Ruth 4:22: “Obed begot Jesse, and Jesse begot David.”

May 9th, 2023 by Pastor Ed in devotional

At first, this short Book of Ruth seems to be just the sweet story of the struggles of an insignificant farmer’s family in a tiny village, in a tiny country, after the deaths of the farmer and his two sons. No one in this book had any idea of the critical role they were playing in God’s plan to redeem the world by His Son. In hindsight it’s of course clear to us that this is the love story of the great-grandparents of Israel’s greatest monarch, King David, from whom the Messiah would come.

Like Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz, none of us can see exactly what God is doing in the world around us today. We don’t know how an act of kindness, courage, or benevolence might affect the future. How a simple choice made for God this day might set in motion a whole chain of events that God uses to change the course of history. What might happen today if we choose to serve God and He takes that tiny offering and magnifies it a 1000 times, as only He can do?

This story could have ended with Ruth, when all seemed lost, returning to her own people. But instead of giving in to the pain of losing her husband and the struggle of adapting to a new culture, she made a choice. Out of her discouragement and despair, she chose to continue serving God by serving her mother-in-law. What good could that possibly bring? When we follow her genealogy, we see that it was through her line that the Word became Flesh and dwelt among us. It is amazing that God created the cosmos with sensate beings with free will, but it is even more astounding that He cares about us in our daily struggles and condescends to use us. Can God be trusted with our lives and the future that only He can see? Absolutely.

“Even though we can’t see everything ahead today, we trust You Lord to direct our path, in Jesus’ name.”

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Ruth 4 KJV

¹ Then went Boaz up to the gate, and sat him down there: and, behold, the kinsman of whom Boaz spake came by; unto whom he said, Ho, such a one! turn aside, sit down here. And he turned aside, and sat down. ² And he took ten men of the elders of the city, and said, Sit ye down here. And they sat down. ³ And he said unto the kinsman, Naomi, that is come again out of the country of Moab, selleth a parcel of land, which was our brother Elimelech’s: ⁴ And I thought to advertise thee, saying, Buy it before the inhabitants, and before the elders of my people. If thou wilt redeem it , redeem it: but if thou wilt not redeem it, then tell me, that I may know: for there is none to redeem it beside thee; and I am after thee. And he said, I will redeem it .  ⁵ Then said Boaz, What day thou buyest the field of the hand of Naomi, thou must buy it also of Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance. ⁶ And the kinsman said, I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I mar mine own inheritance: redeem thou my right to thyself; for I cannot redeem it . ⁷ Now this was the manner in former time in Israel concerning redeeming and concerning changing, for to confirm all things; a man plucked off his shoe, and gave it to his neighbour: and this was a testimony in Israel. ⁸Therefore the kinsman said unto Boaz, Buy it for thee. So he drew off his shoe. ⁹ And Boaz said unto the elders, and unto all the people, Ye are witnesses this day, that I have bought all that was Elimelech’s, and all that was Chilion’s and Mahlon’s, of the hand of Naomi. ¹⁰ Moreover Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, have I purchased to be my wife, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance, that the name of the dead be not cut off from among his brethren, and from the gate of his place: ye are witnesses this day. ¹¹ And all the people that were in the gate, and the elders, said, We are witnesses. The LORD make the woman that is come into thine house like Rachel and like Leah, which two did build the house of Israel: and do thou worthily in Ephratah, and be famous in Beth-lehem: ¹² And let thy house be like the house of Pharez, whom Tamar bare unto Judah, of the seed which the LORDshall give thee of this young woman. ¹³ So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife: and when he went in unto her, the LORD gave her conception, and she bare a son. ¹⁴ And the women said unto Naomi, Blessed be the LORD, which hath not left thee this day without a kinsman, that his name may be famous in Israel.  ¹⁵ And he shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life, and a nourisher of thine old age: for thy daughter in law, which loveth thee, which is better to thee than seven sons, hath born him.   ¹⁶ And Naomi took the child, and laid it in her bosom, and became nurse unto it. ¹⁷And the women her neighbours gave it a name, saying, There is a son born to Naomi; and they called his name Obed: he is the father of Jesse, the father of David. ¹⁸ Now these are the generations of Pharez: Pharez begat Hezron, ¹⁹ And Hezron begat Ram, and Ram begat Amminadab, ²⁰ And Amminadab begat Nahshon, and Nahshon begat Salmon,  ²¹ And Salmon begat Boaz, and Boaz begat Obed, ²² And Obed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David.