Ruth 4

Jim ButlerRuth 4

Ruth 4 completes the legal, covenantal, and redemptive-historical movement of the book: Boaz fulfills the role of kinsman-redeemer at the city gate, takes Ruth as his wife, and fathers Obed, whose line runs through Jesse to David and ultimately to the Lord Jesus Christ. The chapter is expounded in three movements — the legal proceeding at the gate (vv. 1–12), the marriage and birth of Obed (vv. 13–17), and the genealogy of Perez to David (vv. 18–22) — each shown to be a thread in God's sovereign, providential execution of the redemptive plan. Love in the Old Testament is treated not as mere emotion but as covenant commitment, exemplified in Ruth's hesed toward Naomi. The sermon concludes that the principal design of the Book of Ruth is to establish the genealogy of David, and through David, to point forward to the Messiah who is the aim and scope of all Scripture.