Ruth, Boaz, and the Baby (Ruth 4:13-22)

4/8/2010 7:51 AM

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY

 

My Worship Time                                        Focus:  The Baby

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                        Reference:  Ruth 4:13-22

 

            Message of the verses:  “13 ¶  So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife, and he went in to her. And the LORD enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son. 14  Then the women said to Naomi, "Blessed is the LORD who has not left you without a redeemer today, and may his name become famous in Israel. 15  "May he also be to you a restorer of life and a sustainer of your old age; for your daughter-in-law, who loves you and is better to you than seven sons, has given birth to him." 16  Then Naomi took the child and laid him in her lap, and became his nurse. 17  The neighbor women gave him a name, saying, "A son has been born to Naomi!" So they named him Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David. 18  Now these are the generations of Perez: to Perez was born Hezron, 19  and to Hezron was born Ram, and to Ram, Amminadab, 20  and to Amminadab was born Nahshon, and to Nahshon, Salmon, 21  and to Salmon was born Boaz, and to Boaz, Obed, 22  and to Obed was born Jesse, and to Jesse, David.”

            In this last chapter of Ruth I have gone over the bridegroom, the bride, and now the baby of this wonderful couple.  In Warren Wiersbe’s book “Be Committed” he writes of how this baby of Boaz and Ruth blessed many different peoples including the parents of the baby.  The baby’s name was Obed, and this name means servant and he was not only a blessing to the parents, but also his grandparent Naomi, and he would bring blessings to the little town of Bethlehem, and even to the whole world.

            The scene has changed a lot in this little book especially for Naomi who left Bethlehem with a husband and two sons in a famine and returns ten years latter with a daughter-in-law after the death of her husband and two sons.  She came back as a bitter woman but now she has been changed into a woman who is blessed of the Lord and this was because of a daughter-in-law who loved her with a great love and who also loved the Lord and the Lord loved her along with a new husband who loved her too.  Now Naomi has a grandchild, one who can take up the name of his grandfather because of a kinsmen redeemer.  Ruth and Boaz were greatly blessed with the birth of their son  and this son would grow up to bless the town of Bethlehem, the nation of Israel and eventually the entire world because he became the father of Jessie who became the father of David, and the Messiah would be called the son of David.

            Warren Wiersbe concludes this chapter of his book with these words, “The Moabites were not to enter the congregation of the Lord ‘even to the tenth generation’ (Deu. 23:3).  But the little book of Ruth closes with a ten-generation genealogy that climaxes with the name of David.

            “Never underestimate the power of the grace of God.”

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  This little book of Ruth shows me that I must continue to have faith in the Lord even under difficult situations, sometimes situations that I have brought upon myself.  Dr. Wiersbe has quoted a Pastor from Scotland in a number of his books who said “The Christian life is a series of new beginnings.”  This was true in the life of Naomi and this is also true in my life.  The book of Ruth also teaches me about the providence of God, as even though there was disbelief on the part of Naomi and her husband and they ran from a difficult situation where they should have stayed God used this in His providence to bring about the birth of a child who would have a very famous grand-child that God would use to bring about the salvation of His people. 

            Ruth is also the story of the kinsmen redeemer which pictures the Lord Jesus Christ who became my kinsmen Redeemer.  It is also a story about the love of God and the love of Ruth and the love of Boaz, for love covers a multitude of sins.

            In conclusion I have learned many things from the book of Ruth things that will last for eternity.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:

 

1. Keep a short list with the Lord.
2. Trust the Lord through difficult situations even situations that I have caused.

 

4/8/2010 8:21 AM