The Garment of Praise for the Spirit of Heaviness

A woman named Naomi, her husband and two sons relocated to another country due to a lack of food in her land. Naomi's two sons married natives of that nation. Then, her husband died. Then, her two sons died. Displaced, widowed, and bereaved of her sons, Naomi decided to move back to her hometown.

One of Naomi’s daughters-in-law, Ruth, chose to stay with her and even converted to faith in her God. Ruth worked hard to support herself and Naomi. She caught the eye of a man named Boaz. He married her. They had a son named Obed.

The women of Naomi's town said to her, “May he (your first grandson) be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age; for your daughter-in-law, who loves you, who is better to you than seven sons, has borne him.” [2]

“The neighbor women gave him [the baby] a name, saying, 'There is a son born to Naomi.’ And they called his name Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David.” [3]

I have not experienced all the losses that Naomi did, but I have experienced the blessing of becoming a grandfather. I cannot think of any better expression to describe the feeling than what Naomi’s neighbors said to her. God uses grandchildren to restore life and nourishment to me. I am also grateful to God for the children-in-love that He has given me.

Incidentally, Naomi’s grandson became the grandfather of a boy named David. That boy went onto to become the king of Israel. David wrote the majority of the Psalms in the Bible. David appointed three men named Heman, Asaph and Jeduthun to make the worship of God flourish in his nation. These three men had 24 sons between them who led worship. [4] Thanks to God, Naomi’s legacy included numerous worship leaders. Thanks to God, her life ended on a good note.

Our Heavenly Father gave Naomi the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. [4]

[1] Ruth 4:15
[2] Ruth 4:17
[3] 1 Chronicles 25:1-7
[4] Isaiah 61:3