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13 So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife; and when he went in to her, the Lord gave her conception, and she bore a son. 14 Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a close relative; and may his name be famous in Israel! 15 And may he be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age; for your daughter-in-law, who loves you, who is better to you than seven sons, has borne him.” ~ Ruth 4:13-15
Today, we continue our study of Ruth 4 wherein we have seen God sovereignly work in Ruth's life so that she not only entered into a personal relationship with Him, but also that she ended up in the lineage of the Lord Jesus Christ. Preceding all of this were the tears of Ruth 1, the toil in Ruth 2, the development of trust in Ruth 3, and finally, the triumph through a testimony in Ruth 4.
In v.13 of today's passage we read, "So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife; and when he went in to her, the Lord gave her conception, and she bore a son."
This is the second time in the book of Ruth that an event is expressly attributed to the hand of God; the first was in Ruth 1:6 where we are told that "the Lord had visited His people by giving them bread." While the Hebrew term for "conception" occurs elsewhere only in Genesis 3:16 and Hosea 9:11, the concept "gave her conception," occurs only here.
The phrase, "She became his wife" reveals that throughout the book of Ruth, her status changes. In Ruth 2:10 Ruth was called a foreigner. In Ruth 2:13 Ruth is called the lowest form of a servant. In Ruth 3:9 Ruth is called the highest form of a servant. And now in Ruth 4:13 "she became his wife." As is the case in my life and yours, God has been known to reverse the fortunes of foreigners. He is the Master at entering into the lives of those who know they can not solve their problem causing them to cry out to Him. It is then that He does His greatest work.
In v.13 notice the repetition of the word "and." In the original, this word is repeated five times. A logical sequence of events is described here which shows perfect obedience to the word of God, and the Lord assuring that the allowance of the law will be fulfilled. Every detail of this verse reveals the hand of the Lord all over the events that unfolded in the lives of these newlyweds. And, Ruth bore a son for it is through a son that the name of the dead is to be raised up. Whether they had daughters or not isn’t recorded because this is dealing with redemption and inheritance and therefore the male-child to be born to the union is what the Bible is focused on. This son was the ultimate realization of the blessing that was bestowed upon Ruth in the first chapter of this book. Sorrow in Moab had now been changed into blessedness in Israel.
In v.14 of today's passage we read, "Then the women said to Naomi, 'Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a close relative; and may his name be famous in Israel!'"
Though Noami said to these women, "call me Mara," back in Ruth 2, there was no longer a need for that name. Naomi was no longer bitter and lacking the Lord’s grace. Due to the obedience of Ruth, Naomi had returned to being pleasant once again. She had left Israel full and returned empty. She was now full again due to the determined obedience of her daughter-in-law. In this pronouncement of blessing, the women did not address Ruth, but Naomi. Bless the Lord because he has not left you (Naomi) without a redeemer. Naomi’s future well being was being secured because of another.
In v. 15 of today's passage we read, "And may he be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age; for your daughter-in-law, who loves you, who is better to you than seven sons, has borne him."
The blessing these women pronounced expresses the desire that Naomi be blessed in her old age through her grandson. This was possible because of the Lord's blessing through her daughter-in-law. What seven sons could not have done for Naomi, Ruth was able to do. Only through a woman can a child be born. If she had seven sons but none of them were married, they could never have given her what she had been given through Ruth.
In the Bible, the number seven indicates perfection. The women of the town knew that the value of Ruth and her love for Naomi was transcendent and that it had been through this love that a new hope was transcendently granted. Since the son was born to Ruth, though he was not of direct blood, he was to be considered the most cherished of all sons. This story reminds us to trust in God in the dark and bleak moments of life. God really does bring about all things for our good; sometimes we get to see that more clearly; other times we have to walk by faith and trust Him with the eventual outcomes.
The book of Ruth took place during the days of the Judges. The books of Judges and Ruth cried out for a godly king, who would rule God’s people rightly and redeem them from the trouble brought upon them through their own foolish disobedience. With the birth of Naomi's grandson, we see the Lord unfolding the lineage that would lead to the godly king that we really need. That King is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ who came to earth to be our Kinsman Redeemer. This is why He willingly came to this earth as one of us, so that He could redeem us into a personal relationship with God. And, our redemption is full!
