Ruth 4:11 And all the people who were at
the gate, and the elders, said, "We are witnesses. The LORD make the woman
who is coming to your house like Rachel and Leah, the two who built the house
of Israel; and may you prosper in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem. 12
"May your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah,
because of the offspring which the LORD will give you from this young
woman." 13 So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife; and when he went in
to her, the LORD gave her conception, and she bore a son....
Ruth 4:11 And all the people who were at
the gate, and the elders, said, "We are witnesses. The LORD make the woman
who is coming to your house like Rachel and Leah, the two who built the house
of Israel; and may you prosper in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem. 12
"May your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah,
because of the offspring which the LORD will give you from this young
woman." 13 So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife; and when he went in
to her, 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 close relative; and may his name be famous in Israel!
The witnesses to Boaz's transaction wished God's blessing
of numerous descendants on him. They cited Rachel and Leah, both of whom, like Ruth, had joined the Israelites and had
entered their land from alien nations that had demonstrated hostility to God's
people. Rachel's tomb was near Bethlehem. She and her sister had given Jacob 12
sons directly and through their maids. They had indeed "built the house of
Israel" (v. 11). The people also wished wealth (cf. 2:1; 3:11) and fame on
Boaz, which he did obtain thanks to God's blessing on his family, especially
through Ruth and David.
They blessed Boaz with the desire that the Lord make Ruth a fertile
mother. Their mentioning Rachel and Leah
has significance. Rachel, named first, had been barren for many years before
she bore children. Similarly Ruth had been barren in Moab.
Ephratah (also spelled Ephrath and
Ephrathah) was another name for Bethlehem. The use of the word Ephrathah
in Ruth 4:11 is significant, for the Hebrew word means “fruitful.” The
people wanted Ruth to be fruitful and famous and bring honor to their little
town. It was the place where Rachel was buried (Gen. 35:19), but more
importantly, it would be known as the place where Jesus Christ was born.
It was important that the Jewish wives
bear children, not only to perpetuate the nation, but also because it would be
through Israel that God would send the Messiah to earth.
Pray that Ruth would be like Rachel, Leah and Tamar—this is significant in God’s plan
The reference to Perez (v. 12) is also
significant. There are many parallels between the story of Boaz and Ruth and
the story of Perez's parents, Judah and Tamar (Gen. 38). Ruth and Tamar were
both foreigners who had married into Israel. The first husbands of both women
died leaving them widows. Both women participated in levirate marriages. Tamar
seduced Judah under cover of a disguise, but Ruth encouraged Boaz under the
cover of night. When Judah and Tamar appeared before a public tribunal they
were ashamed and condemned, but when Boaz and Ruth did so they received praise
and blessing. In both cases the husbands were considerably older than the
wives. Both women, however, bore sons in the Davidic messianic line, Ruth
honorably and Tamar dishonorably.
Little did they
realize that from this union would issue Israel’s greatest kings including
David and the Eternal King, the Lord Jesus Christ.
The witnesses also recognized that children are a gift
from God (offspring the Lord gives you) (v. 11; cf. Ps.
127:3-5). Psalm 127:3 Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, The fruit
of the womb is a reward.
God is the source of all blessing.
What wonderful changes came into
Ruth’s life because she trusted Boaz and let him work on her behalf! She went
from loneliness to love, from toil to rest, from poverty to wealth, from worry
to assurance, and from despair to hope. She was no longer “Ruth the Moabitess,”
for the past was gone, and she was making a new beginning. She was now “Ruth
the wife of Boaz,” a name she was proud to bear.
Verse
13 is a key verse in the book because it records the fulfillment of Naomi and
Ruth's plans to obtain rest (2:2; 3:1-5). A son was
indispensable to the continuation of the line of Boaz as well as that of Mahlon
and Elimelech. With the birth of Obed, Ruth and Naomi could both rest. They had
produced someone who would carry on the program of God for Israel.
Obed
would bring blessing to Bethlehem. The child would
bring fame to both the family name and the name of his native town. Elimelech’s
name almost disappeared from Israel, but Obed would make that name famous and
bring glory to Bethlehem. This happened, of course, through the life and ministry
of King David (v. 22) and of David’s greater Son, Jesus Christ. Naomi would
have the comfort of knowing that the family name would not perish but increase
in fame.
Lessons
1. Are you trusting
in God fully in all things so that you have His rest?
2. Because you have
been blessed by God, are you a blessing to others as you are supposed to be?
