She closed her eyes and lifted her face to the heavens. “Lord, help me to take care of Your servant Naomi,” she whispered. “It’s because of her that I’ve come to believe in You. Please guide our steps and bring us safely home to Bethlehem. And, Lord, if it isn’t too much to ask, let there be old friends to greet Naomi upon her return, people who loved her in days gone by and who will continue to love her in the difficult days ahead.”
TWO
The days were long and hot and dry. Ruth rose early and awakened Naomi. “The sun’s coming up, Mother,” she would say. “We should travel now in the cool of the day.” Silently, they would walk until the sun reached its zenith and then find shade where they could rest. Weary, Naomi usually dozed. Ruth more often looked off down the road, wondering what the future held for both of them.
They reached the Wadi Arnon, which marked the southern boundary of the Reubenite territory, and followed the King’s Highway to Dibon, Heshbon, and Abel Shittim. In each city they passed through, Ruth bartered her woven sashes in the marketplace to buy food, while inquiring about the road ahead.
“Oh, you’re not going over the Jericho road,” said a woman selling onions and garlic. “Robbers hide out up there in the mountains and attack the caravans. You won’t be safe alone.”
“I’m not alone. I’m traveling with my mother-in-law.”
“Two women? Well, you’d better go down to the camel market and see if you can find a traveling merchant who will allow you to travel with his caravan. No one travels the Jericho road without protection. You’d find yourself snatched up and sold into slavery.”
When Ruth returned to their little camp near the city wall, she found Naomi cooking unleavened bread on the metal bowl placed over the fire. She turned the bread skillfully with a two-pronged stick. “I’ve been worried,” Naomi said without looking up.
“I’m sorry, Mother,” Ruth said, hunkering down. “I should have come back and told you what I was doing. A woman in the marketplace told me robbers attack people going over the mountains, so I thought it wise to seek assistance. We’re going to join a caravan tomorrow morning and travel with it over the Jericho road. The man is a Benjaminite, and he has armed guards. We’ll be safe with him.”
Naomi’s body relaxed. She hooked the edge of the bread and lifted it from the bowl, laying it aside to cool. “I should have thought of that myself.” She sat back on her heels and covered her face.
Ruth took the bread and broke it. She handed Naomi half. Naomi shook her head. “You must eat, Mother. You need your strength.”
Hands still covering her face, Naomi wept. “Why didn’t I think of the dangers? I never even considered what could happen to you. What was I thinking to let you come on this journey? I’m a selfish old woman!”
“You tried to turn me back,” Ruth said with a smile. “It did you no good. Try not to worry. We’re going to be safe.”
Naomi raised her head. “There’s more danger for a young woman like you than an old widow like me.”
“There’s danger for both of us, and we’re taking every precaution. The man seems trustworthy.”
“No one can be trusted these days.”
Ruth picked up the bread and held it out to her again. Naomi took it and broke off a little piece, eating slowly, still frowning.
Ruth smiled at her. “How often have I heard you say ‘the Lord watches over those who love Him’?”
“And punishes those who reject Him.” Naomi’s eyes welled with tears, and Ruth knew she was thinking of Elimelech, Kilion, and Mahlon. Her own grief rose sharply as she thought of her husband. He’d been so young, with years ahead of him. How she wished she’d given him a child! A son to carry on his name.
“I’m so tired,” Naomi said, her voice tear-choked. “I don’t know if I can even make it home. Those mountains, I remember them so well now. How could I have forgotten how hard the journey was?”
“We will rest when we need to.”
“And the caravan will go on without us,” Naomi said dismally.
“Then we’ll join another.”
“If we aren’t robbed and—”
“Don’t!” Ruth said with a sob. She rose and went to Naomi, kneeling down and taking her mother-in-law’s hand. “Don’t even think of such things, Mother. If you do, we’re defeated. Think about what’s on the other side of the mountains: Bethlehem. Our home. If we dwell on all the things that could go wrong, we’ll be too afraid to take another step. Please. Tell me about the Lord again, Mother. Tell me how He fed thousands of people in the desert. Tell me how He brought water from a rock. And pray.” She wept softly. “Pray He has mercy upon us.”
Naomi winced, her expression filled with regret. She touched Ruth’s face. “Sometimes I forget.” Her eyes were still awash with tears. “I think about what I’ve lost instead of thinking about what I have.”
“We have each other,” Ruth said. “And we have God. That’s more than enough to face whatever comes. You taught me that.”
“Keep reminding me.”
* * *
They crossed the Jordan River with the caravan late the next afternoon. Naomi wilted beneath the trees on the other side. “I can’t go any farther.”
Ruth settled her comfortably and brought some water. “Rest here while I thank Ashir Ben Hadar.” The last of the camels were crossing the river when Ruth approached the caravan owner and bowed her face to the ground. “Thank you for allowing us to travel in your company.”
“You’re leaving the caravan so soon?”
“My mother-in-law has gone as far as her strength can carry her. We’ll camp here by the river and continue on in the morning.”
“A pity. We’ll be camping for the night at the oasis. You’d be safer with us.”
“May the Lord bring you safely to your destination and bless you for your kindness toward two widows.”
He frowned heavily. “May the Lord protect you.” Turning away, he mounted his camel, whacked the animal’s neck with a stick, and shouted orders in Egyptian to one of his servants. The camel rocked forward and then back as it came to its feet. Ruth bowed again as the man rode toward the front of his caravan. She’d almost reached the trees by the river when one of Ashir Ben Hadar’s servants ran up to her and thrust a sack and a bulging skin into her hands. “Gifts from the master,” he rasped and raced off again.
Smiling, Ruth knelt down by Naomi. “Taste and see how the Lord provides for those who love Him.”
Tipping the skin cautiously, Naomi took a small sip. Her eyes grew wide. “Fresh goat’s milk!”
Ruth laughed and opened the leather, displaying the fullness of their bounty. “And raisin cakes, Mother. Enough for several days. With the grain we have left, we have enough to sustain us until we reach Bethlehem.”
They ate and then rested as the sun slipped over the mountains behind Jericho. “It wasn’t far from here that the Lord rolled back the water of the Jordan so that Joshua could bring our people across,” Naomi said, replete and relaxed. “My mother told me when Moses went up Mount Nebo to Pisgah Peak and died, the people mourned for thirty days. Joshua was filled with the Spirit of God and led the people over there,” she said and pointed from Nebo along the way they had come, “to Acacia. He waited there until the Lord told him what to do. Joshua brought the people to the banks of the Jordan. The Lord rolled back the water, and the people crossed on dry land. My mother and father were among the people who came into Canaan that day. They camped at Gilgal and celebrated the Passover.”
Ruth was standing beneath the shade following with her eyes the course Naomi said her people had taken. “What are the stones over there?”
“The standing stones?” Naomi rose. “Everyone who passes by them will remember what the Lord did for His people. There are twelve, each stone carried by a member of one of the tribes who descended from our father, Jacob. Do you see where the water ripples over there? There are twelve more stones on the spot where the priests stood with the Ark of the Covenant whi
le our people crossed over.” She stood beside Ruth, pointing back the way they had come. “Over there is the altar the sons of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh built. The tribes on this side almost went to war over it.”
“Why?”
“Because the tribes on the west bank thought it to be an altar for burnt offerings and sacrifices to other gods. But it stands as witness that the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh have an inheritance in the Lord; it is a monument to remind us that we are brothers.”
Naomi repeated the stories her father and mother had told her, until the sun went down and the stars shone. Ruth listened hungrily to everything Naomi said about the years in the desert and the mighty deeds the Lord had done to save and discipline His people. When Naomi fell asleep, Ruth looked up into the heavens and felt reassured. Surely if the Lord had watched over His rebellious people in the wilderness, He would watch over Naomi now. Ruth believed that the Lord would bring them both safely home to Bethlehem.
The next day they walked as far as the oasis and spent the night beneath the palms. The jagged silhouette of Jericho stood out against the base of the mountains, the once-great city now blackened rubble inhabited only by lizards and snakes. However, there was a small but thriving community not far away, encamped around the spring. They earned a prosperous living from travelers using the Jericho road across the mountains to Jerusalem.
As they began the arduous journey up the Jericho road, Ruth prayed continuously, while keeping watch for dangers along the way. God, protect us. Watch over us and guide our steps.
A caravan came up behind them. Ruth spoke with the overseer and was given permission to camp near them the first night. She made no effort to hurry Naomi the next morning, but set her pace by her mother-in-law, even though the caravan went ahead and disappeared from sight.
“Lord, please help us get over these mountains,” she whispered each night before she closed her eyes.
And each day the road was steeper and more difficult, the days hotter and their supplies shorter. Naomi weakened, so Ruth took her load. When her mother-in-law became despondent, Ruth asked her questions about Bethlehem and her childhood, hoping to revive her determination to reach their destination. “Each day we’re closer, Mother.”
“And what awaits us? Everyone I knew may be gone by now.”
“Perhaps there will be friends you’ve forgotten.”
“And who have forgotten me.” She wept as she often did when she was close to complete exhaustion. “I’m bringing you home to poverty. There will be no one to welcome us.” She covered her face and sobbed.
“Look back and see how far we’ve come,” Ruth said, breathing hard beneath her burdens.
“Look how far we’ve yet to go. Up, up, forever up.”
Ruth looked around. There was no place to camp where they were. They had no choice but to go on. She was close to crying along with Naomi. Her back ached from carrying the full load all day, her eyes were gritty and her throat parched. She clasped the small bottle she wore on a cord around her neck. It was filled with tears she had shed for Mahlon, a sign of her respect and love. Letting go of it, she shut her eyes tightly. “The Lord sees our sorrow, Mother. He knows our needs.”
“Then where is He?”
Ruth pressed her lips together to keep from crying out in frustration and despair. She couldn’t allow herself to give in to it. If she did, where would they be?
“I can’t go on, Ruth. It’s too hard. I can’t. Just leave me here to die. I don’t care anymore. I’m too tired to care!”
Ruth shifted the packs and looped her arm around Naomi, giving her support. “You have to go on. Just a little way. We’ll find a place and rest for the night.”
“I’ll be just as tired in the morning. I’m sick and tired.”
“We’ll make it, Mother.”
“And what will be there if we do?” Naomi said bitterly, feet dragging as she leaned heavily upon Ruth. “I have no land. I have no house. I have no husband, no sons. What will be there for us?”
Fighting tears, Ruth said, “I don’t know, but whatever it is, God will help us.”
After that, she could speak no more. She had only strength enough to keep them moving until they found a place of rest. Oh, please, God, please help us!
As they came around a bend in the road, Ruth noticed a large crack in the stone mountainside. “Just a few more feet,” she said, urging Naomi on. The crevice was large enough to shelter both women for the night.
Naomi sank down with a groan and leaned back against a boulder. Ruth winced as she shrugged off her bundles and sat beside her. She rolled her shoulders to ease her aching muscles. “We’re almost to the summit,” she said, leaning her head back against the cold stone. “We will reach Jerusalem tomorrow.”
Naomi said nothing. She was breathing heavily, her eyes closed, her face pale with exhaustion.
Ruth rose again and unrolled the bedding. She broke the last raisin cake in half. “You’ll feel better after you’ve had something to eat.” Naomi took the food and ate slowly. Ruth saw the sheen of tears in Naomi’s eyes.
“God willing, we will be in Bethlehem early tomorrow,” Naomi said, folding her hands in her lap. “It is only a short distance beyond Jerusalem.”
Ruth smiled and put her hand over Naomi’s. “You’re almost home, Mother.”
Naomi closed her eyes, but not before tears slipped down her dusty cheeks. Ruth sat closer and put her arm around her mother-in-law. Naomi leaned her head against Ruth’s shoulder, and within moments was asleep.
Lord, Lord . . . Ruth didn’t know what to pray anymore. She was too weary to think but not to fear. Thank You for bringing us this far. Please do not leave us now.
Ruth knew the real trial of her strength was only just beginning. With each day of travel, Naomi had become increasingly dependent upon her. Ruth did not mind, but she was plagued by worries.
What would become of them when they reached Bethlehem?
THREE
With Bethlehem so close, Naomi became eager to reach home. Rising before the sun, the two women set out on the final leg of their journey. Naomi’s strength was renewed. Ruth didn’t have to urge her on as before. “It’s not far now. Not far at all,” Naomi said.
With the rising sun, they followed the road past Jerusalem. It was still morning when they entered the town of Bethlehem. Women were gathered at the well in the center of town, talking and laughing as they drew up water for the day’s household needs. They noticed Naomi and Ruth, and drew in closer together, lowering their voices. Ruth could feel Naomi’s tension. “Come, Mother. Perhaps there will be someone you know, and I need to fill the skins.”
One woman, older than the rest, separated herself from the others. “Is it really Naomi?” She frowned heavily, tilting her head as though she couldn’t see clearly.
Ruth touched her mother-in-law’s arm gently. “You aren’t forgotten. You still have friends in Bethlehem.”
“It is Naomi!” She came toward her, arms outstretched. “Naomi, you have returned!”
The women cried out in excitement, hastening toward her mother-in-law. Ruth stepped back to allow them room, giving silent thanks to God that Naomi was remembered and welcomed so warmly. Perhaps the enthusiastic greeting of these women would raise her mother-in-law’s spirits.
“Naomi, you look as though you’ve traveled hundreds of miles!”
“Where have you been all these years?”
“We heard you went to Moab.”
“What’s happened to you?”
Ruth saw Naomi’s distress growing. Her mother-in-law looked this way and that as though seeking an escape from this throng of interrogators.
“I remember the day you left with mules loaded down with your possessions.”
“What’s happened to you?”
Ruth could only imagine what her mother-in-law was thinking. Naomi was home in Bethlehem, but she was destitute. She was among friends but was clearly the object of their pity and curiosity. Aching fo
r her, Ruth was uncertain what to do. Should she press her way into the center of the circle and try to rescue her? Or would that only make matters worse? The women had made a tight circle around Naomi, while presenting Ruth their backs. In fact, no one had given her more than a hostile glance. The women made no effort to hide their shock at Naomi’s appearance.
“Where is your husband, Elimelech?”
“Such a tall, handsome man.”
The women pressed in upon Naomi from all sides, asking questions that would only stir up the grief of recent tragedies.
“You had sons. Where are they?”
“Surely they haven’t remained in Moab!”
“Where are Mahlon and Kilion?”
They were all speaking at once, their piqued interest focused on Naomi’s misery. Ruth was not surprised or hurt because the women chose to ignore her. Naomi had warned her she would not be welcome. “My people will see you as a foreigner. And worse, they’ll know you’re a Moabitess.” Everything about Ruth’s appearance declared her nationality. Her clothing was distinctive, and her skin was darker. She had no money to change the one, and no ability to change the other. It would take time for these people to accept her.
“Don’t expect to be invited into anyone’s house,” Naomi had said. A Hebrew could not invite a foreigner inside his home without defiling it.
“Oh, Naomi,” the women said, hearing about the death of Elimelech, Kilion, and Mahlon. “Oy, your sorrow is too much to bear!” They seemed to withdraw slightly, embarrassed, uncertain. Were they afraid Naomi’s misfortune might somehow be transferred to them if they offered her assistance? Ruth moved forward, edging her way through the women until she was close enough to Naomi to be seen.