Ruth 4:13–22

Ruth 4:13–22: The Genealogy of David

Synopsis

In the last passage, Boaz managed to arrange it so that he could marry Ruth. This passage simply finishes off the story; it doesn’t say, “and they lived happily ever after,” at the end, but it might as well.

Boaz marries Ruth, and the LORD enables her to conceive and give birth to a son, whom they name Obed. The passage ends by telling us that Obed is going to become the father of Jesse, and that Jesse is going to become the father of David—whom we’ll read about when we get to the books of I and II Samuel.

Thoughts

Verse 13 specifically says that it is the LORD who enables Ruth to conceive. He is in control; He was in control when she didn’t conceive, when she was married to Mahlon, and He was in control when she did conceive, with Boaz.

This becomes even more significant when you realize that Ruth’s new son, Obed, is going to be the grandfather of King David. The LORD didn’t just engineer these events so that we could read about the love story between Boaz and Ruth—although I’m betting that was part of His plan—He was also looking forward, to the future of his chosen people, and their king. (And, to take things even further, to His son, Jesus, who is a descendent of David—and, therefore, also a descendent of Ruth and Boaz and Obed.)