The Little Town of Bethlehem Part 4

This will be the last week in our series on Ruth. We have been looking at some of the similarities between this story and the Christmas story. We have looked at comparisons between Ruth and Mary, between Boaz and Joseph, and between Boaz and Jesus as our kinsman-redeemer. Let’s look at how the story wraps up.

Ruth 4:13-17 (NIV)
13 So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. Then he went to her, and the LORD enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son. 14 The women said to Naomi: “Praise be to the LORD, who this day has not left you without a kinsman-redeemer. May he become famous throughout Israel! 15 He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. For your daughter-in-law, who loves you and who is better to you than seven sons, has given him birth.” 16 Then Naomi took the child, laid him in her lap and cared for him. 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.

Ruth gives birth to a son. This is a big deal because a son was necessary to fix the lineage problem and Ruth had not had any children up to that point, even though she had been married for ten years before. We see in verse 13 that the Lord enabled her to conceive. While this is not exactly like the miraculous conception in the Christmas story, there is a similarity.

This child is a special type of kinsman-redeemer. Obed could be known as a child-redeemer.

Ruth 4:14-15 (NIV)
14 The women said to Naomi: “Praise be to the LORD, who this day has not left you without a kinsman-redeemer. May he become famous throughout Israel! 15 He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. For your daughter-in-law, who loves you and who is better to you than seven sons, has given him birth.”

Even though Boaz had already fulfilled the role as kinsman-redeemer for the family, notice in verse 14 and 15 that it is this child, Obed, who will renew her life and sustain her in her old age.

Last but certainly not least, look at the end of verse 17:

Ruth 4:17 (NIV)
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.

This child is in the lineage of Kind David. Obed is the grandfather of King David! And Jesus, our redeemer and King comes from this very same family line!

Luke 2:10-11 (NIV)
10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.

When the story of Ruth begins, there is no king in Israel and there is no bread in Bethlehem. In the Christmas story, the true king of Israel is born and Jesus, the bread of life, is in Bethlehem.

Steve Lawes is a church encourager and the founder of the Online Bible Institute.