by John O’Malley
“And it came to pass, when they were come to Beth-lehem, that all the city was moved about them, and they said, Is this Naomi?” (Ruth 1:19).
More than ten years had passed since Elimelech and his family left Bethlehem-judah during a famine. Though a quartet left, only a duet returned. The townspeople were all abuzz with excitement and questions. “Is this Naomi?” was their chief question. The questions abounded, and the answers were difficult; but her answer should have been, “Yes, this is Naomi!”
She was not the same woman that had left this humble town. Naomi, who once was the wife of a mighty man of great wealth, was now a humble widow. What once all made sense to Naomi, now was confusing, as she reckoned that the Almighty had dealt bitterly with her. Yet the question, “Is this Naomi?” should have a lasting effect on the reader of God’s Word. The effect namely is, the people of Bethlehem-judah had long remembered Naomi as the one whose name and nature were pleasant.
How about your sojourn on this earth? The people you have met during the varied stages of your life, how do they remember your nature? Were you faithful and friendly? Were you a blessing or a burden? Were you a help or a hindrance? Though the testimony we have in the present is vital, the testimony we leave still speaks of us.
Having read this part of the verse, let us make sure the testimony we are leaving and the testimony we have left behind are both pleasing to the Lord.
Think about it...