Read
13Boaz married Ruth, and the Lord blessed her with a son. 14After his birth, the women said to Naomi:
Praise the Lord! Today he has given you a grandson to take care of you. We pray that the boy will grow up to be famous everywhere in Israel. 15He will make you happy and take care of you in your old age, because he is the son of your daughter-in-law. And she loves you more than seven sons of your own would love you.
16Naomi loved the boy and took good care of him. 17The neighborhood women named him Obed, but they called him “Naomi's Boy.”
When Obed grew up he had a son named Jesse, who later became the father of King David. 18-22Here is a list of the ancestors of David: Jesse, Obed, Boaz, Salmon, Nahshon, Amminadab, Ram, Hezron, and Perez.
Reflect
Through Jesus, we can have a full life (John 10:10), overflowing with blessings (Psalm 23:5-6).
In the story of Ruth’s life, we see what that looks like, what it means to be redeemed, to be bought back from a life of limited hope, or no hope. We see how God responds to those who genuinely pursue him, even Ruth, a woman who once worshiped false gods (Ruth 1:15), and even Naomi who was bitter toward him. No one is too insignificant or too sinful to be redeemed.
Redemption by God is so complete and so amazing, that it cannot be mistaken. First, the men recognized it (4:11-12), then the women (vv 14-15) who rejoice in Naomi’s redemption, through Ruth. “Praise the Lord! Today he has given you a grandson to take care of you. We pray that the boy will grow up to be famous everywhere in Israel” (v 14). The women even declare Ruth to be more valuable than seven sons (v 15). Look what God did. A foreign woman more valuable than seven sons of Israel!
Indeed, Ruth and Naomi’s boy did grow up to be famous, as did his grandson David (vv 17, 22) who became Israel’s most renowned and beloved king. But the story doesn’t end there.
No one could have foreseen just how important this family would become; Ruth and Boaz are ancestors of Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:1-16). She who was lost, then found, was a “grandmother” to the Saviour who “… came to look for and to save people who are lost” (Luke 19:10). Boaz, who took pity on a “nobody” in the ancient world, was a “grandfather” to the Saviour who touched lepers and ate with sinners.
It is not a coincidence
Respond
Heavenly Father, you have given us your Word so we will understand your character. You want us to know you, no matter how sinful we’ve been. Help us to cherish your Word, and to love you with all our heart, mind, soul and strength. In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.
Jo Lynne Duck (Sheane)
Once found on the national airwaves as a reporter, Jo Lynn Duck (Sheane) now lives in Windsor, Ontario joyfully living as a wife and mom of two school-aged children. She also completed a Master of Theological Studies at Tyndale Seminary. She taught journalism at St. Clair College and worked as a local producer until she switched gears completely. She is now the Admissions and Marketing Coordinator for Maranatha Christian Academy in Windsor.