comes however, when we choose to stay there in that place of anger and bitterness. Ultimately, we have to let God use our circumstances to transform us into godly women of faith just as He eventually did with Naomi.
God will always provide for us
Both Naomi and Ruth left Moab as destitute widows. During this time period, there was not generally much hope for a woman with no husband to provide for her. Even in today’s society it can be difficult for widows.
Naomi encouraged her daughter-in-laws to return to Moab because they had a better chance of finding husbands there. The likelihood of them finding Israelite men willing to marry a Moabite woman was not very high.
While Orpah chose to return to her home country, Ruth decided to remain with Naomi.
God’s Plan
After their arrival in Bethlehem, Ruth goes out to the fields to gather grain.
Ruth 2:2-3, “And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi, Let me now go to the field, and glean ears of corn after him in whose sight I shall find grace. And she said unto her, Go, my daughter.
And she went, and came, and gleaned in the field after the reapers: and her hap was to light on a part of the field belonging unto Boaz, who was of the kindred of Elimelech.”
Verse three says she happened upon the field of Boaz. To some, this may just seem like a coincidence, but we know this was in God’s perfect plan.
God’s Provision
Ruth 2:8-9, “Then said Boaz unto Ruth, Hearest thou not, my daughter? Go not to glean in another field, neither go from hence, but abide here fast by my maidens:
Let thine eyes be on the field that they do reap, and go thou after them: have I not charged the young men that they shall not touch thee? and when thou art athirst, go unto the vessels, and drink of that which the young men have drawn.”
Ruth 2:14-17, “And Boaz said unto her, At mealtime come thou hither, and eat of the bread, and dip thy morsel in the vinegar. And she sat beside the reapers: and he reached her parched corn, and she did eat, and was sufficed, and left.
…[W]hen she was risen up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, Let her glean even among the sheaves, and reproach her not:
And let fall also some of the handfuls of purpose for her, and leave them, that she may glean them, and rebuke her not.
So she gleaned in the field until even, and beat out that she had gleaned: and it was about an ephah of barley.”
God led Ruth to the field of Boaz. God provided for the needs of Ruth and Naomi beyond their expectations.
He gave Naomi a loyal daughter-in-law who helped provide and take care of her. God used a bad choice – leaving the Promised Land – and a devastating circumstance – the loss of her husband and sons – to bring a great blessing into the life of Naomi.
David, the great-grandson of Ruth, was one who went through many difficult times. Yet in spite of them, he was able to pen the following words:
Psalm 37:25, “I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.”
God will always provide for our needs. It may not always be in our time frame or in our way, but He will come through.
God turns disappointments into divine opportunities
Because of the disappointments Naomi faced in her life, God was able to use her to help orchestrate a great romance between two key people in the lineage of the Messiah.
Ruth 4:13-15, “So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife: and when he went in unto her, the LORD gave her conception, and she bare a son.
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.
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.
God gave back to Naomi because of her faithfulness and blessed her in even a greater way. He took her great losses and turned them around for good in her life.
Ruth 4:16-17, “And Naomi took the child, and laid it in her bosom, and became nurse unto it.
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.”
Ruth became one of only four women to be named in the ancestry of Jesus. God finds pleasure in taking unlikely people, such as this Moabite woman, and working out His perfect will.
God delights in taking our inadequacies and past failures, and painting a beautiful picture of His grace just as He did in the lives of Ruth and Naomi.
Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”
Final Thoughts…
I invite you to turn any current disappointments you are dealing with over to the Lord. Recognize that He has a greater purpose even when we cannot see it. He is seeking to bring good into our lives. God can transform our bitterness. He will always provide for our needs. And when we submit to Him, He will turn those disappointments into divine opportunities to be glorified in our lives.
