Weddings are a fascinating custom. With my wife owning a flower shop we know all about weddings. Center pieces, corsages, bouquets, and decorations mean a lot of work and expense. With hall rentals, food, drink, tuxedo, gowns, relatives and gifts, a wedding is probably the most elaborate event any one of us will be involved with.
For my marriage to Lisa, her father performed the marriage ceremony. Although it had a very personal touch, the lead up to it was frustrating. He father liked teasing me that since he legally had the right to perform marriages, how about just signing the paper and be done with it. He is a very frugal and practical man, so for us guys it seemed reasonable. For Lisa and her mother, the concept was a joke on several levels.
The book of Ruth started with a funeral and now closes with the wedding of Ruth and Boaz. It is no accident that it follows the public legal issue of settling her estate. The necessity of public agreements and witnesses, provided an appropriate legally binding agreement. Likewise for the wedding. Until it is affirmed in the presence of a witness, either partner has a right to question how deep the other’s love truly is. (Jackman, David ; Ogilvie, Lloyd J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Volume 7 : Judges, Ruth. Nashville, Tennessee : Thomas Nelson Inc, 1991 (The Preacher’s Commentary Series 7), S. 347)
The wedding preceded the precious news of a new born son. The story of Ruth went from bareness to fruitfulness, through the blessing of God. The offspring produced and the generations that followed are personally significant to everyone who enjoys eternal life. Believers are the generation that follows this Boaz generation. We have seen in this book the hand of God orchestrating events to produce His desired end. When the characters could only see death, despair and hopelessness, the godly faith of Ruth and Boaz’s covenantal faithfulness are rewarded.
Every believer, the Boaz generation, can look to the conclusion to this story and see themselves. When everything about us is death, despair and hopelessness, we can trust God and know that He is working out His divine plan and He will sustain and bless. With these final verses in the Book of Ruth we see 1) The Salutation (Ruth 4:11-12) 2) The Son (Ruth 4:13-17) and finally, 3) the Summary (Ruth 4:18-22).
1) The Salutation (Ruth 4:11-12)
Ruth 4:11-12 [11]Then all the people who were at the gate and the elders said, "We are witnesses. May the LORD make the woman, who is coming into your house, like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel. May you act worthily in Ephrathah and be renowned in Bethlehem, [12]and may your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, because of the offspring that the LORD will give you by this young woman." (ESV)
The response to Boaz’s appeal by (lit.) “all the people who were at the gate” and “the elders” was positive in the extreme. First, they answer Boaz’s twofold challenge at the beginning and end of his speech and accept their official role in the legal proceedings.
They declare their response by repeating Boaz’s last word and affirming unanimously, ʿēdîm, “Witnesses!” With this speech-act they have indeed fulfilled their present legal obligations, but this does not mean they are finished. On the contrary, they break out in an effusive pronouncement of blessing upon Boaz.
The benediction consists of three parts. Although the people’s attention was focused primarily on Boaz, they expressed their concern for him with a prayer for Ruth’s fertility. They did not mention her by name but referred to her as “the woman who is coming into your house.” The expression “who is coming/about to come to your home” (expressing expresses present or imminent action) derives from the ancient customary practice of the wedding party proceeding to the home of the groom after the marriage ceremony and him formally ushering the bride into his house (Gen 24:67; Deut 20:7.).
The witnesses’ request concerning Ruth is extraordinary inasmuch as they pray that Yahweh would grant (appoint a place/role) this foreign woman a place among the matriarchs of Israel along with Rachel and Leah. As is well known, Rachel and Leah were the daughters of Laban the Aramean, whom Jacob married and who became the ancestresses of the twelve tribes of Israel recounted in Genesis 30. The order of the names, with Rachel before Leah, is striking not only because Leah was the senior and dominant wife but especially because Bethlehem belonged to the tribe of Judah, whose eponymous ancestor was one of Leah’s sons.
By invoking the intervention of Yahweh on Ruth’s behalf, the townsfolk are thinking specifically of the matriarchs’ fertility. Just as Rachel and Leah had built up the house of Israel, so, they pray, may Ruth build up the house of Boaz. The idiom “built up the house or to build a house,” means “to have progeny, descendants, to establish a family,” which derives from the Mosaic Torah concerning the levirate marriage (Deut 25:9). In essence, it is a metaphor to describe perpetuating or establishing a family line (Waard, Jan de ; Nida, Eugene Albert: A Translator’s Handbook on the Book of Ruth. 2nd ed. New York : United Bible Societies, 1992, S. 71).
Please turn to Psalm 127
The people prayed that Ruth would be fruitful in bearing children, for in Israel children were considered a blessing and not a burden The people’s invocation of Yahweh to make this possible is in keeping with the psalmist’s notion that:
Psalm 127:1-5 [127:1]Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. [2]It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep. [3]Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward. [4]Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. [5]Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate. (ESV)
The second part of the blessing was directed to Boaz directs that he should: act worthily ʿāśâ ḥayil “act valiantly,” “to perform honorably,” or “to show great strength,” but “to make wealth,” that is, “to prosper,”( Cf. Psalm 128)
Typical of Hebrew parallelism, the second line builds on the first. To be renowned, to call/mention a person’s name in a place after his death means more than “to keep the name [that is, the reputation] alive” (REB); it also perceives the person as living on in his descendants in the place named. The ancients believed that when a person’s name is never mentioned after his death, he ceases to exist (Isa 14:20. cf. Gen 48:16).
When the people prayed that she may act worthily in Ephrathah, Ephratah (also spelled Ephrath and Ephrathah) was another name for Bethlehem (cf. Gen. 35:19; 48:7; Micah 5:2) (Walvoord, John F. ; Zuck, Roy B. ; Dallas Theological Seminary: The Bible Knowledge Commentary : An Exposition of the Scriptures. Wheaton, IL : Victor Books, 1983-c1985, S. 1:427).
The people continued that she should be renowned in Bethlehem. It was about Bethlehem that the prophet Micah later proclaimed,
Micah 5:2 [2] But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days. (ESV)
And so it was to Bethlehem that Joseph from Nazareth came with Mary, under the decree of Caesar Augustus, to be registered, and in Bethlehem that the Savior of the was born (Luke 2:1–11).
In the third element of their blessing (v. 12) the witnesses prayed that Boaz’s house would become like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah. This reference to Tamar, Judah, and Perez reinforces the impression that the narrator has been writing the story of Boaz and Ruth with Genesis 38 in the back of his mind (Nielsen (Ruth, 12–17) and E. van Wolde (“Texts in Dialogue with Texts: Intertextuality in the Ruth and Tamar Narratives,” Biblical Interpretation 5 [1997]: 1–27)).
The point of comparison between Ruth and Tamar is the common levirate nature of their unions. Through Tamar, whose husband had died childless, Judah had fathered Perez, who became the ancestor of a host of clans, including the clan (mišpāḥâ; cf. 2:1) of Boaz. Now the witnesses prayed that through this widow, Ruth, Boaz may father a son and live on through his numerous progeny, even as Judah lives on in his descendants. These two have been presented from beginning to end as persons with the highest ethical standards; they embody covenant ḥesed. Recognizing the LORD Yahweh as the source of blessing and family, they assumed that Boaz’s having offspring through Ruth depended on the divine gift.
Little did those who uttered these words realize how prophetic the words would be. Ten of them were witnesses to this event because they had been summoned; the rest had simply gathered out of curiosity over what was happening in the gate. Now, inspired by the Spirit of God, they joined in a spontaneous and unanimous pronouncement of blessing upon Boaz. They had come to witness, but they left prophesying.
Illustration: Each of us as parents have a tremendous potential to bless our children.
3697 How Washington Got Blessed
George Washington, when quite young, was about to go to sea as a midshipman. Everything was in readiness. His trunk had been taken on board the boat; and he went to bid his mother farewell, when he saw tears filling her eyes. Seeing her distress, he turned to the servant, and said, “Go and tell them to fetch my trunk back. I will not go away to break my mother’s heart.” His mother, struck with his decision said to him, “George, God has promised to bless the children that honor their parents; and I believe he will bless you.” (Tan, Paul Lee: Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations : A Treasury of Illustrations, Anecdotes, Facts and Quotations for Pastors, Teachers and Christian Workers. Garland TX : Bible Communications, 1996, c1979)
We have seen 1) The Salutation (Ruth 4:11-12) and now:
2) The Son (Ruth 4:13-17)
The story of Boaz, Ruth, and Naomi concludes with a glorious resolution of a fundamental issue in the book: the filling of Naomi’s emptiness and the birth of a son through whom the royal line of David will eventually appear. Unlike the formal court scene in the gate, the climax of the story occurs in the home of Boaz and Ruth at least nine months later. The account divides into five parts: (1) a narrative report (v. 13), (2) a speech by the women of Bethlehem (vv. 14–15), (3) a narrative report (v. 16), (4) a speech by the women of Bethlehem (v. 17a, b), and (5) a narrative conclusion (v. 17c).
(A) The Narrative Report of the Birth of a Boy (4:13)
Ruth 4:13 [13]So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife. And he went in to her, and the LORD gave her conception, and she bore a son. (ESV)
Almost all the events in the book of Ruth transpired within the seven weeks of the spring barley and wheat harvest. We assume that verse 13 covers the remainder of the year (Lawrenz, John C.: Judges, Ruth. Milwaukee, Wis. : Northwestern Pub. House, 1997 (The People’s Bible), S. 256).
Verse 13 telescopes nine months of personal history. First, Boaz married Ruth. According to the Hebrew idiom he took her and she became his wife. The expression is typically ancient Near Eastern and biblical, inasmuch as the responsibility for the establishment and maintenance of the household rested on the man’s shoulders. The idiom also reflects the specific custom of the man taking (lāqaḥ) his wife to his house as part of the marriage ritual (Deut 20:7). That Ruth “became his wife”, Ruth’s social progression is completed. She had graduated from the status of nokriyyâ, “foreigner” (2:10), to šipḥâ, “lowest servant” (2:13), to ʾāmâ, “maidservant” (3:9), and now to ʾiššâ, “wife.” Having married Ruth, Boaz “went in to” Ruth. This is the common Hebrew expression for the consummation of a marriage through sexual intercourse (e.g., Gen 16.2; 30.3; 38.8; Deut 22.13; and 2 Sam 16.21) (Waard, Jan de ; Nida, Eugene Albert: A Translator’s Handbook on the Book of Ruth. 2nd ed. New York : United Bible Societies, 1992, S. 74). The idiom also reflects the entrance of a man into the tent or bride chamber of his wife for the purpose of intercourse (Gen 30:3–4; 39:14, 17; Judg 15:1; 2 Sam 12:24; 17:25; Prov 2:19).
Please turn to Psalm 139
Second, “the LORD gave her [Ruth] conception”. This is only the second time in the book where the narrator has God as a subject of a verb (cf. 1:6). The present idiom, “to grant/give conception,” is unique. This statement must be interpreted against the backdrop of Ruth’s apparently ten-year marriage with Mahlon, for whom she seems to have been unable to conceive. Now, in fulfillment of the prayer of the witnesses in the gate (vv. 11–12), the LORD Yahweh graciously gave her conception/grants Ruth pregnancy as a gift. This is the narrator’s modest way of identifying a miracle; she who had been unable to bear a child for Mahlon has conceived for Boaz.
Children are a gift from God. He fashions every person in the womb of the mother Psalm 139:13-16 [13]For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. [14]I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. [15]My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. [16]Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. (ESV)
Alas, that’s not the attitude in society today. Each year, millions of babies are legally destroyed in the womb. It’s amazing that in hospitals today in one part, people are working day and night to keep little babies alive. In another part, they’re murdering them. What is God going to say? (Wiersbe, Warren W.: Be Committed. Wheaton, Ill. : Victor Books, 1996, c1993 (An Old Testament Study. Ruth and Esther), S. Ru 4:11
REB Revised English Bible )
Third, Ruth “bore/gave birth to a son.” She did her part as well, carrying the child to full term, and then delivering a son.
• We miss God’s blessing when we always look elsewhere for Him to act. Often, when we are obedient, He will use us to bless.
The simple dignified description of verse 13 conveys within it a wealth of biblical doctrine on the theme of Christian marriage. The public commitment of Boaz and Ruth in the marriage ceremony before their sexual union reminds us of the context of sexual relations being always within married love.
Genesis 2:24[24]Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. (ESV)
The “one flesh” of which Genesis 2:24 speaks is not referring exclusively to the physical union, but to the partnership of husband and wife within a lifelong commitment which produces a unitary experience at every level—physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. Within that contract of (that union), the sexual relationship has an important symbolic and deepening function. Outside of that commitment it becomes a devaluation of our humanity by being reduced to the level of a sensory mechanism or a means of personal gratification (Jackman, David ; Ogilvie, Lloyd J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Volume 7 : Judges, Ruth. Nashville, Tennessee : Thomas Nelson Inc, 1991 (The Preacher’s Commentary Series 7), S. 349).
(B) The Women’s Reaction to the Birth of the Boy (4:14–15)
The second episode of the final scene involves the women of Bethlehem, who, as in 1:19, function as a chorus in the drama. Their speech divides into three parts: (1) a blessing for Yahweh (v. 14a), (2) a prayer for the child (v. 14b), and (3) a declaration of confidence for Naomi (v. 15).
i. THE WOMEN’S BLESSING FOR YAHWEH (4:14a)
Ruth 4:14a [14]Then the women said to Naomi, "Blessed be the LORD, who has not left you this day without a redeemer,
When the women of Bethlehem hear of the birth of the son to Boaz and Ruth, they respond with a spontaneous outburst of praise to Yahweh for his kindness to Naomi and a prayer for the young lad and his grandmother. This blessing must be interpreted against the backdrop of Naomi’s painful and bitter complaint about God in 1:20–21 for the grief she perceived him to have caused her. There is a recognition now that she whose life had been emptied by God has now experienced his filling.
• When we are in the midst of grief we imagine being abandoned or punished by God. It is often those around us who can be of most use to help us look to the character of God and trust in His purposes even when everything seems lost.
The form of the blessing uttered by the women the word “blessed” functions as a virtual synonym for “praise.” In the Old Testament blessings represent expressions of a positive relationship. Yahweh blesses His people on the basis of relationship by conferring good on them; humans bless God by praising the good that is in Him and that he expresses in conveying benefactions.
The present construction follows the pattern typical for this kind of blessing by introducing the grounds of the blessing (Gen 14:20; 24:27; Exod 18:10; 1 Sam 25:32, 39; 2 Sam 18:28; 1 Kgs 1:48; 5:21; 8:15 (2 Chr 6:4); 1 Kgs 8:56; 10:9 (= 2 Chr 9:8); Ps 66:20; Ezra 7:27; 2 Chr 2:11.) Here the women bless Yahweh because this day he has provided Naomi with a redeemer. The present negative form of the declaration is that God has not prevented Naomi from having her gōʾēl. The adverb hayyôm, “this day,” and the reference to the child’s birth in v. 15 make it clear that the women look upon the child as Naomi’s gōʾēl. The birth of the child is viewed as the solution to Naomi’s insecurity. Although they do not use the word, they envision this lad providing for her the “rest/security” (mānôah/mĕnûha)̂ that she had tried to procure for her daughter-in-law (cf. 1:9; 3:1).
ii. THE WOMEN’S PRAYER FOR THE CHILD (4:14b)
Ruth 14b and may his name be renowned in Israel!
The thought of the gōʾēl as Yahweh’s provision for Naomi’s well-being inspires a spontaneous blessing for the boy: literally, “And may his name be renowned/called in Israel!” To call/mention a person’s name in a place means to “to keep the name/fame alive,” even after his death, and to perceive the person as living on in his descendants in the place named.
In the previous context the men at the gate had applied the prayer to Boaz, with the desire that his name would live on in Bethlehem. But these women expand the scope of the gōʾēl’s fame beyond the walls of their town to the nation of Israel as a whole.
iii. THE WOMEN’S DECLARATION OF CONFIDENCE FOR NAOMI (4:15)
Ruth 4:15 He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age, for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has given birth to him." (ESV)
In v. 15 the women’s attention returns to the implications for Naomi of the birth of the gōʾēl. They recognize the boy’s significance for Naomi’s disposition in the present and her well-being in the future. The first expression, literally, “And he shall beto you/will become for you a restorer of life,” presents a stark contrast to the bitter comments the women had heard from Naomi’s lips when she first arrived back from Moab. They hereby express confidence that with the birth of this lad Naomi will find new hope for life—all is not lost—and her spirit will revive.
The second expression, to be a nourisher of your old age, looks into the more distant future: literally “and to sustain your grey hair.” Naomi had been so concerned about the security of her daughter-in-law is now rewarded in kind.
But the women’s last statement, for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.", is the most remarkable of all. In the beginning Naomi had bitterly accused God of emptying her life by robbing her of her husband and her two sons. But now the women console her: she may have lost her sons, but she has gained a daughter-in-law. And what a daughter-in-law Ruth is! First, Ruth loves Naomi. Whereas modern definitions of love tend to view the word as an emotional term, in the Old Testament love is fundamentally an expression of covenant commitment, the kind of devotion to which Ruth had given such eloquent verbal expression in 1:16–17(W. L. Moran, “The Ancient Near Eastern Background of the Love of God in Deuteronomy,” CBQ 25 (1963): 77–87, esp. 78–81.)
But “love” is not demonstrated primarily in words; it is expressed in acts of ḥesed, placing the welfare of the other ahead of oneself. In fact, more than anyone else in the history of Israel, Ruth embodies the fundamental principle of the nation’s ethic: “You shall love your God with all your heart” (Deut 6:5) “and your neighbor as yourself” (Lev 19:18). Here the verb means “to be helpful to, to assist, to serve,” hence to love is “to be helpful to someone.”
• This is a very real situation before us where we need to consider what are we tangibly doing to show how God is faithful? What are we tangibly doing to relieve the suffering of others?
Second, Ruth has given birth to the gōʾēl. On the surface this may not seem so remarkable, but when one considers that she had been married to Mahlon for ten years but had borne no children for him, the significance of the statement becomes evident. The barren womb has been opened.
Third, Ruth is better for Naomi than seven sons. The reference to “seven sons” is conventional, reflecting the ancient Israelite view that the ideal family consisted of seven sons (1 Sam 2:5; Job 1:2; 42:13; 2 Macc 7; Acts 19:14–17). It is the number of completeness. This is an amazing affirmation of the character of Ruth. All Bethlehem knew she was a noble woman (3:11), but these women place her value above seven sons; what extraordinary compensation for the two sons Naomi had lost!
(C) The Narrative Report of Naomi’s Adoption of the Boy (4:16)
Ruth 4:16 [16]Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her lap and became his nurse. (ESV)
Naomi’s response to the birth of Boaz’s son and to the blessing of the women is described in three simple verbs: She took (lāqaḥ) the child, laid (šît) him on her lap (ḥêq), and became his nurse/nanny (hāyâ lô lĕʾōmenet). Here the expression denotes a nurse/guardian/nanny in an affectionate diminutive expression for Grandmother/Grandma. Here we see a grandmother, gratefully accepting her new status and tenderly receiving the baby. Within the context of the book, however, the action is much more significant. The image of this woman taking the child in her arms must also be seen against the backdrop of her previous experience. She had not only had her bread basket emptied by famine; in the deaths of her husband and sons her lap had also been emptied of her men.
Every grandparent can bear witness that grandchildren are better than the Fountain of Youth, for we “get young again” when the grandchildren come to visit. “They’re called ‘grandchildren’ because they’re grand when they come and grand when they leave.” There’s no better way to get a new lease on life than to start investing yourself in the younger generation. Every baby that is born into this world is a vote for the future. When you’re holding a baby, you’re holding the future in your arms (Wiersbe, Warren W.: Be Committed. Wheaton, Ill. : Victor Books, 1996, c1993 (An Old Testament Study. Ruth and Esther), S. Ru 4:13)
(D) The Women’s Naming of the Child (4:17a-b)
Ruth 4:17a [17]And the women of the neighborhood gave him a name, saying, "A son has been born to Naomi." They named him Obed. (He was the father of Jesse, the father of David). (ESV)
By taking the baby on her knees in the ancient Near Eastern fashion, Naomi formally adopts him as her own offspring, which the women recognize by saying, “Naomi has a son!” (Elwell, Walter A.: Evangelical Commentary on the Bible . electronic ed. Grand Rapids : Baker Book House, 1996, c1989, S. Ru 4:14)
This is the only place in the Old Testament where females (other than the mother) are said to be present at the naming event. The narrator personalizes the event somewhat by designating these women šĕkēnôt, “neighbors” His comment does not mean that neither Ruth nor Boaz had a say in the naming of the child—such a notion would be ludicrous. This event must have involved the women affirming the name given to the child by his mother or father, but the narrator appropriately casts it in a literary form that has the “female chorus,” as representatives of the community, celebrating his birth and declaring its significance.
The declaration, “A son has been born to Naomi,” has the conventional form of an ancient Near Eastern birth announcement. The form of the announcement has its origin in the familiar context of a father waiting outside a delivery room for word from the midwife of the safe arrival of a child. Because of this family’s need for a gōʾēl, the fact that this child is a son/boy will have heightened the excitement of the women and Naomi (R. L. Hubbard, “Ruth IV:17: A New Solution,” VT 38 (1988): 293–301; S. Parker, “The Birth Announcement,” in Ascribe to the Lord, P. C. Craigie Festschrift, ed. L. Eslinger and G. Taylor, JSOTSup 67 (Sheffield: JSOT Press, 1988), 133–49.).
The name Obed is a participle form of ʿābad, “to serve.” Obed, “one who serves,” is a hypocoristic (abbreviated version) of “Obadiah,” servant of Yahweh,” a name held by no fewer than a dozen men in the Old Testament. Is the boy viewed as a servant of God or as a servant of Naomi? If the former applies, then he represents an agent of God born to Naomi to take away the bitterness she accuses God of having imposed on her in 1:20–21 and to redeem the estate of her husband. This son is her redeemer, the one who has come to serve her by restoring her life and offering her security in her old age.
(E) The Narrator’s Conclusion (4:17c)
Ruth 4:17b [17](And the women of the neighborhood gave him a name, saying, "A son has been born to Naomi." They named him Obed). He was the father of Jesse, the father of David. (ESV)
The story of Ruth ends on a surprising but climactic interpretive note. In the mind of the narrator, the historical significance of the birth of Obed does not lie in the resolution he brings to the personal crises of the characters in this book. Nor does he derive his significance from valorous deeds either of mercy or power. On the contrary, the birth of Obed has historical significance because he lives on and achieves his significance through the lives of his son Jesse and particularly his grandson David.
When the name of David was a great man of faith whom God used to build the kingdom of Israel. He led the people in overcoming their enemies, expanding their inheritance and, most of all, worshiping their God. He wrote worship songs for the Levites to sing and devised musical instruments for them to play. He spent a lifetime gathering wealth for the building of the temple, and God gave him the plans for the temple so Solomon could do the job. Whether he had in his hand a sling or sword, a harp or hymnal, David was a great servant of God who brought untold blessings to Israel (Wiersbe, Warren W.: Be Committed. Wheaton, Ill. : Victor Books, 1996, c1993 (An Old Testament Study. Ruth and Esther), S. Ru 4:13).
For the story of Ruth, through David the blessing of the male witnesses to the court proceedings (4:11) is fulfilled; Boaz’s name is “called out” in Bethlehem. And through David the prayer of the female witnesses to the birth of Obed is fulfilled; Obed’s name is “called out” in Israel. Indeed, to this day their names and the names of Naomi and Ruth are “called out” all over the world as their story is read. In the providence of God the genuine piety of all the major characters is rewarded, and the divine plan for Israel and her kings is fulfilled.
• This is important for us to consider how God can use us in His plan. The significance of our works may be great in this lifetime, but God may be setting up a work that we would do to be fully realized in generations to come. Do not get discouraged that you have not seen the fruit of a task done. Do your work unto the LORD and He shall bring to pass the results that would most glorify Him in His timing.
Illustration: How God bring things to pass through His providence is quite mysterious. The story has been told of a believer, Frederick Nolan, who was fleeing from his enemies during a time of persecution in North Africa. Pursued by them over hill and valley with no place to hide, he fell exhausted into a wayside cave, expecting his enemies to find him soon. Awaiting his death, he saw a spider weaving a web. Within minutes, the little bug had woven a beautiful web across the mouth of the cave. The pursuers arrived and wondered if Nolan was hiding there, but on seeing the unbroken and unmangled piece of art, thought it impossible for him to have entered the cave without dismantling the web. And so they went on. Having escaped, Nolan burst out and exclaimed:
“Where God is, a spider’s web is like a wall,
Where God is not, a wall is like a spider’s web.”
(Green, Michael P.: Illustrations for Bilical Preaching : Over 1500 Sermon Illustrations Arranged by Topic and Indexed Exhaustively. Revised edition of: The expositor’s illustration file. Grand Rapids : Baker Book House, 1989)
We have seen 1) The Salutation (Ruth 4:11-12) 2) The Son (Ruth 4:13-17) and only briefly:
3) The Summary (Ruth 4:18-22)
Ruth 4:18-22 [18]Now these are the generations of Perez: Perez fathered Hezron, [19]Hezron fathered Ram, Ram fathered Amminadab, [20]Amminadab fathered Nahshon, Nahshon fathered Salmon, [21]Salmon fathered Boaz, Boaz fathered Obed, [22]Obed fathered Jesse, and Jesse fathered David. (ESV)
The Book of Ruth closes with a genealogical epilogue, some form of which probably existed independent of the story. In the ancient world genealogies represented an efficient and economical way of writing history. This is a linear genealogy that traces the line of descent from the first name entered to the last entry. The material found in this linear genealogy is also found in 1 Chronicles 2 but in slightly different form.
The title of this list of names identifies the genre of the document: it is a tôlĕdôt. Derived from the verb yālad, “to give birth, beget,” tôlĕdôt (“generations”; NIV “family line”) is a plural noun that can also be rendered “genealogy.” Read [in English] from left to right this genealogy traces the line of descent from Perez to David (how Matthew presents the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1.); read from right to left it traces a line of ancestry from David back to Perez (how Luke presents the genealogy of Jesus in Luke 3.gran)
The list is not, nor was it meant to be, complete. The ten generations listed here span more than seven centuries (Lawrenz, John C.: Judges, Ruth. Milwaukee, Wis. : Northwestern Pub. House, 1997 (The People’s Bible), S. 258).
It is significant that this genealogy identifies ten generations. The Old Testament contains no information (other than genealogical) on most of them. Remember, the Moabites were not to enter the congregation of the Lord “even to the tenth generation” (Deut. 23:3). But the little Book of Ruth closes with a ten-generation genealogy that climaxes with the name of David! (Wiersbe, Warren W.: Be Committed. Wheaton, Ill. : Victor Books, 1996, c1993 (An Old Testament Study. Ruth and Esther), S. Ru 4:13)
We have already commented on Perez, the head of this line of descent. However, in light of texts like Gen 49:8–10, which gives ancestral legitimacy to Judah’s right to hold the scepter in Israel, it is remarkable that the author began with Perez rather than Judah, whom he knows to be the father of Perez (v. 12). The present point of reference may have been determined by the need to restrict this genealogy to ten generations or the narrator’s recognition of the levirate links between this story, which climaxes in the birth of Obed, and Genesis 38, which climaxes in the birth of Perez [and Zerah].
All the Messianic hopes of Israel are grounded in David and go back to Nathan’s oracle, announcing the Davidic covenant, in 2 Samuel 7. He represents the pinnacle of Old Testament history and the climax of Perez’s genealogy (R. P. Gordon, “David,” NIDOTTE 4.505–12).
All of this raises the question of the purpose of this genealogy in this context. Throughout the book the narrator has deliberately cast the characters as stellar models of ḥesed, of deep and sincere devotion to God and to one another, expressed in self-sacrificial acts of kindness toward one another. Into the plot he has also carefully woven markings of the providential hand of God, rewarding who rewards authentic piety with his fullness and care. The birth of Obed symbolizes the convergence of these two themes: piety and providence. But the narrator is aware that in the providence of God the implications of a person’s covenantal fidelity often extend far beyond the immediate story. In fact, the story of Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz does not end with the birth of Obed. It simply signals a significant turn in the history of this family and the history of Israel, down a course that leads directly to King David.
These characters could not know what long-range fruit their compassionate and loyal conduct toward each other would bear. But the narrator knows. With this genealogy he declares the faithfulness of God in preserving the family that would bear the royal seed in troubled times and in rewarding the genuine godliness of his people (Cf. J. A. Loader (“David and the Matriarch in the Book of Ruth,” In de Skriflig 28 [1994]: 25–35))
In the glorious providence of God the ḥesed of Boaz, Ruth, and Naomi laid the groundwork for the history of salvation that extends far beyond their immediate time and place. For as the genealogy of Matthew 1 indicates, one greater than David comes from the loins of Boaz. In the dark days of the judges the foundation is laid for the line that would produce the Savior, the Messiah, the Redeemer of His lost and destitute people.
(Some base commentary from Block, Daniel Isaac: Judges, Ruth. electronic ed. Nashville : Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2001, c1999 (Logos Library System; The New American Commentary 6), S. 718)
