The Christmas story is so well known. Shepherds, angels, and wise men. Mangers, stars, and sheep. We know the stories.
This season I have chosen to focus on Christmas in places we do not normally look. Last week I shared the introduction to Matthew’s gospel. Look at it again.
This is the genealogy[a] of Jesus the Messiah[b] the son of David, the son of Abraham: 2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar, Perez the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram, 4 Ram the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon, 5 Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse, 6 and Jesse the father of King David. David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife, 7 Solomon the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of Asa,8 Asa the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Jehoram, Jehoram the father of Uzziah, 9 Uzziah the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, 10 Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amon, Amon the father of Josiah, 11 and Josiah the father of Jeconiah[c] and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon. 12 After the exile to Babylon: Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, 13 Zerubbabel the father of Abihud, Abihud the father of Eliakim, Eliakim the father of Azor, 14 Azor the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Akim, Akim the father of Elihud, 15 Elihud the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob, 16 and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah. 17 Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Messiah.
This passage is so often ignored. But the names on this page are so much more than names. They each represent the grace of God at work. That grace reaches back to Abraham and leads all the way to Jesus.
This section shows that magnificent work of God. Did you catch it? We stopped on that verse last week.
Look again at verse five. We looked at Rahab last week. Read a few more words.
There it is. Obed was the father of Jesse. Jesse was the father of David. But did you see who Obed’s father was? His daddy was Boaz. And Obed’s mother-Ruth.
Wait. Ruth! In the line of David and Jesus? Ruth? Really?
We could easily overlook this name. In this line of heavy hitters who find a woman who does not belong. Like Rahab we studied before, Ruth does not fit into the narrative.
It is not necessary or possible to read Ruth’s entire story or recount it here. I will summarize her life. In short order, Ruth is a Moabite woman. These people are among the enemies of God’s people. She should not have been listed in this genealogy. But she is.
Her story is introduced in the first five verses of chapter one. It is the story of tragedy. Like a succession of storms, this small family is rocked.
In the days when the judges ruled,[a] there was a famine in the land. So a man from Bethlehem in Judah, together with his wife and two sons, went to live for a while in the country of Moab. 2 The man’s name was Elimelek, his wife’s name was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to Moab and lived there. 3 Now Elimelek, Naomi’s husband, died, and she was left with her two sons. 4 They married Moabite women, one named Orpah and the other Ruth. After they had lived there about ten years, 5 both Mahlon and Kilion also died, and Naomi was left without her two sons and her husband.
Elimelek was a faithful man from the town of Bethlehem. He married Naomi and they had two sons: Mahlon and Kilion. From there the story only becomes tragic.
A famine drives the family into exile. They land in Moab. There the sons marry women from Moab. Disaster strikes as Elimelek dies. In the family dynamics of Biblical days, it would fall upon her sons to take care of their mother.
Then, ten years later her two sons die. They must have had some sense that the sons were in poor health. Their names foretell their fate. Mahlon’s name means sickly. Chilion’s name means wasting away.
These three women, lacking hope, hear that the famine in Bethlehem has lifted. Ruth has no choice but to return home. She has nothing and offers nothing. Her only hope is that someone in her husband’s extended family will take responsibility for her.
With great sorrow the three women begin the long, arduous journey home. Along the way Ruth turned to her daughters-in-law and encouraged them to return home. She knows that there is nothing she can bring to them. Orpah turns for home.
Ruth, on the other hand, spoke what has become the most well-known words in the book of Ruth. Often used in marriages, Ruth speaks of her commitment to fulfilling her vows, even extending the dedication to her mother-in-law.
16 But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. 17 Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.”
What an amazing statement of dedication. She will not leave Naomi, regardless of the cost. She will follow wherever her mother-in-law goes.
The remainder of the book of Ruth tells the story of the glory of God at work. First, they arrive at the field of Boaz. Some would mistakenly call this an accidental meeting. It was anything but.
Boaz is in the family of Naomi’s husband. Did she know that? Was it a plan to look for help? Whether this was planned or known only in the providence of God, we see the protection of God on the unlikely pair.
Ruth faithfully gleans in the field. That is, she follows the harvesters around the field, picking up the pieces of grain that were missed or dropped. At the end of the first day, she had enough to care for herself and Naomi.
This process continues for some time. Eventually she catches the attention of Boaz. He first notices her industrious nature. She faithfully works, every day gathering grain. Then upon taking a closer look, he notices that she is quite an attractive figure. She catches his eye, and he provides for their care. He instructs his harvesters to protect Ruth and to provide by leaving abundant grain for her to gather.
At some point all parties recognize that Boaz will have the opportunity to be the kinsman redeemer for Naomi.
This title speaks of the one who can claim the property of the deceased Elimalech. The privilege of receiving the land was great, enlarging the redeemer’s holdings. God instituted this plan so that land would stay in the hands of the individual’s family.
The nearest family member would like to have taken Elimalech’s land but wanted no part in providing for Naomi and Ruth. Boaz steps in and takes responsibility. He cares for Naomi and marries Ruth.
The story is amazing. We see Naomi’s initiation of providing for Ruth. We observe Ruth’s virtue in reaching out to Boaz in an honorable way. Finally, we see Boaz faithful actions honoring God with his commitments.
The connection here is obvious. What is Ruth doing in this line? The story of Jesus’ coming does not just reach a manger. It is not just a story for the shepherds but reaches to those outside Israel. It includes a woman from Moab. It includes me and you!
I make four statements about God’s work in summary.
- God keeps His covenant in amazing ways.
- God is sovereign in every situation.
- God is always compassionate.
- God rewards faithful living.
