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Day 13: The Redeemer Who Responds to the Bitter
Scripture:
She said to them, “Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. 21 I went away full, and the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi, when the Lord has testified against me and the Almighty has brought calamity upon me?”
Ruth 1:20-21
Many people in India experience the nightmare of slow, undetected poisoning. Water from wells in rural areas contains trace amounts of arsenic that is killing thousands. Since the poison is colorless and tasteless, the villagers have no way of detecting it. And since the arsenic comes in such minute quantities, the negative effects appear gradually over many years.
The symptoms follow a typical pattern. The first outward manifestation is melanosis, or dark spots, occurring on the chest, back, limbs, and gums. In the more advanced stage, wart-like skin eruptions develop on the hands, feet, and torso, which can lead to skin cancers. Continual poisoning by arsenic results in the enlargement of the liver, kidneys, and spleen which often develop into malignant tumors, lung, skin and bladder cancers, and gangrene. At low concentration levels, it takes between eight and fourteen years for the physical symptoms to emerge. By then it is often too late.
Spiritual poison works the same way. When persistently indulged, it destroys the soul with lethal toxins that, like arsenic, go undetected for years. Such is the deadly sin of bitterness. Bitterness seems so innocuous, so legitimate. It seems like a normal reaction to disappointment or trouble.
All of us are tempted towards bitterness. We are bombarded with opportunities to feel sorry for ourselves and to respond to these disappointments in poor ways. Every day we are misunderstood, underappreciated, ignored, or treated in hurtful ways. And every day we have an opportunity to respond to these temptations either biblically or unbiblically.
Naomi is in a state of bitterness. As we saw yesterday, she even demanded her name changed to fit it. Now, most people who are bitter or are headed to it don’t ask for a name change, but they live like Mr. or Mrs. Bitter. Naomi has no idea that she is about to encounter the Redeemer who responds to the bitter. He loves Naomi enough not to let her continue in her path of bitterness. He loves her enough not to let her destroy herself. He is going to send His transforming grace to change her from bitter to better.
We aren’t yet in the place where Naomi has been changed. But don’t take the silence of God to mean He isn’t at work. The Lord is preparing things in her path that are going to change her trajectory. Not instantly, but step by step. Naomi’s words are full of questions, even accusations against God. But amazingly, God includes them in His Word for us to see. He is not threatened by Naomi’s confusion or tears. He is not impatient with her wrestling. And He isn’t with yours, either.
Even though Naomi says, “The Lord has brought me back empty,” she is not actually empty — Ruth is standing right beside her. You see, God is sovereign over what you feel and what is actually true. Your feelings may tell you one story, but God’s faithfulness tells another. Naomi cannot see it yet, but Ruth 1 is the beginning of a redemption story that leads to Boaz, to Obeb, to David, and ultimately to Christ.
Her bitterness cannot derail God’s plan. Her accusations cannot cancel His grace. Her despair cannot stop His redemption. And neither can yours. Even when your words are weak, angry, or confused, God responds with compassion. Even when your prayers are more complaint than praise, God listens. Even when your heart is bitter, God moves toward you — not away. Your bitterness cannot derail His plans. Your disappointment cannot exhaust His patience. Your lament cannot outrun His love.
In an even greater way than Naomi, you have a Redeemer who intercedes for you. Jesus hears your bitter cries and meets you with mercy. The Spirit intercedes for you when you don’t have the words. The Father holds you when you cannot hold yourself. See, God knows how to handle the bitter, for He overwhelms bitterness with grace. He transforms bitter hearts into better ones. He turns poisoned wells into springs of life. He writes redemption into the very places you thought were ruined beyond repair.
And this is why Jesus is better, because He is the Redeemer who does not recoil from bitterness but overwhelms it with relentless, restoring love until bitterness becomes beauty.Pastor Josh Gerber |
