A Home Built By God Series

A Home Built by God

Ruth 4: 13-22

I think you would all agree that it has been a pleasant and encouraging journey through the book of Ruth. We are all familiar with the fairy tales of our youth. Most of them begin with “Once upon a time” and end with “Happily ever-after.” The book of Ruth fits that line of thought. However, we have not read a fairy tale or fable, but an eternal testimony of the grace and mercy of God being extended to those who are desperate, defeated, and even undeserving.

Can you imagine the anxiety and anticipation Ruth must have felt as she waited for Boaz to return that day? He had gone to secure her redemption. I can picture her standing in the doorway all morning waiting upon the arrival of Boaz. Hers had been a very difficult and yet a very blessed journey. We found the Desperation of a Widow in Chp.1, the Determination of a Worker in Chp.2, the Dignity of a Woman in Chp.3, and the Delight of a Wife in Chp.4.

In these concluding verses we find Ruth and Naomi happy once again. They had faced devastation in Moab, but God had been merciful in Bethlehem and now they are blessed with a family and a home. There is great application for all believers in these verses. I want to consider the wonderful truths of: A Home Built by God.

I. The Grace (13a) – So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife: and when he went in unto her, the Lord gave her conception, and she bare a son. Take just a moment to consider all we have learned of Ruth and the adversities she faced. She had lost her husband in Moab, made her way to Bethlehem with Naomi, a place she knew nothing of, in essence a Gentile in desperate need of mercy and grace. Now she is the bride of Boaz. This almost seems too good to be true. As we first encountered Ruth, it appeared she had little hope for the future, but God was working in her life and His marvelous grace was shown to her.

Would we not have to admit that our lives closely resemble Ruth’s in many ways? We may not have lost our spouse, or even faced the financial or social limitations she did, but we too have received more than we could possibly deserve. When it appeared that all hope was lost, God showed mercy and grace to us and met our every need.

God met every need she had physically. She went from the poor house to a penthouse. She went from gleaning among the leftovers to marrying the owner of the field. No doubt she wondered if she would live the rest of her life alone and God provided a companion. (Surely God has met our every need as well. He has blessed us abundantly and beyond measure.)

God also met Ruth’s needs spiritually. She was a Gentile from Moab, one whom most Jews had no desire to show compassion. She was a stranger to the commonwealth of Israel. It is nothing short of a miracle that she was accepted and cared for, but God chose to show her favor.

We too were in the same situation. We were strangers and foreigners to the family of God. We possessed no goodness or worthiness of His grace, and yet He chose to show us favor, providing for our redemption!

II. The Gift (13b) – Naomi had lost her husband and her two sons. Ruth had lost her husband. There were no children left in the family of Elimelech. This was of great importance to Ruth and Naomi. They desperately desired a son to carry on the lineage of the family. God honored their desires as Ruth and Boaz were blessed with a son.

Aren’t you glad for the Son we were given? Is.9:6 – For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. God knew our need. He knew His only begotten Son was the only means of our salvation. We too were offered the greatest gift ever given!

III. The Glory (14-17) – The son that Ruth bore to Boaz was named Obed by neighbors of Ruth. V.17 – And the women her neighbours gave it 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. As we will discover, the birth of Obed was significant in the lives of his family and all following generations.

His name means “worshipping.” With the birth of Obed, there was a season of worship and rejoicing. These verses reveal the admiration that those who knew Naomi and her situation had for the Lord. They were aware of the significance of Obed’s birth and how God would use him. In their conversation concerning Obed we see their worship of the Lord. They rejoiced in: