Ruth 1:21: Naomi said, I went out full, but Yahweh has brought me back empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since Yahweh has witnessed against me and the Almighty has afflicted me?

Ruth’s statement of faith is one of the most memorable and moving in Scripture. It is a statement of whole-hearted, deep attachment to Naomi, her people, her land, her God. What makes this so moving is that Ruth makes this confession, and clings to Naomi, when Naomi has nothing – nothing – to offer her. Naomi is husbandless, childless, landless, an exile. She is exactly what she says: Empty.

Yet, Ruth clings to Naomi and refuses to return to her homeland, her own mother’s house, her own gods, her own people. She’d rather be empty with Naomi than full at home. She wants to stay with Naomi even when Naomi is not Naomi, but Marah.

As Toby has explained this morning, Naomi represents the nation of Israel. Israel was supposed to lead the Gentiles to worship Yahweh, but like Naomi instead encouraged idolatry. Israel was supposed to be a land flowing with milk and honey, but had become a barren desert. Israel was supposed to be Yahweh’s bride, but because of her unfaithfulness, she became a widow. She was supposed to be full, but she had been emptied.

Yet, Ruth wants to be attached to this people even in their emptiness and barrenness. Better a dry crust of bread in the house and land of Yahweh than abundance in Moab.

In the book of Ruth, Boaz is the obvious Christ figure. He’s the savior, the near kinsman who comes to rescue the widows and make the widow a bride. He’s the royal figure who feeds and protects and clothes and provides a future for Ruth and Naomi. But we should also recognize Christ in the story of Naomi. Naomi’s story is Israel’s story, a story that moves from emptiness to fullness, from barrenness to fruitfulness, from cross to resurrection. Naomi’s story is the story of Jesus, the true Israel.

And this shows us the relevance of Naomi’s story to your baptism today. When Jesus was arrested, tried, condemned, and crucified, His disciples abandoned Him. They were like Orpah, who left Naomi behind and returned to the familiar safety of Moab. The disciples stayed with Jesus while He was full, but as soon as He was empty, they fled. They remained with Jesus while He was pleasant, but when things turned bitter, they didn’t want to be with Him anymore.

You are called by your baptism to something better. You are called by your baptism to exercise the faith of Ruth. There are times in every Christian life that seem bitter, empty, unfruitful. There are times of famine in every Christian life. But you are called to cling to Jesus, even when there seems to be no good reason to keep doing it. You are called to follow Him even when following Him leads to the cross.

Baptism imposes this demand on you, but offers a promise, a promise materialized as water. Baptism is baptism into Christ’s death and union in His resurrection. Your baptism calls you to follow the suffering Messiah, but your baptism also promises that the cross is followed by resurrection. Baptism promises that as you cling in faith to Jesus, every famine will end in feasting, every exile in Moab will end in return to Bethlehem.