Worship XII Day 12 Go Tell It On The Mountains: Digging Deeper
Discover the original intent of Scripture. Make good application to our everyday lives.
Become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!
Ruth 4:14-17
14 The women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the LORD, who has not left you without a family redeemer today. May his name become well known in Israel. 15 He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. Indeed, your daughter-in-law, who loves you and is better to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.”
16 Naomi took the child, placed him on her lap, and became a mother to him. 17 The neighbor women said, “A son has been born to Naomi,” and they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.
16 Naomi took the child, placed him on her lap, and became a mother to him. 17 The neighbor women said, “A son has been born to Naomi,” and they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.
The Original Intent
1) Why did Naomi’s friends call her grandson, Obed, her family’s redeemer? (verse 14)
In the Bible book of Ruth, the author recounts the deaths of Naomi’s husband and sons, leaving her bitter and hopeless in a foreign land. (Ruth 1:20) Author Teresa Swanstrom Anderson describes Naomi’s heartache, “With no male family member to provide food, shelter, and safety, she was doomed to become destitute. She’s an outsider in a foreign country. And things in her own country were dark and painful. All this stress heaped high on top of her deep grief. Naomi was a female Job.”
Eventually, Boaz became Ruth’s (Naomi’s daughter-in-law) kinsman-redeemer, the nearest male relative willing to marry Ruth and offer her protection and the continuance of Naomi’s family line through the birth of Ruth’s son, Obed. After a lifetime of loss and disappointment, Naomi’s friends said to her, “Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you without a family redeemer today. May his name become well known in Israel.” (Ruth 4:14)
These women called the grandson a redeemer because now Naomi’s family line and legacy would continue, as would her influence on her nation’s future, since Obed would become grandfather to King David and would ultimately be in the lineage of Jesus, the long-awaited Messiah. (Luke 3:31)
The child was called her “goel”, or redeemer, because “It was the child who took away Naomi’s reproach of childlessness and would take care of her in her old age.” (Expositor’s Bible Commentary) The Scriptures may also refer to Obed as a redeemer in an allusion to his role in the genealogy of Christ, the Redeemer of the world. (Hebrews 9:12)
Naomi rejoiced that God reversed her tragic situation, giving her a grandson after years of loss. We can trust that, just like God worked everything out for Naomi’s good, He is doing the same thing in our own broken circumstances for those of us who love Him. (Romans 8:28)
The Everyday Application
1) Why did Naomi’s friends call her grandson, Obed, her family’s redeemer? (verse 14)
In 2000, a couple had a very sick child who needed a bone marrow transplant, but no family members were a match. By using IVF and genetic testing they were able to become pregnant with a baby who provided their daughter with a perfect bone marrow match. The parents were criticized for creating a baby to become a medical donor, to them, the new baby was a blessing in his own right and a rescuer for their older daughter.
In Ruth 4:14, Naomi was blessed with a baby who saved her family. Upon the birth of Naomi’s grandson, Obed, her friends declared, “Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you without a family redeemer today. May his name become well known in Israel.” Before Obed’s birth, Naomi had reason for distress. Her husband and sons had died, and her provision, protection and family name died with them. Without a close male relative, Naomi and Ruth were dependent on distant relatives and friends to provide for them.
Still in the midst of troubles, God was orchestrating His plan for Naomi’s redemption as well as all of humanity’s (Ephesians 1:7).
Incredibly, He gave Naomi a part in His plan when she became grandmother of this “rescue baby” Obed and great-great grandmother to King David, through whose line would come the Messiah, our Savior, Jesus Christ. (Matthew 1:1-17) She could never have imagined the way God would take her pain and redeem it, turning her mourning into joy. (Psalm 30:11) Leon Morris suggests, “A genealogy is a striking way of bringing before us the continuity of God’s purpose through the ages. The process of history is not haphazard. There is a purpose in it all. And the purpose is the purpose of God.”
May we always cooperate with God’s plans, even if we don’t understand them.
The Original Intent
2) How was Naomi’s daughter-in-law, Ruth, better to her than seven sons? (verse 15)
Naomi’s friends said her grandson “will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. Indeed, your daughter-in-law, who loves you and is better to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.” (Ruth 4:15) In a society that valued even one son over many daughters, this was high praise.
Authors Tim Mackie and Jon Collins explain, “In ancient Near Eastern societies, firstborn sons were prized above all other children. . .” In ancient Israel there was also a “fear that daughters would inherit their father’s estate and marry a man from another tribe, thus meaning that the estate would pass to another tribe.” (familylawisrael.com)
Daniel Block notes that seven sons is also “conventional, reflecting the ancient Israelite view that the ideal family consisted of seven sons. (1 Samuel 2:5, Job 1:2, Job 42:13, Acts 19:14-17).” By declaring that Ruth is better than seven sons, the women are emphasizing the remarkable blessing Ruth has been to Naomi.
Ruth was loyal, caring for Naomi and loving her as much as any natural child could have, if not more so. Ruth saved Naomi from despair when it looked like her dreams were dead and her hope was gone. (Ruth 1:12-13)
Society viewed Ruth as less valuable than even one son, but God used her to bless and restore Naomi and to further His Kingdom by giving her a place in the genealogy of the King of Kings. (Matthew 1:5) May we all have a Ruth in our lives, loving us fiercely and loyally, and I pray God would use each of us as that faithful friend for someone else.
The Everyday Application
2) How was Naomi’s daughter-in-law, Ruth, better to her than seven sons? (verse 15)
Some friends gave me the gift of preparing and serving a light array of hors d’oeuvres for my wedding reception. They created delicious salmon-stuffed cherry tomatoes, cucumber sandwiches, cheese sandwiches, and deviled eggs. I was thrilled because I knew they would rival professional caterers due to their impeccable taste and high standards and would put their hearts into everything they served. The spread they presented was beautiful and mouthwatering, and I couldn’t have been more pleased had I hired a van full of caterers serving a fancy four course meal. Naomi felt the same way about having her daughter-in-law, Ruth, in her corner.
Though she began her journey with bitterness, God provided Ruth as the helper Naomi needed. When Ruth was able to give her a grandson, Naomi’s friends remarked, “He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. Indeed, your daughter-in-law, who loves you and is better to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.” (Ruth 4:15) God knew Naomi needed love and encouragement; He provided those in Ruth so she could see and testify to the goodness of God and His provision. (Psalm 23:1)
God used Ruth’s faithful service and enduring love to show Naomi His own sustaining love and faithfulness in all things. (Psalm 36:5) Ruth reflected the Lord to Naomi and increased her faith!
Teresa Swanstrom Anderson asserts, “Ruth shows us a glimpse of what Jesus ultimately showed us: that as we act in radical love, as we move toward the broken, we participate in the restoration of all things.” We can rejoice that God restores us just as He did Naomi. (1 Peter 5:10) He extends His love and grace to all who are willing to receive! (Titus 2:11)
The Original Intent
3) Why did Naomi’s friends say of Ruth’s baby, “A son has been born to Naomi”? (verse 17)
When Ruth and Boaz gave birth to a boy, Naomi’s friends said, “A son has been born to Naomi, and they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.” (Ruth 4:17) The women did not call Obed Naomi’s son because Naomi would raise him as her own son, though she was certainly involved with his upbringing. (Ruth 4:16)
Sometimes, in Hebrew, the terms for son and grandson are interchangeable. Jimyung Kim explains that “Ancient Jews used the word, ben, for both son and descendant and didn’t have a specific word for “grandson. . . This lack of a specific term for grandson causes confusion.” It is also true that because Ruth was married to Naomi’s son and Boaz had agreed to raise Obed as Naomi’s heir, he takes the place of her son in matters of family line and inheritance.
Arnold Fruchtenbaum explains that “As the son of Ruth, he was also the son of Naomi, and as such, would take away Naomi’s reproach of childlessness. Ruth was the only one who could raise up a son to inherit the estate of [Naomi’s son], and so this son will comfort Naomi and tend to her in her old age. . .”
When Naomi’s sons died, so did her hope of being a grandmother. She not only watched her own children die, but she had given up hope of seeing any grandchildren grow and carry on the family name. Obed’s birth was the rekindling of hope in Naomi’s heart and the fulfillment of her dream. Obed was not Naomi’s biological “son”, but he brought the blessings of having sons back into her life.
The Everyday Application
3) Why did Naomi’s friends say of Ruth’s baby, “A son has been born to Naomi”? (verse 17)
Even as a child, my friend knew she wanted to be a Mommy one day, so we were elated when she became pregnant soon after the birth of my first child. When she lost her baby during pregnancy, she was heartbroken. Her “rainbow baby” came the same year I had my second child, and she was overjoyed!
When her next two babies were also lost to miscarriage, sought answers. Her doctors eventually prescribed medications to address her issues, and I was amazed when she called one day to announce she was pregnant with twins! She believed God gave her three babies to hold on earth to match the three children she would one day hold in Heaven. She grieved, but she also rejoiced that loss was not the end of her story.
Naomi must have felt the same thing when Ruth gave birth to Obed, restoring the family name and inheritance. Naomi’s friends believed as much, for they said, “A son has been born to Naomi, and they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.” (Ruth 4:17) Naomi experienced God as her trustworthy advocate after her great loss.
Even during troubled times, which everyone is certain to have (John 16:33), God sustained Naomi and restored what she lost in terms of property and hope for the future. While she could never regain her husband and sons, God restored her family line. He even graciously gave her a role in raising the grandfather of the future King David.
Carolyn Custis James, speaking of Job and Naomi, asserts, “because they met God in their pain, both also gained a deeper kind of trust in him that weathers adversity and refuses to let go of God.” When troubles come, we can take a cue from Naomi and trust in God’s faithful, restorative love.
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