Ruth...5...the blessing of the elders....

 Ruth...5....The blessing of the elders...

Long, long ago in a far away place, a man I was dating  called my father asking for his permission to marry me...

I don’t know what was said, but, we got married...

I remember when we got a call from, now a son-in-law, wishing to speak to my husband for that same permission...

I know each time there was a blessing on those marriages...full favor for those unions...

My dad liked my husband, respected him, trusted him...as we did our sons-in- law...

The elders and others at the gate gave their blessings to Boaz as well,  not knowing the far reaching implications of that blessing and union...

Then Boaz announced to the elders and all the people, “Today you are witnesses that I have bought from Naomi all the property of Elimelek, Kilion and Mahlon. I have also acquired Ruth the Moabite, Mahlon’s widow, as my wife, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property, so that his name will not disappear from among his family or from his hometown. Today you are witnesses! ” 

Then the elders and all the people at the gate said, “We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman who is coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the family of Israel. May you have standing in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem. Through the offspring the Lord gives you by this young woman, may your family be like that of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah.” 

So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. When he made love to her, the Lord enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son. 

The women living there said, “Naomi has a son!” 

And they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David. 

This, then, is the family line of Perez: Perez was the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram, Ram the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon, Salmon the father of Boaz, Boaz the father of Obed, Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David.

Ruth 4:9-13,17-22 

They prayed for Ruth

-They blessed  her comparing Ruth to Rachael and Leah, who bore the twelve tribes of Israel....so many sons...

They didn’t compare her to others, like Sarah or Rebecca, who had few sons..

They prayed for Boaz

-that he would have good standing, reputation...be famous..

-his family be extended...

I know we were prayed for and I know that we prayed for our children and their spouses...and then grandchildren should they come...

We didn’t pray that they would be famous, but of good standing...and they all are...gifted in so many ways...trusted, beloved...

Back to Ruth, the book...it ends with David... but, going to Matthew 1, in the New Testament...

Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of King David. 

David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife, Solomon the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of Asa, .....

and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah. ....

But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 1:5-7,16,20

You never know where those blessings will go...century’s later or even the next generation...Boaz and Ruth may have known David, a great grandson...seen him toddle around, laughed at his baby antics...been blessed to see generations...we don’t know if they had any more children, but we know that their story of redemption, reputation, bitterness to joy was worthy enough to be included in the greatest Book ever written...it is a God-breathed story...

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

2 Timothy 3:16-17

Thank YOU....