Text of meditation: Ruth 1:6-22

Reading: Luke 9:

51: …… when the time was come that he should be received up: he steadfastly set his face to go…

The title of the meditation has appeared first as the title of one of my poems and I think this is befitting to our present meditation here. The Lord Jesus here had his face steadily fixed towards Jerusalem where he was to be killed at Golgotha – and he knew it for certainty for he had had been telling his disciples.

Naomi, the widow of Elimelech, recently bereaved of her two sons, just received information that God has turned again to do Israel good. So, for this, she sets to go back to Israel. She soon arrives, not alone, but with one of her daughter-in-laws called Ruth. They return to Bethlehem and the city is moved to see her return. While the people, the relations, friends, acquaintances are bewilderingly asking, “Is this not Naomi?” she tells them to not ever call her Naomi, meaning pleasant, but Mara, meaning bitter. She tells them the conclusion, “… for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me. I went out full, and the Lord hath brought me home again empty….” (verse 20, 21). The Almighty has afflicted her sorely because He’s against her and entire family members. May be, she must have thought, God has barely spared her life so that she could return and tell the bad news about a family wiped out of existence. Oh, God has testified against her! I can understand you very well, mother Naomi. I’ve known what it means to continually sip the bitter potion brewed for me by the strange and sudden stampede of life. I’ve known the bereavement of my beloved ones though I did pray hard against such occurrences. I’ve known the bitterness of reaching to God without His expected response; I’ve known the damning face of failed faith. I know what it means to be an antithesis of prayers. Oh, I’ve been to the place of doubting the goodness of the Lord; I have wondered incessantly whether it’s true that God cares. Does He? I know what you are saying, mother Naomi. I’ve always been in the smouldering fire that you once lived through. I’ve been in your place and more.

Sometimes, I wish I didn’t exist. Often, I wish something would annihilate me so that I dematerialize, without spirit and soul so that nothing would exist of me to stand before God, the judge of all. And sometimes, too, I’ve spun strange philosophies of life and have returned from the brink of hell! But dear mother Naomi, I’ve been kept here because I know, in my own days, reading your story, what you didn’t know in your days. You and your family had been one whole chosen vessel in the hand of the Lord to bring in another foreigner yet into the salvation plan which is designed from eternity – God’s eternal salvation! Of course, you and your family made your mistake and played into the waiting hand of the evil one, but behind it all was a the subtle moving wise-hand of God.

And this way of seeing things and putting positive constructs on the ability, wisdom and faithfulness of God in the tense and darkest gloom in life is what faith of the Son of God is all about. It’s easy to claim faith when everything is bubbling and yummy. Of course, that’s faith too when you succeed making things to happen according to your desire. But the gist here’s that some others, too, could exercise strong faith like yours and still enter into unpleasant experience he guarded against. “…. and others were tortured, not accepting  deliverance…. And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, more of bonds and imprisonment: They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword….” (Hebrews 11:35-38). Those who did valiance by faith and had great results of miracles of victory over enemies, of raising of the dead, of realising a kingdom…. and those who also exercised faith and suffered all had the same commendation: “And these ALL, having obtained a GOOD REPORT through faith…”(verse 39). They all obtained good report of God!

Paul, the apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ knows this more than many. This man did a lot of wonderful things called miracles. But he met with silence from the Lord when he wanted the thorn in his flesh removed. He writes of the Lord saying that His “grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness…” (2Corinthians 12:9). The apostle claims to live in the power of resurrection. Jesus was crucified through weakness but he lives by the power of God (2Corinthians13:4). It took the power of God for crucified Naomi to live. She sets her face to return to her Golgotha, to Bethlehem where those she once left behind are now flourishing as grandmothers, good families, rich and enterprising old friends, relations and acquaintances.

It’s relieving to know that a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ can’t be under any curse (Galatians 3:13) whether ancestral or of whatever nomenclature. The fact that tragedies happen to a child of God in Christ doesn’t mean he’s under a curse. The fact that a believer is not having the goodies of life doesn’t mean he’s without faith. The fact that a believer makes a mistake doesn’t remove him from divine plan of salvation. Having the goodies of life is not salvation, nor being renowned or famous or exercising spiritual gifts. The fact that you enjoy a protected life from God doesn’t mean you’re better than the believer who just suffered a terrible tragedy, nor is it what’s called salvation.

But all these things don’t bother me for I’m… ready to die for the name of the Lord Jesus…My face has been set steadfastly to Golgotha. My head though bloodied is unbowed. Anybody may believe he’s under curse or strange covenant, but I dare believe that I’m born from heaven, I dare believe that I’ve lost every trace of old humanity, old race; I’m part of the new order, the new race minted from heaven, of the race of Jesus Christ. This race can’t be cursed, is from above, heavenly and can’t be subjected under any strange covenant; it’s beyond the reach of any form of bondage.

Oh, no, Naomi was a faithful daughter of God under the eternal salvation plan, though under the present distress and tension she did believe God had forgotten about her; but she later looked beyond the present and did peep into the wisdom and faithfulness of God. Her faith-cord was strung taut to the highest tension and was ready to give amazing lyrics to the story we now still tell.

Lord, I know You are unstoppable. Your wisdom stirring in Your eternal plans is intact. No spiritual law ever precipitated may stop You, Lord. Even in my perplexities, I receive the grace to continue to trust You. For which cause we faint not – I’ll not faint. Though my outward man perish, yet my inward man is renewed day by day. For this light affliction, which is but for a moment works for me a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory (2Corinthiams4:16-17). This is Your Word and I agree with it.

Thank You, Lord