What a joy it has been to
watch this story of Boaz, Ruth and Naomi develop, and to discover how
the Lord has been involved behind the scenes all the way. Each of the
people in this book didn't know the Lord's plan, and although they
each had different events lead them to this point, they were now all
able to hold a baby as a symbol and blessing from the Lord that He
was involved. The women of the city made note of these things to
Naomi, and today they add even more to her life by naming the baby.
We read in Ruth chapter four and verse seventeen:
And the women her
neighbors gave it 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.
The
neighbors were so excited about the baby that they “gave it a
name.” Usually the name was given by the parents, but not in
this case. Those who surrounded Boaz, Ruth and Naomi decided his
name. They declared, “There is a son born to Naomi;” In
their excitement for Naomi, they exuberantly wanted all around them
to know their assessment of the situation. They heard Naomi's claim
to being “bitter”, and now they saw her joy. They knew the Naomi
of old and how pleasant she was, and now her old ways were revealed
again. An announcement to the world of the alteration in Naomi's life
must be made, and these women proclaimed it.
The
interesting addition to the women's statement was the name they gave
the baby, “and they called his name Obed.” Upon first
glance that may not seem significant because we do not know many
“Obed's” today, however when we search for the meaning of the
word “Obed” we get a better idea. The name “Obed” means
“serving.” They called the baby “serving”. This may seem a
little odd, but if we think about Boaz, Ruth and Naomi, we may gain
insight to their thoughts. Boaz served. Ruth served, and Naomi
served. Let us remember, none of them knew what God had in mind. None
of them knew all of the plan, and none of them knew that as God lead
them they would all culminate into a family. God was in the business
of blessing them, and their part was to simply “serve.” What an
appropriate name for this baby, and the fact that he was named by the
neighbors tells us that others were watching Boaz, Ruth and Naomi as
they served.
We may
wonder what God is doing in our lives right now. We may question why
it seems that all we do is “serve”, and there never seems to be
any results. We may at times doubt whether the kinsman redeemer cares
at all. Let us be assured through this wonderful story that God does
have a plan, and He is working it out. Our part is to “serve”,
and we should “serve” in such a faithful manner that the
neighbors notice. Perhaps our meditation today should be centered
around this question, “Do we serve the Lord faithfully enough so
that our neighbors know we do?” If we do, all the results and
blessings in our lives will be in the hands of Jesus Christ who loves
us more than we shall ever know.
Next
time we will discover and even greater blessing to Naomi and Ruth as
we finish the book of Ruth, so read ahead, and we shall join together
then.
Until
tomorrow...there is more...
Look
for the new devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From
Generation to Generation” in all major bookstore sites,
www.amazon.com
; www.barnesandnobles.com
; download
to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore
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