The Book of Ruth. A Study of the Book of Ruth Chapter 4

The Book of Ruth A Study of the Book of Ruth Chapter 4 Ruth 1:6 For wherever you go, I will go; And wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall be my people, And your God, my God. Boaz Redeems Ruth Introduction Ruth 4:1 Now Boaz went up to the gate and sat down there; and behold, the close relative of whom Boaz had spoken came by. So Boaz said, Come aside, friend, sit down here. So he came aside and sat down. 2 And he took ten men of the elders of the city, and said, Sit down here. So they sat down. 3 Then he said to the close relative, Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab, sold the piece of land which belonged to our brother Elimelech. 4 And I thought to inform you, saying, Buy it back in the presence of the inhabitants and the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, redeem it; but if you will not redeem it, then tell me, that I may know; for there is no one but you to redeem it, and I am next after you. And he said, I will redeem it. 5 Then Boaz said, On the day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you must also buy it from Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, to perpetuate the name of the dead through his inheritance. 6 And the close relative said, I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I ruin my own inheritance. You redeem my right of redemption for yourself, for I cannot redeem it. 7 Now this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning redeeming and exchanging, to confirm anything: one man took off his sandal and gave it to the other, and this was a confirmation in Israel. 8 Therefore the close relative said to Boaz, Buy it for yourself. So he took off his sandal. 9 And Boaz said to the elders and all the people, You are witnesses this day that I have bought all that was Elimelech s, and all that was Chilion s and Mahlon s, from the hand of Naomi. 10 Moreover, Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of Mahlon, I have acquired as my wife, to perpetuate the name of the dead through his inheritance, that the name of the dead may not be cut off from among his brethren and from his position at the gate. You are witnesses this day. 11 And all the people who were at the gate, and the elders, said, We are witnesses. The LORD make the woman who is coming to your house like Rachel and Leah, the two who built the house of Israel; and may you prosper in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem. 12 May your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, because of the offspring which the LORD will give you from this young woman. Descendants of Boaz and Ruth 13 So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife; and when he went in to her, the LORD gave her conception, and she bore a son. 14 Then the women said to Naomi, Blessed be the LORD, who has not left you this day without a close relative; and may his name be famous in Israel! 15 And may he be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age; for your daughter-in-law, who loves you, who is better to you than seven sons, has borne him. 16 Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her bosom, and became a nurse to him. 17 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. 18 Now this is the genealogy of Perez: Perez begot Hezron; 19 Hezron begot Ram, and Ram begot Amminadab; 20 Amminadab begot Nahshon, and Nahshon begot Salmon; 21 Salmon begot Boaz, and 1

Boaz begot Obed; 22 Obed begot Jesse, and Jesse begot David. V. Receiving Redemption s Loving Rewards (4:1-13) With the action having turned in his direction, Boaz now took the initiative. Would the nearer kinsman take what had been offered to Boaz? A. A refusal of redemption (4:1-8) 4:1. Now Boaz went up to the gate and sat down there; Boaz went up to the town gate of Bethlehem. The town gate was where personal business and civic affairs of the people were transacted. The threshing floor was below the level of the city itself, and for that reason Boaz went up to the gate. The area was quite hilly. So Boaz said, Come aside, friend, sit down here. The kinsman-redeemer closer to Elimelech (3:12) came by the gate and Boaz asked him to sit down. The fact that the man s name was not given may have been poetic justice since he refused to become the redeemer. The words my friend became a catch phrase in Israel. Rabbinic writings used the designation for an unknown John Doe. 4-2 And he took ten men of the elders of the city, and said, Sit down here. 4:2. Boaz called together 10 of Bethlehem s elders, and they also sat down. They would serve as witnesses of the legal transaction. Why he chose 10 is not stated. (Centuries later 10 became the number necessary for a Jewish marriage benediction or a quorum for a synagogue meeting.) This was now a man s world where a public decision was to be made on an important matter that profoundly affected the women who had brought it to this point. 4:3. Boaz had a carefully planned strategy. He unfolded the elements in the case step by step. First, he explained that Naomi (and Ruth) had a field for sale that belonged to Naomi s late husband. No information is given as to how she came to possess it. Her poverty apparently required that she sell it. But if possible the land should remain in the family. 1 Jeremiah Buys a Field Jeremiah 32:1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD in the tenth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar. 2 For then the king of Babylon s army besieged Jerusalem, and Jeremiah the prophet was shut up in the court of the prison, which was in the king of Judah s house. 3 For Zedekiah king of Judah had shut him up, saying, Why do you prophesy and say, Thus says the LORD: Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall take it; 4 and Zedekiah king of Judah shall not escape from the hand of the Chaldeans, but shall surely be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, and shall speak with him face to face, and see him eye to eye; 5 then he shall lead Zedekiah to Babylon, and there he shall be until I visit him, says the LORD; though you fight with the Chaldeans, you shall not succeed? 1 Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., & Dallas Theological Seminary. (1985). The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An 2

And Jeremiah said, The word of the LORD came to me, saying, 7 Behold, Hanamel the son of Shallum your uncle will come to you, saying, Buy my field which is in Anathoth, for the right of redemption is yours to buy it. 8 Then Hanamel my uncle s son came to me in the court of the prison according to the word of the LORD, and said to me, Please buy my field that is in Anathoth, which is in the country of Benjamin; for the right of inheritance is yours, and the redemption yours; buy it for yourself. Then I knew that this was the word of the LORD. 9 So I bought the field from Hanamel, the son of my uncle who was in Anathoth, and weighed out to him the money seventeen shekels of silver. 10 And I signed the deed and sealed it, took witnesses, and weighed the money on the scales. 11 So I took the purchase deed, both that which was sealed according to the law and custom, and that which was open; 12 and I gave the purchase deed to Baruch the son of Neriah, son of Mahseiah, in the presence of Hanamel my uncle s son, and in the presence of the witnesses who signed the purchase deed, before all the Jews who sat in the court of the prison. Jeremiah gives us an example of land redemption that follows the same pattern as Boaz s redemption. There are witnesses and a city gate involved. What is remarkable about Jeremiah s redemption of his uncle s land is that he paid full price for it knowing that the nation of Israel would soon be going into Babylonian captivity for seventy years (Jer. 25:11-12). God s command to Jeremiah to purchase this piece of land establishes God s covenant to bring Israel back out of captivity and into the land. Ruth 4-4 If you will redeem it, redeem it; but if you will not redeem it, then tell me, that I may know; 4:4. The nearer kinsman had the first right to the property and Boaz was next after him. If Ruth s closer relative would not redeem (purchase) it, Boaz was prepared to do so. The man then agreed to redeem the piece of land. 2 In ancient Israel, land was never bought out-right, ownership was transferred temporarily through what we would call a lease. The terms of the lease would be written on a scroll which became the title deed, or contract for the transaction. The terms, by which the land could be purchased back, would be written on the outside of the scroll and sealed. In the year of Jubilee, every fiftieth year, all such land transactions became void and land reverted back to the original owner or his descendents. Leviticus 25:15 According to the number of years after the Jubilee you shall buy from your neighbor, and according to the number of years of crops he shall sell to you. God s stated purpose for this form of land transfer was to ensure that the Israelites never forgot whom their land ultimately belonged to. Leviticus 25:23 The land shall not be sold permanently, for the land is Mine; for you are strangers and sojourners with Me. 24 And in all the land of your possession you shall grant redemption of the land. The God of the Universe claims for Himself ownership of one particular piece of land and He holds the title deed, which is sealed with seven seals. Revelation 5:1 And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals. 2 Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., & Dallas Theological Seminary. (1985). The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An 3

The Apostle John states that he weeps convulsively because no one is found worthy to open the scroll and redeem Israel. Revelation 5:2 Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals? 3 And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll, or to look at it. 4 So I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open and read the scroll, or to look at it. Only a kinsman of Adam, of the bloodline of Abraham, from the tribe of Judah, and of the royal line of David is eligible to open the scroll or even look upon it. Revelation 5:5 But one of the elders said to me, Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals. 6 And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7 Then He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. Worthy is the Lamb. In the case of both Boaz and Jeremiah, the city elders and the crowd at the gate give witness to the legality of the land redemption. God requires no less in heaven; Revelation 5:8 Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song, saying: You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood. 4:5 Then Boaz said, On the day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you must also buy it from Ruth the Moabitess, Tied to the story of Ruth is the law concerning the Daughters of Zelophehad. Because their father had no sons at the time that the Promised Land was being divided, God granted that women should be able to share in inheriting land if no male offspring where available. Numbers 27:1 Then came the daughters of Zelophehad the son of Hepher. 2 And they stood before Moses, before Eleazar the priest, and before the leaders and all the congregation, by the doorway of the tabernacle of meeting, saying: 3 Our father died in the wilderness; but he was not in the company of those who gathered together against the LORD, in company with Korah, but he died in his own sin; and he had no sons. 4 Why should the name of our father be removed from among his family because he had no son? Give us a possession among our father s brothers. 5 So Moses brought their case before the LORD. 6 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 7 The daughters of Zelophehad speak what is right; you shall surely give them a possession of inheritance among their father s brothers, and cause the inheritance of their father to pass to them. 8 And you shall speak to the children of Israel, saying: If a man dies and has no son, then you shall cause his inheritance to pass to his daughter. 9 If he has no daughter, then you shall give his inheritance to his brothers. Score one for women s equality in the Old Testament. Because the daughters of Zelophehad spoke up, Naomi and Ruth are legally eligible to inherit the lands belonging to Elimelech. 4

4:6 And the close relative said, I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I ruin my own inheritance. 4:6. When the nearer kinsman heard this stipulation about marriage, he refused his right of purchase. He feared that his own estate might be endangered. So he gave the right of redemption to Boaz. Why did he change his mind? Perhaps he was too poor to sustain the land and a wife. Or, as some have suggested, perhaps he feared to marry a Moabitess lest the fate of Mahlon, Ruth s first husband, befall him. Perhaps the best view is that when he learned from Boaz that Ruth owned the property along with Naomi, he knew that if Ruth bore him a son, that son would eventually inherit not only the redeemed property but probably part of his own estate too. In that sense the nearer redeemer would endanger his estate. However, if only Naomi were the widow (not Naomi and Ruth), then no son from the levirate marriage would inherit part of the redeemer s estate because Naomi was past childbearing. 3 Notice how the redemption of the land is tied to betrothing a gentile bride. We have made the case in the previous chapters of how God is using Boaz to show us a type of Christ, his unnamed servant as a type of the Holy Spirit, Ruth as a type of the Church, and Naomi as a type of Israel. What case could be made for whom this un-named nearer kinsman could be a type of? Who is it that Jesus has to purchase you and I away from? I would not sell it to hard, but this nearer kinsman could be a type of the world. Jesus has purchased His bride and sanctified her, set her apart, from the world. John 15:19 "If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Through Boaz accepting a gentile bride, the land belonging to a Jewish remnant, who returns from sojourning in a foreign land, is secured (sound familiar?). 4:7-8. A legal transaction was finalized not by signing a paper but by a dramatic symbolic act that others would witness and remember. The passing of the sandal symbolized Boaz s right to walk on the land as his property (Deut. 1:36; 11:24; Josh. 1:3; 14:9). After giving his sandal to Boaz, the unknown kinsman moved from the scene and into anonymity. But the name of Boaz has been remembered in all succeeding generations. 4 B. An accomplished redemption (4:9-12) 4:9 And Boaz said to the elders and all the people, You are witnesses this day that I have bought all that was Elimelech s, and all that was Chilion s and Mahlon s, from the hand of Naomi. 10 Moreover, Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of Mahlon, I have acquired as my wife, to perpetuate the name of the dead through his inheritance, that the name of the dead may not be cut off from among his brethren and from his position at the gate. You are witnesses this day. Boaz moved quickly to complete the transaction. He claimed and received the right of redemption, both for Elimelech s land and for Ruth, who was the only widow left capable of giving birth to a son who would perpetuate the family name. 4:9-10. Boaz called the elders to witness the transaction as he took possession of Naomi s property and acquired Ruth the Moabitess. Boaz evidenced no reluctance to call Ruth a Moabitess. He respected her as a worthy person. He would raise a son to continue the name of Elimelech and of Elimelech s son, Mahlon. In verses 9-10 all the 3 Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., & Dallas Theological Seminary. (1985). The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An 4 Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B. 5

family members were mentioned again except Orpah. She had also faded into anonymity with the nameless nearer kinsman. Though not stated, it may be assumed that with Ruth, Boaz also took responsibility for Naomi. This logically followed from the commitment Ruth had made to her mother-in-law. This was later confirmed by the Bethlehem women (verse. 15). Boaz is a beautiful illustration of the Lord Jesus Christ who became mankind s Kinsman-Redeemer and who makes things right before God the Father for those who trust in Him. 4:11 And all the people who were at the gate, and the elders, said, We are witnesses. The LORD make the woman who is coming to your house like Rachel and Leah, the two who built the house of Israel; and may you prosper in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem. 4:11. The elders gave willing witness to this redemption transaction. They blessed Boaz with the desire that the Lord make Ruth a fertile mother. Their mentioning Rachel and Leah has significance. Rachel, named first, had been barren for many years before she bore children. Similarly Ruth had been barren in Moab. The elders prayed that Boaz would have standing in Ephratah. The elders prayed that Boaz would be famous in Bethlehem. God abundantly answered their prayers as many have witnessed. 5 4;12 May your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, because of the offspring which the LORD will give you from this young woman. The blessing in verse eleven is suitable for a wedding toast, but if you are familiar with the unseemly story of Tamar and Judah, you would think this toast is more like a curse. Genesis 38:6 Then Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. 7 But Er, Judah s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD, and the LORD killed him. 8 And Judah said to Onan, Go in to your brother s wife and marry her, and raise up an heir to your brother. 9 But Onan knew that the heir would not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in to his brother s wife, that he emitted on the ground, lest he should give an heir to his brother. 10 And the thing which he did displeased the LORD; therefore He killed him also. 11 Then Judah said to Tamar his daughter-in-law, Remain a widow in your father s house till my son Shelah is grown. For he said, Lest he also die like his brothers. And Tamar went and dwelt in her father s house. 12 Now in the process of time the daughter of Shua, Judah s wife, died; and Judah was comforted, and went up to his sheepshearers at Timnah, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite. 13 And it was told Tamar, saying, Look, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep. 14 So she took off her widow s garments, covered herself with a veil and wrapped herself, and sat in an open place which was on the way to Timnah; for she saw that Shelah was grown, and she was not given to him as a wife. 15 When Judah saw her, he thought she was a harlot, because she had covered her face. 16 Then he turned to her by the way, and said, Please let me come in to you ; for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law. So she said, What will you give me, that you may come in to me? 17 And he said, I will send a young goat from the flock. So she said, Will you give me a pledge till you send it? 18 Then he said, What pledge shall I give you? So she said, Your signet and cord, and your staff that is in your hand. Then he gave them to her, and went in to her, and she conceived by him. 19 So she arose and went away, and laid aside her veil and put on the garments of her widowhood. 20 And Judah sent the young goat by the hand of his friend the Adullamite, to receive his 5 Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., & Dallas Theological Seminary. (1985). The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An 6

pledge from the woman s hand, but he did not find her. 21 Then he asked the men of that place, saying, Where is the harlot who was openly by the roadside? And they said, There was no harlot in this place. 22 So he returned to Judah and said, I cannot find her. Also, the men of the place said there was no harlot in this place. 23 Then Judah said, Let her take them for herself, lest we be shamed; for I sent this young goat and you have not found her. 24 And it came to pass, about three months after, that Judah was told, saying, Tamar your daughter-in-law has played the harlot; furthermore she is with child by harlotry. So Judah said, Bring her out and let her be burned! 25 When she was brought out, she sent to her father-in-law, saying, By the man to whom these belong, I am with child. And she said, Please determine whose these are the signet and cord, and staff. 26 So Judah acknowledged them and said, She has been more righteous than I, because I did not give her to Shelah my son. And he never knew her again. 27 Now it came to pass, at the time for giving birth, that behold, twins were in her womb. 28 And so it was, when she was giving birth, that the one put out his hand; and the midwife took a scarlet thread and bound it on his hand, saying, This one came out first. 29 Then it happened, as he drew back his hand, that his brother came out unexpectedly; and she said, How did you break through? This breach be upon you! Therefore his name was called Perez. 30 Afterward his brother came out who had the scarlet thread on his hand. And his name was called Zerah. What kind of story is this that it would be used as a key part of a blessing on a newly married couple? I believe this blessing is prophetic of the coming of King David. Let us look at Deuteronomy 23:2 which says, One of illegitimate birth shall not enter the assembly of the LORD; even to the tenth generation none of his descendants shall enter the assembly of the LORD. Now look at the genealogy of Jesus as found in the Gospel of Matthew; Matthew 1:2 Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers. 3 Judah begot Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez begot Hezron, and Hezron begot Ram. 4 Ram begot Amminadab, Amminadab begot Nahshon, and Nahshon begot Salmon. 5 Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse, 6 and Jesse begot David the king. How many generations are there between the illegitimate Perez and King David? Ten generations. This blessing in The Book of Ruth is pointing towards Israel s soon coming King in more ways then one. C. A rewarded redemption (4:13) 4:13 13 So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife; and when he went in to her, the LORD gave her conception, and she bore a son. 4:13. This climax to the narrative is brief but full of meaning. Marriage, God-given conception, and the longed-for heir were all mentioned in a few words. Ruth had been barren in Moab for the entire period of her marriage to Mahlon. Now her faithful obedience was rewarded as God gave her conception. In a sense this foreshadowed the miraculous birth of the Son of God that would take place in Bethlehem when the fullness of time had come (Luke 1:26-38, Luke 2:1-7, Galatians 4:4) The sojourn in Moab lasted at least 10 years (Ruth 1:4). By contrast, within a few short weeks of their return to Bethlehem, Naomi and Ruth had experienced blessing that was rich and full. VI. Conclusion (4:14-21) 7

This conclusion of the narrative contrasts beautifully with its introduction (1:1-5). Deep sorrow turned to radiant joy; emptiness gave way to fullness. A. A joyful filling (4:14-17) 4:14. Naomi again moved to the center of the scene. The women of Bethlehem who had witnessed Naomi s emptiness when she returned (1:19) now praised God that she had received a kinsman-redeemer. Had Naomi not been past the time of childbearing (1:12; 4:15) she might have been the one at the feet of Boaz that night on the threshing floor (3:7). The women knew this and they spoke of Boaz as the kinsman-redeemer of Naomi as surely as if she had gone there. They blessed Boaz with a blessing similar to that of the elders (4:11). They asked that Boaz be famous in Israel, a request that God granted. The Book of Ruth is filled with benedictions and blessings of Israel s people. 4:15. The women predicted that Boaz would care for Naomi by renewing her life and giving her security for her old age. Ruth, whom Naomi had not thought worth mentioning when she came to Bethlehem, was declared by the women to be of more worth than seven sons. Seven sons symbolized the supreme blessing that could come to a Hebrew family. Ruth s worth was related to the occasion of the birth of her son. 6 1 Sam. 2:5 [Those who were] full have hired themselves out for bread, And the hungry have ceased [to hunger]. Even the barren has borne seven, And she who has many children has become feeble. Job 1:2. And seven sons and three daughters were born to him. 3 Also, his possessions were seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred female donkeys, and a very large household, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the East. Job 42:12 Now the LORD blessed the latter [days] of Job more than his beginning; for he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, one thousand yoke of oxen, and one thousand female donkeys. 13 He also had seven sons and three daughters. Job was given double the amount of animals as he had at the beginning of the book. He was then provided an equal number of sons and daughters as he had previously. This is a clear statement of belief in a future resurrection of the dead. The children he had before plus the children he was given at the end of the book all add up to mean he had double the number of children in eternity. The animals are not part of Job s eternal possessions. 4:16-17. Naomi became the nurse for Obed. This may have been a formal act of adoption. The women of Bethlehem named the boy Obed which means worshiper. Naomi accepted the name. She, the empty one, was now full. The bitter one was now blessed. Naomi had a son (actually a grandson but son in Hebrew often means descendant ). In time God s providential purpose became clear. The child became the grandfather of King David. Ruth s son becomes Naomi s child to raise and he will inherit all that belonged to Elimelech. B. A surprising genealogy (4:18-21) Perez s family line provided documentation for God s providential care. The seemingly ordinary events in the Book of Ruth (e.g., travels, marriages, deaths, harvesting, eating, 6 Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., & Dallas Theological Seminary. (1985). The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An 8

sleeping, purchasing land) revealed the guiding activity of the sovereign God. 7 The importance of genealogies God uses genealogies to reveal to us His long view of history and His complete trustworthiness. The Curse on Jeconiah The kings of the southern kingdom had gone from bad to worse, and one of the most provocative paradoxes in Scripture emerges from the blood curse that God pronounced on Jeconiah: Thus saith the LORD, Write ye this man childless, a man that shall not prosper in his days: for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah. -Jeremiah 22:30 What makes this so remarkable is that the Messiah was prophesied to come from the royal line of David.8 Now there was a blood curse on that very royal line! (I always imagine that there must have been a celebration in the counsels of Satan then, since they must have assumed that they now had God in an unsolvable corner: how can the Messiah come from the royal line that is now subject to a blood curse? But then I visualize God turning to the angels and saying, "Watch this one!") Two Genealogies of Jesus When we get to the New Testament, we discover two genealogies of Jesus Christ. Matthew, as a Jew and focusing on Jesus as the Messiah, begins his with Abraham and follows the royal line through David, and the first surviving son of Bathsheba, Solomon, on to Joseph, the legal father of Jesus Christ. Luke, however, as a doctor focuses on Jesus as the Son of Man, and takes his genealogy from Adam - the first man - and then from Abraham to David, they are identical. However, when Luke gets to David, rather than go through Solomon, he follows the line from Nathan, the second surviving son of Bathsheba, and takes his genealogy to Mary, identifying Joseph as the son-in-law of Heli, Mary's father. (Luke 3:23, nomi,zw, nomizo, reckoned as by law. This derives from the specific exception granted in the Torah to the daughters of Zelophehad (Numbers 27:1-11; Joshua 17:3-6), and by which the son-in-law inherits (Ezra 2:61; Nehemiah 7:63; Numbers 32:41; 1 Chronicles 2:21-23, 34-35). 8 Jesus inherits the throne of David (the Royal Line) through Joseph, His legal father, but He avoids the blood curse pronounced by God on Jeconiah s descendents by not being the biological son of Joseph. Through Mary, Jesus shares in the bloodline of David but Matthew s genealogy shows how Mary s line also avoids the blood curse on Jeconiah. The virgin birth, prophesied in Isaiah (as well as the hint in Genesis 3) is thus an "end run" on the blood curse on the descendants of Jeconiah (Genesis 3:15, "the seed of the woman" (a contradiction in terms), and also prophesied in Isaiah 7:14). 7 Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., & Dallas Theological Seminary. (1985). The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An 8 Missler, Chuck, The Patriotic Prophet, Jeremiah, www.khouse.org, web, 13 November 2011 9

4:18-20. Perez was the son of Judah through Tamar (Gen. 38:12-30; Ruth 4:12). Hezron was among the family of Jacob that went to Egypt (Gen. 46:12). Ram is mentioned in 1 Chronicles 2:9. Amminadab was the father-in-law of Aaron (Ex. 6:23). Nahshon was head of the house of Judah (Num. 1:7; 7:12; 10:14). 4:21. Salmon was the father of Boaz. According to Matthew 1:5, Boaz s mother was Rahab, the Canaanite harlot from Jericho. Obed, Boaz and Ruth s son, became the father of Jesse, who became the father of David 1 Sam. 17:12. Now David [was] the son of that Ephrathite of Bethlehem Judah, whose name [was] Jesse, and who had eight sons. And the man was old, advanced [in years], in the days of Saul. Jesus Christ s lineage, through Mary, is traced to David; Romans 1:3 concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, 4 [and] declared [to be] the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. 2 Timothy 2:8 Remember that Jesus Christ, of the seed of David, was raised from the dead according to my gospel, 9 for which I suffer trouble as an evildoer, [even] to the point of chains; but the word of God is not chained. Revelation 22:16 "I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star." Christ is therefore called the Son of David (Matt. 15:22; 20:30-31; 21:9, 15; 22:42). Christ will someday return to earth and will sit on the throne of David as the millennial King 9 2 Samuel 7:12 When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be his Father, and he shall be My son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men. 15 But My mercy shall not depart from him, as I took [it] from Saul, whom I removed from before you. 16 And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever. Revelation 20:4-6 And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then [I saw] the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received [his] mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5 But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This [is] the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy [is] he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years. In spite of all appearances to the contrary, the faithful God had been about His business on Ruth s behalf. Believers should also be about His business. The rewards of responsible living are always the sweet fruit of God s grace. 10 9 Missler, Chuck, The Patriotic Prophet, Jeremiah, www.khouse.org, web, 13 November 2011 10 Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., & Dallas Theological Seminary. (1985). The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An 10