The women of the neighbourhood 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.
Ruth 4:17
We have seen that the baby born in Bethlehem is described as a redeemer. Here we are told that they named him Obed, and Obed means servant. So the baby born in Bethlehem is a redeemer and a servant. And from him comes a future king: “He was the father of Jesse, the father of David” (4:17).
All of this is pointing to Jesus, the Redeemer, who took the form of a servant even though He is the King. In the last verses of Ruth, we are given a line of descent from Perez to King David. The first verses of Matthew give this same genealogy as the line into which our Lord Jesus Christ was born.
We are told that Salmon was the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz was the father of Obed by Ruth (Mat. 1:5). So, Boaz’s mother was a Canaanite, and his wife was a Moabite. God’s plan and purpose is that the blessing that comes from Him and through the Redeemer will reach the whole world.
God said to Abraham, “I will bless you and… in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Gen. 12:2-3). Here in the book of Ruth, God’s purpose is already being realised. God wove the lives, loves, and losses of these ordinary people into His hidden plan to bring blessing to the world.
Have you asked Jesus to be your Redeemer? Without Him, the blessings you enjoy will soon be gone. With Him, the blessings you enjoy have only just begun.
