Ruth Part 1: Coming Back Changed

Pastor Eric Burton | Sunday, August 9, 2026

Key Scripture: Ruth 1:1–5, 13, 20–22; 1 Corinthians 15:20

A Little Context for the Book of Ruth

1. Ruth is significant because it is the first book of the Bible named after a woman. Ruth is not Jewish, and at the beginning she is not yet a worshiper of God.
2. The story takes place during the time of the judges, when God raised up men and women to confront Israel’s sin. As in Judges, we see God carrying out redemptive work through unlikely people.

Throughout this series, we will see God use the most unlikely person to bring redemption to a woman—and ultimately to the world. Although the book is named after Ruth, chapter 1 centers on Naomi, a woman who feels God has dealt bitterly with her. Her story begins much like Job’s: with tragedy.

When Tragedy Strikes

Ruth 1:1–5

Life is good when tragedy strikes. Naomi loses her community, her husband, and her sons.

Chapter 1 Summary

After all her loss, Naomi is left with her two daughters-in-law. She hears there is food back in Bethlehem and decides to return. Naomi tells both women to go back to their mothers, but neither wants to leave her.

Naomi Comes Home Empty

Ruth 1:20–22

Naomi comes from Bethlehem—a name that means “house of bread”—yet famine forces her to leave. In verse 21 she says, “I went away full, but the Lord has brought me home empty.” She feels empty-handed and ineffective. The people who gave her identity and purpose are gone, and the source of her livelihood is gone.

In verse 13 she says, “Things are far worse for me than for you, because the Lord himself has raised his fist against me.” In verse 21 she says the Lord caused her to suffer and sent tragedy upon her. Like Job, Naomi believes God has testified against her and allowed her suffering.

The Benefits of Being Empty

• Empty makes you hungry for God.
• Empty gives God room to fill you with His provision.
• Empty gives God room to receive the glory.

When Naomi returns, her town is excited, but the people do not know what she has endured. They celebrate the Naomi they remember without realizing she is no longer the same. She is angry and disappointed with God for how she believes He has treated her.

Life has changed her so deeply that she changes her name from Naomi, meaning “my delight,” to Mara, meaning “bitter.” Some of us want people to stop calling us what we were years ago. We are no longer the sweet, innocent idealists we once were. We feel God has dealt with us, and life has changed us.

Coming Back at the Right Time

It is humbling to come home empty. We may set out with great aspirations, believing we are too big for our city or that our town is a dead end. We leave for greener pastures, full of ourselves—but God brings us home empty.

I am thankful that God brings us back. Naomi returned changed, but she returned at the right time. Ruth 1:22 says they arrived in Bethlehem in late spring, at the beginning of the barley harvest. The barley harvest was the first harvest of the year—a season of celebration and first fruits that points us toward Christ.

“But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died.” — 1 Corinthians 15:20

Final Takeaway

We may think we are useless after losing what once gave us identity. But if we let God empty us, we can come back changed. We can sit full of ourselves, yet God wants to empty us of ourselves. We often want to leave worship feeling full, but perhaps we need to leave empty so God can fill us with something better.

Naomi left full, but she came back changed at the very moment new life was beginning. You may be bitter because of what life has brought, but you came back at the right time—a time of harvest.