We come in this passage to the end of the book of Ruth. The book begins in tragedy and it ends in joy and hope. Someone has described it as "a bright colour print developed from its gloomy negative". Here in this final passage, we see that print mounted and framed for the glory of God.
1. God at Work! (v.13)
Having seen Boaz act to be able to marry Ruth in vv.1-12, v.13 tells us that they came together as man and wife, conceived and had a son. A happy family!
What is especially important to note is how the author of Ruth records that for us: "the LORD enabled her to conceive". This is only the second time in the whole book that we read of the LORD's direct action in the lives of his people, the other time being in 1:6 where he had provided food for the people of Judah.
If these words were not there, the original readers and we too would have had no difficulty in acknowledging that the Lord had given this child. All through the book it's clear that the Lord is always at work, often behind the scenes. His presence in the lives of his people is never-failing. So when we read of the LORD's direct working, we're clearly meant to take notice. It is telling us something significant about him.
In 1:6, the LORD acts in grace to preserve life. In 4:13, he again acts in grace, both to give life and to preserve a family line. He is the only giver and sustainer of all life. Everything we have comes from him, every blessing is a gift of his grace. He holds all things in his hands. And in Jesus he is the one who alone can give true life, life in all its fullness. Without him, we ultimately have nothing; with him, we have everything.
2. A Happy Ending (vv.14-17)
Boaz and Ruth have a son. But notice how in vv.14-17, the focus switches back to Naomi and Ruth and Boaz quietly leave the stage. This has been Naomi's story and now we're seeing how that story ends.
Of course Ruth and Boaz have been significant people in the story but their actions, which have brought them security and happiness, have been for the sake of Naomi. Their own blessing has been experienced as a consequence of their desire to bless others:
- Ruth in accompanying Naomi back has come to faith in the Lord and has found rest and happiness in the home of another husband;
- Boaz, in helping Ruth and Naomi, has been blessed with a loving wife.
Aren't they both great examples to us of what we should be? It's interesting that they name their son Obed, meaning 'servant'. No doubt it was how they saw themselves and what they wanted for their son too. For there is no higher calling than to be a servant and to live for the sake of God and of others.
The focus, then, is on Naomi. Her story has been told and here we have its conclusion. In 1:3-5, she lost family and future; now she has a family again and a future. And all because her life has been bracketed by the grace of the covenant Lord.
She had come back home empty and poured out her bitter complaint to the ladies of Bethlehem; here, those same ladies reappear to give God the glory for changing Naomi's night into day.
The way that has happened may again seem strange to us. Boaz and Ruth have had the baby yet all the focus is on Naomi and it is she who is said to now have a son. What's going on?
Commentators are divided as to the exact details but, whether Naomi is the legal Mum, a foster Mum, or simply one proud Gran, the fact is that this boy is carrying on the family line; what seemed to have been lost in the deaths of Elimelech, Mahlon and Kilion has been redeemed in the birth of Ruth's son. Naomi thought she could have no more sons (1:11,12) but God has been at work!
And so the women pray that this young boy will renew Naomi's life and sustain her in her old age. The phrase 'renew your life' is very interesting; the same word is used by Naomi to describe how the Lord brought her back empty (1:21). It shows us just what a reversal of fortunes there has been for Naomi! And having begun with famine, the story will end with sustenance.
3. A Bigger Picture (vv.18-22)
There is so much to rejoice in here! But the book ends with a bigger picture. The portrait of God's grace to one family is placed on the wider canvas of his dealings with the nation of Israel. We see that in the closing genealogy.
Genealogies were, and are, very important. They serve to connect us to the past. They show us where we fit in. They remind us that we're not the first people. But genealogies in the Bible have another dimension too. They remind us of God's large-scale purposes.
This list begins with Perez and ends with David. It may not include every generation in between. But what it does is to connect the days of David with the days of the founding fathers of the nation - Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, Perez...and it puts Boaz and David in significant positions.
By doing that, it reminds the people that God's promises to Abraham are still valid in the time of David and are being worked out through him. Genealogies say to us 'God is at work and God can be trusted'.
What were those promises to Abraham? God promised him land and descendants, kings among them. What is it that Boaz has secured through his faithfulness? Land and descendants, one of whom is King David. God is at work in and through his people as they live for his glory.
But the canvas of God's grace is larger still. Turn to Matthew 1 and you'll see this genealogy continued and completed with the birth of Jesus, in Bethlehem, just like Obed. And what did he come to do? He came as the true & perfect servant of God to bring many sons to glory and to secure for them a future in the new heavens and new earth.
Conclusion
This whole book has been about human frailty and emptiness, about the very human need for rest and security, about fullness and a future. All to be found under the LORD's wings of refuge, in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Today, this world is still a place of deep tragedy, of appalling emptiness. What hope is there for such a world? "You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich".
It's what Christmas is all about; it's what life is meant to be all about. Make it yours today, if it's never been yours, by coming to shelter under his wings through true faith in Jesus.
