The Boss’ Baby (Ruth 4:13-22)

In 2019, a world record was set when a 74 year old Indian woman named Mangayamma Yaramati gave birth to twins.^[1] She had already gone through menopause but was able to become pregnant through IVF, using a donated egg.

When asked why she would go through such a difficult and potentially dangerous process, she said that it was largely due to the stigma of being childless in her Indian culture. “People looked at me with accusing eyes as if I had committed a sin,” she said.^[2] She often caught relatives gossiping behind her back, referring to her as “the childless lady.”^[3]

We’ve come to the end of the book of Ruth. But the final passage is not about the young woman from Moab. She exits stage left while the closing scene focuses on Naomi. There, surrounded by other ladies, they celebrate the birth of a child born to Ruth and Boaz. But then something surprising is said. In verse 17 we read: “A son has been born to Naomi.”

This book started with her losing her sons. It ends with her receiving one back. It is a beautiful conclusion, demonstrating how God can restore our lives through His magnificent love.

Ruth 4:13 – ¹³ Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. He slept with her, and the LORD granted conception to her, and she gave birth to a son.

As Ruth leaves the pages of Scripture, we should marvel at the progression in her story. She has gone from being a foreigner (2:10), to a beggar (2:7), to calling herself the lowest servant (2:13), to becoming a full-fledged maidservant (3:9), and now she is a bride – the wife of the master.^[4]

God’s desire is not only to save you from death, but to draw you near. To bring you into His household, into His family, to make you His own. To transform and conform us into His glorious image, day-by-day, piece-by-piece until the work is done. In Ephesians, the Apostle Paul says:

Ephesians 2:12-13 – ¹² You were without Christ, excluded from the citizenship of Israel, and foreigners to the covenants of promise, without hope and without God in the world. ¹³ But now in Christ Jesus, you who were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

If you are a Christian, if you’ve been redeemed, God has made you His child. He has made you His friend. He has brought you into this special community called the Church, which is also known as His Bride. And His desire is to draw us ever-nearer to Him. To raise us up.

Ruth was lifted from beggar to bride. And though she was childless for 10 years in her marriage to Mahlon, now God intervened to miraculously provide her a son.^[5] The author makes it clear: it was the LORD Who did it. Not Baal. Not Marduk. Not Dagon. Not Chemosh, the Moabite god. Yahweh.

You see, none of those other gods are real. None of them are alive. On top of that, gods like Chemosh were gods of death, not life. They demanded human sacrifice.^[6] But here’s Yahweh, the Giver of life. The Sustainer of families. The God Who abolishes death.

He saw Ruth and Naomi through their tragedies. He got them back to Bethlehem. He providentially connected them with Boaz. He brought Boaz and Ruth together. And now He’s still acting on their behalf and for their family. He is ever-present, ever-mindful, always with His hand on their lives.

Ruth 4:14-15a – 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…

Everyone understood that God was at work in their lives. This is what God wants to do. He wants to build testimonies in your life. He wants to use your life as a beacon of His grace. A signal fire of His power. An emblem of His truth and love. That people would like at our lives and not just say, “Oh you believe in God,” but that they would see what’s going on in your life and have no other conclusion than, “God is real. And He is faithful. And He is able. And He is good.”

Naomi’s story shows how God desires to see His people through sorrow, difficulty, and trouble. The last time Naomi and the ladies were together, it was a struggle session as Naomi expressed her bitterness. Now she and the ladies get together for a celebration of God’s hesed love.

The transformation is dramatic. Remember when she first came back to Bethlehem? The local women saw her and said, “Can this be Naomi?” The years in Moab had taken their toll. And the bitter sorrow in her heart dominated her choices and her speech and her relationships.

But slowly she started to trust the Lord and to understand that He had not abandoned her. He had not opposed her. In fact, He was working all the time to bring her back to rest. And now, the ladies not only congratulate her, they say, “Your life is being renewed.” She’s a whole different person.

Thanks to God’s kindness and provision, Naomi doesn’t have to worry anymore. The ladies literally said something like, “Praise Yahweh, Who has not caused you to be lacking a redeemer today.”^[7]

Do you have a redeemer? As we’ve seen throughout this book, a Redeemer is the only thing that can save you and give you everlasting life. If you do not have a redeemer, One has been provided for you. It’s like in our justice system – if you don’t have an attorney, one will be provided for you at the tax-payers expense.

Jesus Christ is the Redeemer. He came to earth to give His life as a ransom for you. He paid the expense so you can be saved. So you can have your life restored. Have you been redeemed?

The ladies say this young baby would grow up to serve and sustain Naomi in her old age. They literally said, “He will be your life-restorer.”^[8]

No matter what you have faced in life, no matter what you’ve done, no matter the trouble or sorrow, Jesus Christ will save. He will restore your life. He’s that powerful and He’s that good.

Ruth 4:15b – Indeed, your daughter-in-law, who loves you and is better to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.”

Ruth was not just using Naomi as a meal ticket. Her heart was really full of hesed love toward her mother-in-law. One commentator writes, “More than anyone else in the history of Israel, Ruth embodies the fundamental principle of the [nation of Israel’s] ethic: ‘You shall love your God with all your heart and your neighbor as yourself.’”^[9]

Godly love is more powerful than any human resources, any human ability, any wisdom of man, any earthly obstacle. Look at what love accomplished for Ruth and through Ruth. In Old Testament culture, the ideal family consisted of seven sons.^[10] But Ruth’s presence in Naomi’s life exceeded that ideal. How? Because of her Godly love. Because her faith was alive and active.

The love of God is not just a feeling. It is an operative power in our lives. Paul says it binds everything together in perfect harmony. It casts out fear. It equips us and strengthens us. It is meant to define us as we move about in this world.^[11] It roots and establishes us.

Naomi and Ruth had bad circumstances – terrible and tragic. But as the book closes we see theirs was an ideal family because of the love of God. Real, active, hesed love.

Ruth 4:16 – ¹⁶ Naomi took the child, placed him on her lap, and became a mother to him.

Your version may say she became a nurse to him. Linguists agree, this is not a wet nurse.^[12] Naomi herself said back in chapter 1 she had already gone through the change of life. She became the boy’s nanny – a grandma who helped raise him.

This was probably not necessary from the human perspective. Ruth didn’t have to keep working in the harvest. She was now lady of a prominent house. But the ladies of Bethlehem have brought the little baby to Naomi for her to watch and care for. Ruth did for Naomi what Naomi could not do herself. In chapter 1, Naomi told Ruth, “I wish I could bear sons so you could have rest and a future.” But she couldn’t do it. But God has orchestrated events so that that very thing is done for her!

It is a gift from Ruth and from God for Naomi. Her motherhood was taken away by tragedy. And now, God was restoring to her the motherhood she lost. In fact, the text specifically uses the same word here for “child” that was used back in chapter 1, verse 5. There it said, “The woman was left without her two children.” And here, instead of using the word “boy” like we’d expect, it’s the same word as chapter 1.^[13] Naomi once again has two children: Ruth and this little lad.

Naomi has come full circle. In chapter one, we see her pushing Ruth away. And now we see her embrace her grandson. She brings him in with love and affection and attention. She’s transformed.

Ruth 4:17 – 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.

One more beautiful restoration happens here. Our author uses a specific term for neighbor women. It is one of closeness.^[14] It’s not just the local ladies, but friends. Naomi, who returned with no husband, no sons, no community, no future, has had it all restored. There’s no longer a hint of bitterness or anger or sorrow or sighing. All has been mended by God’s tender mercy. Her life is fuller now than it ever has been. Yes, she would carry the sadness of the tragedies she endured, but now she has been attended to by the Lord. Now she has joy for today, hope for tomorrow. And the truth is, neither she nor Ruth had any idea just how much greater things would become. They were, unknowingly, now part of the line of the mighty king of Israel, David. And, ultimately, the King of kings, Jesus Christ. God kept giving to them and through them in ways they could not ask or imagine, in ways they wouldn’t see until they stepped into eternity in heaven.

The boy’s name was Obed. It’s the short form of Obadiah.^[15] The name means worshipper or servant of Yahweh. And so the story would continue with his life. As Ruth and Naomi and Boaz had decided to follow the Lord and serve Him, so they would raise their son to do the same. Of course, they could not see over the horizon of time and see what was waiting for their family. They did not see Goliath or Golgotha. But God did. And as He accomplished His gracious, hesed providence for them, so He would do for all the sons and daughters that followed.

What a fantastic end to this beautiful story. Lives redeemed and restored. Hearts mended. Hope where there had been only despair. What a good God, what a mighty God is the God of the Bible.

But wait! The author continues:

Ruth 4:18-22 – ¹⁸ Now these are the family records of Perez: Perez fathered Hezron, ¹⁹ Hezron fathered Ram, Ram fathered Amminadab, ²⁰ Amminadab fathered Nahshon, Nahshon fathered Salmon, ²¹ Salmon fathered Boaz, Boaz fathered Obed, ²² Obed fathered Jesse, and Jesse fathered David.

A stinger is an extra scene shown after the credits of a movie have concluded. The first movie to have one was the 1966 Dean Martin spy spoof The Silencers.^[16] In that stinger, the filmmakers promise a sequel is coming.

Doesn’t it seem redundant that the author of Ruth gives a mini-genealogy and then gives this other 10 name list going back to a guy named Perez who we don’t really think or care about?

But something very important is happening. You see, the author uses a specific term here. “Family records” is a Hebrew term – toledot – used 11 times in Genesis. After Adam and Eve ate the fruit in the Garden of Eden, God promised that one day the Seed of the woman Who would strike the head of the serpent and save us all from our sin. A major theme of Genesis is: Where is that Rescuer? Where will the Redeemer come from? And 11 times we see these records, often a list with 10 generations, as the Word of God starts to narrow down where the Redeemer will be found. We have the toledot of Adam, the toledot of Noah, of Shem, of Terah, of Jacob.

But Genesis ends without the Redeemer being identified. As the book concludes, we know that He will come through Shem’s line, not Ham or Japheth’s, and through Abraham’s line, not Nahor or Haran’s, and through Isaac’s line, not Ishmael’s, and through Jacob’s line, not Esau’s.

But Jacob had 12 sons. Which line would the Messiah, the Redeemer come from? As Jacob dies, he drops the bombshell that it will not be through the line of his firstborn, Reuben, or Simeon or Levi, the second and third. Nor would it be through the line of Joseph – Jacob’s favored son, who Jacob actually treated like the firstborn.

No, he says it will be through Judah. The thing is – Judah had 3 sons. Two died childless, and the third he would not allow to marry Tamar, his widowed daughter-in-law. He denied her redemption. But God accomplished it anyway and now there was an heir born to Judah. His name was Perez.

But Genesis ends and we know nothing more. Until the author of Ruth says, “Here is the toledot of Perez.” The search was back on!^[17] A list of 10 names, just like in Genesis. Just as God had not forgotten Naomi or Ruth, He has not forgotten any of us. The post-credits scene is telling us that the sequel to Ruth was in production. The Redeemer was still coming. Nothing could stop it.

One commentator summed up Naomi’s story saying, “Naomi’s fragile hopes of survival have hung on [the advent of this child].”^[18]

We’re heading into Christmas season. It’s also called Advent. The arrival of the Child. Not just any baby, but the Son of God Who came to redeem us. To rescue us. To give us life everlasting if we will believe on Him. If we will surrender and receive what God has been working for thousands of years. What He’s done, He’s done out of love. Love for you. Love for me. How could we refuse a God like this?