What blessings God pours out in today’s passage. Righteous Boaz was willing to stick his neck out, taking Ruth the Moabitess to be his wife, not knowing how such a foreigner would be accepted by his friends and neighbors. Today we find that she was welcomed with open arms. The people and even the elders blessed both of the couple, wishing many children for them.

And what blessings God poured out on Ruth. Her hard work and devotion to her mother-in-law was also recognized by her neighbors – they even told Naomi that, even though she was a Moabitess, Ruth was worth more to her than seven sons (v. 15)! And of course, the greatest blessing for her was the Lord allowing her to bear a son, the one they named Obed.

But lest we imagine that God only blesses the righteous and the hard working, let’s remember Naomi as well. At the beginning of this book, she was so angry at God that she rejected her own name, which means “pleasant,” preferring instead to be called Mara, which means “bitter” (see 1:20). She had so little faith in God’s ability to provide for them that she had actively tried to dissuade Ruth from accompanying her back to the land of Israel, even telling her to return to the false gods that the Moabites worshipped (1:15). And yet Naomi received God’s blessings as well. For Boaz redeemed her from poverty (v. 14). And God allowed her to nurse Ruth’s baby, even though both of her sons had died without children (v. 16).

But isn’t that the same sort of thing that God did through Ruth and Boaz’ greatest descendant? For if their child would eventually be the grandfather of David the King, that would also make him the ancestor of Jesus the Son of David. And Jesus came to redeem a whole world full of sinners – even those who are rebellious like Naomi or undeserving like Ruth the Moabitess.

So, no matter what the circumstances of our lives may seem to be, we can trust that God’s redeeming grace will eventually bring all who trust in Him the greatest blessing of all – adoption into His family. Let’s rest in the certainty of His love today.

Ruth 4:11-17 (ESV)

11 Then all the people who were at the gate and the elders said, “We are witnesses. May the LORD make the woman, who is coming into your house, like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel. May you act worthily in Ephrathah and be renowned in Bethlehem,
12 and may your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, because of the offspring that the LORD will give you by this young woman.”
13 So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife. And he went in to her, and 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 redeemer, and may his name be renowned in Israel!
15 He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age, for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.”
16 Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her lap and became his nurse.
17 And the women of the neighborhood gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi.” They named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.