GOD’S WORD FOR YOU
RUTH 4:15
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.”
This verse is strewn with blessings that probably came from several different people all at once (from the women who were congratulating Naomi). “He will renew your life” is an interesting phrase. Naomi’s life had been emptied, without hope of there being any descendants, when her husband and sons had died in Moab. Now there was a baby, and Naomi’s spirit and hope had revived.
“He will sustain you in your old age.” Since Boaz was not a young man (3:10), perhaps his days of being the strong arm working hard in the field would be ending as the child grew up. It would be this baby boy who would soon take over the family farm and property.
The women describe Ruth as the one “who loves you.” This has been the case throughout the book, from the very first things that Ruth said (1:9; 1:16) up to now. Ruth’s love and devotion to Naomi were some of the first things Boaz noticed about her, too: “Everything you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been reported to me, including how you left your father and your mother, and the land of your birth, and came to live with a people that you did not know before” (2:11). Good believing man that he was, this was the quality that was most desirable in Ruth.
Ruth is also described by the remarkable statement: “she is better to you than seven sons.” Seven sons was a way of describing the ideal family: “She who was barren has borne seven” (1 Samuel 2:5). Remember Solomon’s words: “Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one’s youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them” (Psalm 127:3-5). So Ruth has been as good as many sons to Naomi—better, in fact. Seven is a number indicating holiness in the Bible. There are seven golden lampstands in Revelation (Rev. 1:12); and the Holy Spirit is described as “the seven spirits of God” (Rev. 3:1). Seven seals close the scroll of the book of life (Rev. 5:1), and the Lamb has seven horns and seven eyes (5:5)—a reminder of his holiness and perfection. And while ten is usually the number for completeness (“Don’t I mean more to you than ten sons?” 1 Sam. 1:8), this benediction given about Ruth is a reminder that she was a special gift from God to Naomi, a daughter of holiness and divine goodness. She was a blessing like any of the Lord’s great spiritual gifts. And what a blessing to have friends and neighbors who could recognize this!
When our friends and neighbors see the blessings God has given to us without becoming jealous of those blessings, we know that we have surrounded ourselves with the right kind of people; people “whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the Lord” (Psalm 119:1).
It’s a blessing to have your quality recognized by other people. But not everyone gets awards and accolades for what they do. If you are “World’s Best Mom” (or Dad, or Grandparent) to your child, then you are like Ruth—noticed by the people who matter for the things that truly matter. If you quietly live your life without praise from anyone, remember that your Father in heaven knows you and knows your worth. The blessing that seems so commonplace in the New Testament is not really common at all, and through faith in Christ, it is yours. Paul put it this way to the Galatians (1:3), but it’s found in almost all his letters: “Grace and peace are yours from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Embrace that grace and peace, and remember that you have a place with your Savior forever.
In Christ,
Pastor Timothy Smith
Archives by Wisconsin Lutheran Chapel: http://www.wlchapel.org/worship/daily-devotion/
Pastor Smith serves St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, New Ulm, Minnesota