When God's Gone Too Far

Ever feel like this time God has gone too far?  Ever feel as if God has pressed you too hard?  That this time he has gone from near, to distant, to positively cruel?  Maybe you feel abandoned.  You question God’s goodness, maybe even his very existence.  You’ve turned your back on God himself in the wake of one too many violations.  That’s Naomi. 

When she sees that Ruth will not be dissuaded, Naomi says no more.  The two women, one older, one younger, travel alone till they reach Bethlehem.  The little town of Bethlehem is astir at their return, and the local women whisper, "Is this Naomi? I barely recognize her."  This will be no happy homecoming. 

And we are given a glimpse straight into the heart of Naomi.  Naomi’s bitterness overwhelms her.  You understand that in the Ancient Near East, as in many cultures, one’s name is intended to express the inner character of the person. It is to be reflected in one’s actions.  Abraham: Father of a Multitude.  Jesus: Adonai (the LORD) saves.  Barnabas: Son of Encouragement.  And so Naomi corrects them: “Don't call me Pleasant (Naomi).  Call me Bitter (Mara), because the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.  I went out full, but have come back empty.   Don't call me Pleasant, because God is against me." 

Do you think God is against you?  Or at least only grudgingly tolerates you?  Is there some affliction in your life, some heartache, some loss, some sin in your past, some crime, some disease, some injury, some condition that has left you believing the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with you?  You’re not alone. 

It’s not a question of whether heartbreak will come, but when. 

The question is, what are you going to do with it?  How will you respond?   

If guilt is the natural response to our sin, bitterness is the response to our being sinned against.  How will you respond when things have gone too far? 

It’s not a question of whether heartbreak will come, but when. 

For all the bitterness, there’s a glimmer of hope in Bethlehem today.  It is the beginning of the barley harvest.  The famine is over.  Naomi’s story is not over yet, and it need not be for you, either. 

And if Elimelech could wonder where the Almighty was in his circumstance, it was Jesus Christ, who said, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”  When you feel abandoned by God, know that there is a Savior who knows exactly how you feel. 

You see, Jesus Christ is the one whose faithfulness – whose hesed – can bring about the same restoration in your life that Naomi will taste in days to come. 

Naomi has lost her sons.  But it is God the Father, who lost his Son too, so that the death, destruction and despair that many of us have known intimately can one day be reversed.  And those who look to God in faith through his Son, can live with the confidence that

• God understands only too well the loss we know in this life, and that
• the Lord, in his steadfast love – his hesed – does not abandon his own, but can sustain, and as we will see, realize Big Picture purposes beyond what we can imagine or dream. 

It’s not a question of whether heartbreak will come, but when.  The only question is, will you reject the easy out?  Will you keep a soft heart toward God and cooperate with him?  He will work peace in your life now and purpose that will resonate in eternity.     

Jesus said, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. The One from Bethlehem invites you to his Beth-lehem.  The One who is the Bread of Life welcomes you to the House of Bread. 

If you are left bitter because of an event in your past, return with Naomi to the house of bread, the Bread of Life, Jesus Christ, and he will make a way for you.