Rut 4:13-17 | KingComments | STEP | After Boaz has publicly and in accordance with the law acquired her to be his wife, he marries her. The rich man marries the poor Moabitess. She is united with the man of great wealth. The LORD blesses their intercourse with pregnancy, and the birth of a son. The LORD enabled her to conceive, so it is said here. This indicates that pregnancy is a gift from Him and not a personal achievement. People don’t make life. God gives it, even though unbelievers do not acknowledge it. Ruth has been barren so far. No child was born of her marriage to Mahlon. Only in relationship with Boaz does she become fertile. Spiritually, we can only bear fruit for God if we have a relationship with the Lord Jesus if we abide in Him ( ). By the birth of her son, she helped lay the foundation for the birth of the Messiah. Thus the counsels of God are fulfilled. It begins in Moab with showing mercy to a single sinner who is totally outside of the blessing. From her the river of grace begins to flow, flowing into an ocean of endless glory that originates from the Son of God.

‏ Ruth 4:13-17

The Son of Boaz and Ruth

After Boaz has publicly and in accordance with the law acquired her to be his wife, he marries her. The rich man marries the poor Moabitess. She is united with the man of great wealth. The LORD blesses their intercourse with pregnancy, and the birth of a son. The LORD enabled her to conceive, so it is said here. This indicates that pregnancy is a gift from Him and not a personal achievement. People don’t make life. God gives it, even though unbelievers do not acknowledge it.

Ruth has been barren so far. No child was born of her marriage to Mahlon. Only in relationship with Boaz does she become fertile. Spiritually, we can only bear fruit for God if we have a relationship with the Lord Jesus if we abide in Him (Jn 15:4-5).

By the birth of her son, she helped lay the foundation for the birth of the Messiah. Thus the counsels of God are fulfilled. It begins in Moab with showing mercy to a single sinner who is totally outside of the blessing. From her the river of grace begins to flow, flowing into an ocean of endless glory that originates from the Son of God.

The Son of Ruth Is the Son of Naomi

When the son of Boaz and Ruth is born, we no longer hear about Ruth, she is no longer spoken about. It is only about Naomi. The women again speak about Naomi (Rth 1:19). They show insight into God’s thoughts and praise the LORD for what He has done with Naomi. Her condition was hopeless. But through Ruth she receives new life.

The son of Ruth, whom she has in her arms, is for her the redeemer, the savior from her misery and hopelessness. In Boaz she gained hope for redemption. Ruth’s son is the fulfillment of that hope. They speak of the redeemer as a refresher or restorer of the soul. Naomi, who hated life, who returned from the land of Moab as a destitute and bitter woman, now springs up, refreshed. In her old age, she gains vitality and joy of life.

The “women” (Rth 4:14) not only point to Ruth’s restoration, but also to Ruth’s love for Naomi. Ruth has not taken Naomi’s place. For Ruth, the current blessing is linked to her attachment to Naomi. She doesn’t forget this, despite her loving relationship with Boaz. The remnant of Israel will always remember its relationship with ancient Israel. They are a new people, but they were born in ancient Israel. They receive the blessings promised to ancient Israel. In them, ancient Israel is restored in accordance with God’s thoughts about His Israel.

Naomi recognizes the child as her own child and takes care of it. One day the remnant like an abandoned widow will embrace the Lord Jesus and say: “A Child is born to us” (Isa 9:6). In Him is all their salvation, and all the promised blessings will be given to them, “for as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are yes; therefore, also through Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us” (2Cor 1:20).

The “neighborhood women” (Rth 4:17) – a smaller, more intimate circle than the women of the city (Rth 4:14) – give the son the name Obed, which means ‘servant’ or ‘worshiper’. In the union of the two meanings we see that the true service of a believer is to worship God. At the same time, there is also a practical side to serving. The son of Ruth will be a servant of Naomi. In spiritual terms, it is also true that the Lord Jesus, the great Son of Boaz, the true Servant, will serve His people. Both Boaz and Obed are a picture of the Lord Jesus.

The neighborhood women are in a broader sense a picture of the surrounding peoples, the neighboring peoples, who will come to the acknowledgment that there is a God Who serves and invigorates His people. The old Israel – the Israel under the law or the old covenant, and not the apostate Israel – is finally free of worries and enjoys what the true Boaz has done for her. At the same time, it is a new, young people who are connected to this Boaz and not to Mahlon, although the son must be ascribed to him after the duty of a husband’s brother. This is the situation for Israel in the kingdom of peace under the reign of the great Son of David.