From Fullness to Emptiness: A Journey of Redemption
"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?" - Ruth 1:21
**Devotional: From Fullness to Emptiness: A Journey of Redemption**
In the quiet moments of life, when we reflect upon our journeys, the story of Naomi resonates deeply within our souls. The passage from Ruth 1:21, as penned in the King James Version, reads: "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?" These words encapsulate the profound sorrow of a woman who experienced the stark contrast between fullness and emptiness, abundance and loss.
Naomi's story begins in Moab, a foreign land far from her homeland of Judah. She came to Moab in search of sustenance and safety, escaping a famine that ravaged her people. Initially, she went out full; she had a husband and sons, and the promise of a life full of hope. But as the story unfolds, tragedy strikes. Her husband dies, and her sons, though they marry, also pass away, leaving her utterly alone. Her journey back to Bethlehem, the house of bread, symbolizes not just a geographical return, but an emotional and spiritual pilgrimage from grief and despair towards hope and renewal.
Naomi’s lament speaks volumes about the nature of life’s hardships. "The LORD hath brought me home again empty" is not merely a statement about her physical state; it's a poignant expression of her emotional and spiritual desolation. Everything she held dear has been stripped away. It serves as a reminder that life can lead us through valleys of despair where all we see is loss. Even the name Naomi, which means
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Ruth 1:21 - "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?"
"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?" - Ruth 1:21
Ruth 4:21 - "And Salmon begat Boaz, and Boaz begat Obed,"
Ruth 2:21 - "And Ruth the Moabitess said, He said unto me also, Thou shalt keep fast by my young men, until they have ended all my harvest."
Ruth 1:14 - "And they lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed her mother in law; but Ruth clave unto her."
Ruth 1:4 - "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 Salmon begat Boaz, and Boaz begat Obed," - Ruth 4:21
ruth, the loyal daughter
Ruth 1:22 - "So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter in law, with her, which returned out of the country of Moab: and they came to Beth-lehem in the beginning of barley harvest."
"And Ruth the Moabitess said, He said unto me also, Thou shalt keep fast by my young men, until they have ended all my harvest." - Ruth 2:21
Ruth 1:3 - "And Elimelech Naomi's husband died; and she was left, and her two sons."
Ruth 1:16 - "And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God:"
Ruth 3:1 - "Then Naomi her mother in law said unto her, My daughter, shall I not seek rest for thee, that it may be well with thee?"
"And they lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed her mother in law; but Ruth clave unto her." - Ruth 1:14
Ruth 1:10 - "And they said unto her, Surely we will return with thee unto thy people."
Matthew 1:5 - "And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse;"
"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." - Ruth 1:4
Ruth 1:18 - "When she saw that she was stedfastly minded to go with her, then she left speaking unto her."
Ruth 1:5 - "And Mahlon and Chilion died also both of them; and the woman was left of her two sons and her husband."
Ruth 2:1 - "And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband's, a mighty man of wealth, of the family of Elimelech; and his name was Boaz."
Ruth 1:20 - "And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me."
"So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter in law, with her, which returned out of the country of Moab: and they came to Beth-lehem in the beginning of barley harvest." - Ruth 1:22
Ruth 1:1 - "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 Beth-lehem-judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons."
Ruth 1:17 - "Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the LORD do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me."
Ruth 1:11 - "And Naomi said, Turn again, my daughters: why will ye go with me? are there yet any more sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands?"
Ruth 1:7 - "Wherefore she went forth out of the place where she was, and her two daughters in law with her; and they went on the way to return unto the land of Judah."
Ruth 1:9 - "The LORD grant you that ye may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband. Then she kissed them; and they lifted up their voice, and wept."
Ruth 1:16-17 - "But Ruth replied, "Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.""
Ruth 1:15 - "And she said, Behold, thy sister in law is gone back unto her people, and unto her gods: return thou after thy sister in law."
"And Elimelech Naomi's husband died; and she was left, and her two sons." - Ruth 1:3