NAOMI HAS A SON

Ruth 3:1-4:22

Key Verse 4:17

The women living there said, "Naomi has a son." And they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.

One key theme of the book of Ruth is God’s kingdom. The book of Ruth begins with the comment that in the day of Ruth there was no king; every one lived as he or she saw fit. Therefore chaos resulted. The book then ends with the name David. David later united the 12 tribes of Israel under the rule of God. And David ruled the Israelites with God’s love and mercy. 

The title of the message for today is “Naomi has a Son.” The son named Obed is the grandfather of King David. Obed represents the seed of hope for God’s kingdom to arise. 

Of all the provisions from God, the kingdom of God is the greatest. The people of Ruth’s day were not happy because they did not have God’s kingdom in their hearts. The Lord God had mercy on them. Through two faithful women, Naomi and Ruth, the Lord God provided the hopeless generation with the hope of God’s kingdom. God blessed the faith of Naomi and Ruth, and made this hope tangible. Their faith gave birth to the hope of God’s kingdom! Let us think about how this blessed transaction came to pass.

First, my daughter, should I not try to find a home for you?

The hope of God’s kingdom began with Naomi having a good shepherd’s heart for her poor neighbor Ruth. 

Look at verses 1-4. This passage indicates that Naomi had a shepherd’s heart for Ruth. With a shepherd’s heart, she made a plan to find a home for Ruth. It was to establish a marriage between Ruth and Boaz, one of her kinsman redeemers. 

Suppose, however, that Naomi was indifferent to Ruth’s problem. What would have been the result? The answer is obvious. The marriage would not have been established. Then, Obed would not have been born. Had Obed not been born, King David would not have been born. Had David not been born, the Christ would not have been able to come from the line of a man called David. Had Jesus not come, then, Kingdom of God would not have been made available to be born in anyone’s heart.  

But Naomi had a shepherd’s heart for Ruth. And the hope of God’s kingdom sprang up first in the life of Ruth, then in the lives of many. 

Personally, I never forget the time when one of my law school class mates invited me to a Bible study in UBF. It was during the winter of 1971. At that time I was very much like Ruth. I was homeless. My eldest brother who was in charge of the family businesses went insolvent. The creditors foreclosed upon the family estate. My parents hid in a deep mountain village away from the creditors chasing after them. Other family members went out to the street. I lost my home. I had nowhere to go. But my classmate invited me to his house. He even did my laundry. He let me borrow his necktie and his shirts. Most importantly, he prayed for me. He led me to Jesus Christ, the ultimate provider of the ultimate home. And I am eternally thankful for him who had a broken shepherd’s heart for me, for no one tried more sincerely than he to find a spiritual home for me, the home where I can be well provided for. 

Second, I will do whatever you say.

How did Ruth respond to Naomi’s request? Look at verses 5-6. This passage indicates that Ruth was a woman of simple faith and simple obedience. She could have entertained many human thoughts. What if Boaz thought of her as a prostitute? What if she got caught? 

But it does not seem that she entertained any of these thoughts. She simply trusted in the God of Naomi. By faith in God, she simply obeyed Naomi. And the Lord blessed her faith and obedience. 

Her faith and obedience reminds us of a blind man described in John’s gospel 9:1-7. Let us open the Bible and read this passage. It is very difficult to understand what Jesus did. Jesus spat on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes! Wow! Isn’t Jesus a quack? Doesn’t Jesus know that mud contains lots of germs? If the FDA found out what Jesus did, they could have thrown Jesus in jail! In addition, Jesus said to the man, “Go and wash in the Pool of Siloam.” If the blind man needed to go and wash himself, why did Jesus make the man’s eyes dirty in the first place? But the blind man did not question what Jesus asked him to do. Rather, he simply trusted in Jesus. He simply believed and obeyed. What happened? He came home “seeing”! Wow! 

“‘I will do whatever you say.’ She went down to the threshing floor and did everything her mother-in-law told her to do.” Simple faith in Jesus and absolute obedience to Jesus’ word is the key to seeing God’s kingdom arising in our hearts. 

Third, spread the corner of your garment over me.

How did things develop that night at the threshing floor? Look at verses 7-9. Here what Ruth says to Boaz is significant. “I am your servant Ruth. Spread the corner of your garment over me, since you are a kinsman-redeemer.” Naomi was a Jewish woman. She was familiar with the law of Moses such as the law of the so-called “Levirate” marriage that is recorded in Deuteronomy 25:5-10, and the law of redemption such as the one recorded in Leviticus 25. What Ruth said to Boaz had come from the mouth of Naomi. Naomi said what she asked Ruth to say in accordance with the laws of Moses. These laws are very complex, and it takes a lot of efforts to figure out the way these laws operate. But the point of all these laws is very simple: they look to the true realty to come, that is, Jesus Christ. 

Hebrews 10:1a says, “The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming – not the realities themselves.” Then Colossians 2:17 says, “[T]he reality…is found in Christ.” 

These verses help us better understand that the romance between Boaz and Ruth is a fore-shadow of the spiritual marriage relationship between Jesus Christ and New Testament believers. For this reason Bible scholars also say that Boaz is the type of Jesus, the ultimate redeemer, and Ruth a type of Gentile believers. 

With this in mind, let us think about the meaning of what Ruth said to Boaz. “I am your servant Ruth. Spread the corner of your garment over me, since you are a kinsman-redeemer.” When you pray about it, it is not difficult to see that this is what we need to ask Jesus to do daily. “Spread the corner of your garment over me.” Jesus is our ultimate kinsman redeemer. He came to have all of our sins forgiven. He came to cover us. He came to prepare a spiritual home for us. He came to build God’s kingdom inside of all who believe in him! 

Speaking of the work of salvation found in Jesus Christ for all fallen men, the Apostle Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:4, “For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.” Then Paul says in Romans 13:11-14, “And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.” These verses tell us that Jesus Christ is our spiritual garment. 

“I am your servant Ruth. Spread the corner of your garment over me, since you are a kinsman-redeemer.” Let us put each of our names in the place of Ruth, and then say, “I am your servant [       ]. Spread the corner of your garment over me, since you are a kinsman-redeemer.” Daily this is the prayer request we need to make to Jesus Christ our ultimate kinsman redeemer. 

The Apostle Paul set a good example in making this request. In 1 Corinthians 15:31, Paul says, “I die every day – I mean that brothers.” Then he says in Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” We need to practice what Paul did here not just once or twice a year but daily. Each time we wake up in the morning, we change clothes, changing from our pajamas to our business-suits. When Sunday comes, in order to attend the worship service, we change clothes, from regular clothes to the best clothes we have. Likewise, we need to daily take off our old clothes and ask Jesus to cover us with his brand new garment – the garment of his righteousness, the garment of his holiness, and the garment of his love and power, and the garment of his glory! Then what the Apostle Paul says in 2 Corinthians 2:3:18 will come true: “[W]e, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”

Fourth, as long as the Lord lives, I will do it. 

How did Boaz respond to her request? Look at verses 10-17. This passage is heart-moving. While there are many different meanings we can consider, I would like to share only one thing: that is, his words of encouragement really motivate us to daily approach Jesus Christ and the throne of his grace with deep conviction.

Think about what Boaz says. “This kindness is greater than that which you showed earlier…” Ruth asked Boaz for a favor. But Boaz appreciated Ruth for being so kind as to ask for a marriage! 

Boaz’s example reminds us of how Jesus would bless us when we humble ourselves and ask him to come in and be our Lord and Savior. In fact, in Revelation 3, Jesus is described as a man standing at the door knocking, so that he can come in and eat with us, and we with him! The minute we open our hearts and let him in he regards the act of greeting him in as an act of kindness. But on many occasions, in our pride, we keep him outside. We should not do that. Rather we must open our hearts and let him in. Then the Lord blesses us with one blessing after another. He blesses us as much as and as long as we want him to. 

Fifth, his name will not disappear from among his family.

The next morning Ruth came back home. Naomi asked what had happened. Ruth shared with Naomi everything. Then Naomi said, “Wait, my daughter, until you find out what happens. For the man will not rest until the matter is settled today.” 

As Naomi predicted, Boaz acted faithful and swiftly. The next morning he called a meeting among the elders at the city gate. There the kinsman redeemer who was first in line also joined the meeting. At the outset of the meeting, Boaz put out the agenda. Then he asked whether or not the man was willing to redeem. At first the man said he would, but later, upon learning that he had to take over a dead man’s widow, he backed out of the deal because he did not want to endanger his own estate.  

Boaz was the next person in line. And he was willing to redeem. He was willing to endanger his estate. He then declared that he would pay Naomi for the property, marry Ruth, and let the property be used to maintain the name of Mahlon and his offspring. 

What Boaz said at the end of his public speech in verse 10 is significant. “I have also acquired Ruth the Moabitess, 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 the town records. Today you are witnesses!” Notice the expression, “so that his name will not disappear from among his family or from the town records.” This expression reminds us of the effect of Jesus exercising the right to redeem us through his blood sacrifice on the cross. On the cross, he shed his blood. With his blood he purchased us as his bride. Once upon a time in sin we all were dead. But thanks to Jesus’ act of redemption, we came to secure a position in the family of God. Thanks to Jesus’ redemption the name of all who believe in him are registered in the family record maintained by God. Literally, Jesus writes the name of each believer in the book of life. 

Sixth, the house of Israel.

The elders who met at the city gate heard Boaz and blessed his decision to redeem. Their words of blessing had one important point, that is, building up the house of Israel. Here, “the house of Israel” refers to the body of believers. It is an Old Testament synonym for the church which is the body of believers. 

Israel is not just another name for Jacob. It represents a community of believers. In the Hebrew alphabet, the name Israel consists of five letters: Yod, Shin, Resh, Alef, and Lamed. Yod represents Jacob (which is pronounced in Hebrew Ya’akov) and Isaac (Yizhak), Shin Sarah, Resh Rachel (Rahel) and Rebekah (Rivkah), Alef Abraham, and Lamed Leah. This shows us that written in the name of Israel are the three patriarchs of faith (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob) and the four matriarchs of faith (Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, and Leah.) They all believed in the Messiah to come. 

This indicates that the body of Jesus Christ is built up through the spiritual union between Jesus Christ and each believer. From this we learn that we must daily pray to invite people to Jesus Christ so that the body of Jesus would be built up. 

Seventh, Naomi has a son

Verses 13-22 are an epilogue. The marriage between Boaz and Ruth bore fruit, that is, a son named Obed (which means worship). Interestingly, when Obed was born the women in the town said, “Naomi has a son!” They recognized that the Lord God blessed Naomi’s faith and fulfilled her vision. 

Ruth 4:17 also points out that from the line of Obed came David. Matthew 1:1 then says that from David came Jesus the Savior of the world. And Jesus redeemed us from our wickedness. 

The son in the arms of Naomi then points to the birth of the Savior of the world. It symbolizes the hope of God’s kingdom made visible. 

And by faith both Naomi and Ruth made this hope visible. May God bless us to follow their blessed example – the example of their absolute faith and obedience. 

One word: Naomi has a son