A Tug of War

‘Look,’ said Naomi, ‘your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods.Go back with her.’ Ruth 1:15 (NIV)

Have you ever tried to minister to someone and they kept pushing you away? You tried to take them to lunch, do errands for them, or provide food for their family. Maybe you are the one who has refused offers of kindness?

Naomi did this very thing. Repeatedly, she refused the kind offers of Ruth and Orpah to return home with her. It became a tug-of-war.

“Let us go!”

“No, you must return home!”

“Please let us come with you.”

“No, you must return!”

In this passage of Scripture, the Hebrew word ‘sub’ is translated 6 times. This word can be translated as ‘to turn back, to cease from evil ways, movement back to the point of departure, to recede.’ This word is translated in 2 Kings 20:9-11 as a shadow that moves backward 10 steps (The Key Word Study NIV Bible, page 1556). Naomi used this word as a plea to her daughters-in-law to return or go back to their homes and their people. The daughters-in-law persistedly pleaded with Naomi. Repeatedly Naomi refused Ruth and Orpah.

Commentaries think Naomi was embarrassed to take two Moabite women home with her. Ruth and Orpah would be a reminder to Naomi, of the bitter things that happened to her. In addition, they would be a reminder to all of Bethlehem of how Naomi’s family had turned their back on God and His commandments.

People in need are often like Naomi; they have varied reasons for rejecting your kind offers. Maybe they are embarrassed by their circumstances, maybe they are angry with God, or maybe they simply do not want to be a bother to anyone else. However, if God wants you to minister to them, you must be persistent, no matter how many times they tell you to ‘return home.’ Find kind ways to help them without embarrassing them or arguing with them.

If you are refusing offers of help, it is time to let people minister to you. Quit saying, “Return to your home” and say, “Yes.”

“He who despises his neighbor sins,
but blessed is he who is kind to the needy.” Proverbs 14:21


“For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
2 Peter 1:5-8