Discover The Word

Tuesday, November 16, 2010, Part 2

“Also the neighbor women gave him a name, saying, ‘There is a son born to Naomi.’  And they called his name Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David” (Ruth 4:17).

IDEA: The final comment by the storyteller tells us why this story was told.

PURPOSE: To help listeners appreciate that the story of Ruth was not given for its own sake but for our sakes as well.

How were your children named?

Who decided the names? Did you have any other input?

I. The baby born to Ruth and Boaz is named Obed.

Obed means one who works/serves. Serves whom?

Is this a shortened form of Obadiah which means “servant of the Lord”?

In the context, whom might “servant” refer to? Servant of Naomi.

Who named the baby? (Ruth 4:17)

This is the only place in the Older Testament where people other than the parents named a child.

It seems also to occur in the naming of John the Baptist (Luke 1:59).

In some cultures it can be the duty of a senior kinsman or a ritual specialist, and the participation of the larger community is usually required to validate the name (from Anthropological Linguistics, p. 22, 1980). So what?

II. The writer then sets forth a surprise, a final exclamation point.

Obed was the father of Jesse, the father of David (Ruth 4:17).

This well-written little human story of two struggling widows takes on a startling new significance.

It is an important thread in Israel’s national history. It tells us something about God at work in unexpected ways for greater goals.

It is the crowning event in the strange but exciting saga of Ruth, a Moabite immigrant. Who could have expected a destiny beyond her destiny?

God, in overwhelming generosity, rewards those who take refuge under His wings.