Category: God Does This For A Living

Ruth 4:18-22 – This, then, is the family line of Perez :

Perez was the father of Hezron,
Hezron the father of Ram,
Ram the father of Amminadab,
Amminadab the father of Nahshon,
Nahshon the father of Salmon,
Salmon the father of Boaz,
Boaz the father of Obed,
Obed the father of Jesse,
and Jesse the father of David.

“This book and this genealogy demonstrate that in the dark days of the judges the chosen line is preserved not by heroic exploits by deliverers or kings but by the good hand of God, who rewards good people with a fulness beyond all imagination. These characters could not know what long-range fruit their compassionate and loyal conduct toward each other would bear. But the narrator knows…

But the narrator could not know what implications the piety of these characters would have on generations of his own people that would come after him. If only he could have known that in the glorious providence of God the hesed of Boaz, Ruth, and Naomi would have laid the groundwork for the history of salvation that extends far beyond his own time… For as the genealogy of Matthew 1 indicates, one greater than David comes from the loins of Boaz. In the dark days of the judges the foundation is laid for the line that would produce the Savior, the Messiah, the Redeemer of a lost and destitute humanity.” (Daniel Block, Judges, Ruth, NAC)

Take in the scope and extent of God’s far-reaching plan of salvation… Let’s thank Him for all He’s done… and all that is to come! Let’s sing and worship with this song – “Thank You Song + In Every Season” (Click here) by Upperroom.

– JP

Ruth 4:9-10 – Then Boaz announced… “I have bought from Naomi all the property of Elimelek… I have also acquired Ruth the Moabite, Mahlon’s widow, as my wife, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property, so that his name will not disappear… Today you are witnesses!”

“The role of the gōʾēl [guardian-redeemer], in one sense, is foreign to our culture. But in another sense, the examples of Boaz and Jesus certainly give us illustrations and models that we can emulate. There are many around us, whether in our families, extended families, or in the church, who desperately need a gōʾēl, that is, someone who can redeem them and restore them to wholeness. This is true in many physical contexts but also in numerous spiritual contexts.

At the root, however, there must be ḥesed. This rich term enables us to act with loyalty, love, and compassion. It provides the basis and proper motives for the action of the gōʾēl. As clearly illustrated in Boaz and Jesus, ḥesed sees the world in a different way. It is selfless, not like the nearer gōʾēl, who is apparently dominated by self-interest.” [K.L. Younger, Judges, Ruth, NIVAC]

We are conditioned to put ourselves first, but when we empty ourselves for God and for others, the Lord fills us in unexpected and abundant ways. Do you believe you are called to live a life of selfless loyalty and compassion, endeavoring to restore wholeness to broken lives? Pray for the Lord to guide you to people in need.

– JP

Ruth 4:16-17 – Then Naomi took the child in her arms and cared for him. The women living there said, “Naomi has a son!” And they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.

The ancient Israelite culture was “a brutal environment for the disconnected woman. Widows were discarded as though they didn’t exist… Instead of losing interest in these two useless widows, [God] makes them the center of attention… These were the dark days when the judges governed. God’s chosen people were losing their way. God’s strategy involves recruiting two women to carry his redemptive purposes forward into the future…

They represent his interests in this world and a lot is riding on what they do at this crucial juncture in Israel’s history. What looks from their vantage point as simple acts of loving and caring for one another will actually take on cosmic proportions. They labor and sacrifice to bring blessing to each other, and simultaneously bring blessing to the world…

The birth of Obed is a picture of the gospel—suffering and sacrifice, the joy of renewed life, and hope for the future all mingled together. This is the Gospel of Ruth.” [Carolyn C. James, The Gospel of Ruth]

Loving someone with God’s love is significant because it matters to God. Pray and ask God how you are to love those around you in specific, intentional ways. Let us be filled with the Spirit and sing of His love with this song, “Open Heaven” (Click here).

– JP

Ruth 4:6 – At this, the guardian-redeemer said, “Then I cannot redeem it because I might endanger my own estate. You redeem it yourself. I cannot do it.”

“As they gathered at the gate, Boaz called out to a man who remained noticeably unnamed… In a story where the author uses names to teach theological lessons, the irony can sometimes be humorous. This is especially the case when the reader learns that this nameless relative was afraid of jeopardizing his name. [The author] uses a phrase that has baffled many scholars. Its origin and use is not known… almost all agree that it was some kind of a colloquial phrase that could be translated as ‘so and so’ [Ruth 4:1]. We could humorously call him Mr. ‘So-and-so’…

Here the nameless character is known to us only as a man who refused to act as redeemer in order to preserve his name. What an irony! The man said, essentially ‘I can’t do this because I will jeopardize my name, my inheritance!’ He desperately wanted to do everything he could do to preserve his name, and in so doing, he lost the opportunity to have his name preserved… Is this not the paradox of which our Savior spoke in his own ministry? The man who seeks his life will lose it, but he who loses his life for Christ’s sake will gain it.” [L. Charles Jackson, “The Ultimate Philanthropist”]

May we fearlessly give our lives to love God and others. Let’s worship Jesus, whose name is the only one that saves! Let’s sing His name with this song, “Tremble” (Click here).

– JP

Ruth 4:13-14 – So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. When he made love to her, the LORD enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son. The women said to Naomi: “Praise be to the LORD, who this day has not left you without a guardian-redeemer. May he become famous throughout Israel!”

“Ruth is more than a story of an interesting woman. The book revolves around the central themes of God’s loving-kindness, faithfulness, and loyalty—concepts communicated by the Hebrew term hesed…

Ultimately, the power and depth of God’s hesed lies in the underlying message, woven throughout the book of Ruth, that points to the coming Messiah… The Gospel of Matthew begins with a genealogy of Jesus the Messiah in which Boaz and Ruth appear (Matt 1:5). Ruth was not just the ancestor of the great King David, but of the Messiah himself. In God’s loving-kindness and faithfulness, he sent a messiah, Jesus, to represent all the peoples of the earth…

Ultimately, there is no more epic plotline than the one we find in Ruth. Through Ruth, God prepared the way for David and ultimately Jesus the Messiah. Ruth gives us a glimpse into the extent of God’s fierce loyalty and the lengths he will go in order to save us.” [Sherilyn Grant, “An Epic Plotline”]

Let us be in wonder of our God as we sing His praises with this song, “Living Hope” (Click here).

– JP