Ruth accompanies Naomi to her country and her people. They return to Bethlehem, a small town, but full of significance, as we have already seen. David was born there (1 Samuel 16), and even though it was a small and insignificant town, according to the Hebrew prophets, the Messiah would be born there (Micah 5:1). In Ruth’s story, it is the place where Ruth meets her husband, Boaz.
Ruth 1
18 When she saw that she was determined to go with her, she refrained from speaking to her.
19 So they both went until they came to Bethlehem. And it happened when they entered Bethlehem that the whole town was in an uproar. And they said, “Is this Naomi?”
20 She said to them, “Do not call me Naomi, but call me Mara, for the Almighty has made me very bitter. 21 I went out full, and the LORD has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi, when the LORD has afflicted me and the Almighty has afflicted me?”
Mara
Naomi is recognized by the people of Bethlehem. Naomi means: pleasant, lovely. But Naomi no longer wants to be called that, so she says, “Call me Mara,” which means: bitterness. Bitterness in Scripture relates to the old covenant: slavery under the law. For example, Israel was forced to perform slave labor in Egypt, symbolizing slavery under the law.
Exodus 1
13 And the Egyptians made the Israelites serve harshly.
14 And they made their lives bitter with hard labor, with clay and brick, and with all kinds of service in the field—all their work in which they were made to serve them was harsh.
Bitter Becomes Sweet
In Exodus 15:22-27, we find a story of Israel in the desert, where the people had not drunk water for some time. They arrive at Mara, but they cannot drink the water there because it is bitter. God shows Moses a piece of wood, and Moses throws it into the water, after which the water becomes sweet and drinkable.
The Third Day
This story takes place on the third day (1:22) and is a picture of Israel living under the law, in bitterness. On the third day, they will be raised up and live (Hosea 6:1-2), and from Peter we know that we must count in days a thousand years (2 Peter 3:8). It is a picture of Israel who, in the future, after 2,000 years, will drink of the living water, the word of God, under the new covenant.
Without a husband
Naomi and Ruth returning to the land are a representation of the Jewish people, including their proselytes, of our time, returning to the land from dispersion. They do not know the Messiah, who is the end and fulfillment of the law (Matt. 5:17; Rom. 10:4). The Jewish people have experienced much sorrow and trial in the Diaspora. Naomi returns to the land embittered. After two thousand years of struggle and pain, still without a Bridegroom and Redeemer. But that will not last much longer!