by John O’Malley
“And Naomi said unto Ruth her daughter in law, It is good, my daughter, that thou go out with his maidens, that they meet thee not in any other field” (Ruth 2:22).
Truer words could not have been spoken in a more timely way than when Naomi told Ruth, “It is good, my daughter, that thou go out with his maidens, that they meet thee not in any other field.”Naomi knew personally the shame, the reproach, and the regret that comes to those who leave the place of God’s provision for places of their own provision.
Images of her own flight to Moab could have splashed on the screen of her mind as she and the love of her life left more than a decade before during a famine. Naomi knew enough from her own experience: never let yourself think that it will be better in any other place than God’s will. The famine that touched Bethlehem-judah spoiled more than the crops that year; it spoiled their confidence in God’s ability to provide. Elimelech led his family to another field for provision, the fields of Moab.
Naomi knew the reproach she bore because of it. She did not want Ruth to endure the same. Naomi sought to guide Ruth from potential mistakes she could make since coming to the place of God’s blessing. Naomi knew Ruth had found the best of God’s provision. God had provided Ruth a harvest, a home, and a heart to love again.
Many had passed Elimelech’s fields since his departure to Moab. Any who passed and saw his absence from the field God had given him knew that he could be found in a field in Moab, a field of his own making. His decision to go to a field of his choosing ended up killing him.
Yes, Naomi knew enough to tell Ruth not to seek her own provision. If the crops fail, God will not fail! If famines come, so will His faithfulness. If disaster looms across the horizon, so will His daybreak. Just be faithful to His field! Everyone in Bethlehem-judah had a story to tell how God had provided in a famine; everyone except Naomi. She had missed His faithfulness in a famine once, and she did not want Ruth to make the same mistake she had.
It would be good to apply this lesson to your own heart. Have you noticed how you tend to look around at other fields when your own looks bleak, or when God is blessing someone else more? Take heed, this behavior has led many to the burial grounds of Moab. Let Naomi’s memories of Moab be enough to make you settle it in your heart that it would be a shame to walk out on God in the midst of a famine!