Ruth 4:1–22  So, Boaz Took Ruth, and She was His Wife

[Study Aired October 25, 2021]

Rth 4:1  Then went Boaz up to the gate, and sat him down there: and, behold, the kinsman of whom Boaz spake came by; unto whom he said, Ho, such a one! turn aside, sit down here. And he turned aside, and sat down. 
Rth 4:2  And he took ten men of the elders of the city, and said, Sit ye down here. And they sat down. 
Rth 4:3  And he said unto the kinsman, Naomi, that is come again out of the country of Moab, selleth a parcel of land, which was our brother Elimelech’s: 
Rth 4:4  And I thought to advertise thee, saying, Buy it before the inhabitants, and before the elders of my people. If thou wilt redeem it, redeem it: but if thou wilt not redeem it, then tell me, that I may know: for there is none to redeem it beside thee; and I am after thee. And he said, I will redeem it. 
Rth 4:5  Then said Boaz, What day thou buyest the field of the hand of Naomi, thou must buy it also of Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance. 
Rth 4:6  And the kinsman said, I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I mar mine own inheritance: redeem thou my right to thyself; for I cannot redeem it. 
Rth 4:7  Now this was the manner in former time in Israel concerning redeeming and concerning changing, for to confirm all things; a man plucked off his shoe, and gave it to his neighbour: and this was a testimony in Israel. 
Rth 4:8  Therefore the kinsman said unto Boaz, Buy it for thee. So he drew off his shoe. 
Rth 4:9  And Boaz said unto the elders, and unto all the people, Ye are witnesses this day, that I have bought all that was Elimelech’s, and all that was Chilion’s and Mahlon’s, of the hand of Naomi. 
Rth 4:10  Moreover Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, have I purchased to be my wife, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance, that the name of the dead be not cut off from among his brethren, and from the gate of his place: ye are witnesses this day. 
Rth 4:11  And all the people that were in the gate, and the elders, said, We are witnesses. The LORD make the woman that is come into thine house like Rachel and like Leah, which two did build the house of Israel: and do thou worthily in Ephratah, and be famous in Bethlehem: 
Rth 4:12  And let thy house be like the house of Pharez, whom Tamar bare unto Judah, of the seed which the LORD shall give thee of this young woman. 
Rth 4:13  So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife: and when he went in unto her, the LORD gave her conception, and she bare a son. 
Rth 4:14  And the women said unto Naomi, Blessed be the LORD, which hath not left thee this day without a kinsman, that his name may be famous in Israel. 
Rth 4:15  And he shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life, and a nourisher of thine old age: for thy daughter in law, which loveth thee, which is better to thee than seven sons, hath born him. 
Rth 4:16  And Naomi took the child, and laid it in her bosom, and became nurse unto it. 
Rth 4:17  And the women her neighbours 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. 
Rth 4:18  Now these are the generations of Pharez: Pharez begat Hezron, 
Rth 4:19  And Hezron begat Ram, and Ram begat Amminadab, 
Rth 4:20  And Amminadab begat Nahshon, and Nahshon begat Salmon, 
Rth 4:21  And Salmon begat Boaz, and Boaz begat Obed, 
Rth 4:22  And Obed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David. 

The previous chapter of Ruth shows us the process of becoming the bride of Christ through judgment, signified by the encounter of Ruth with Boaz at the threshing floor. It is through judgment that we learn righteousness, as indicated by Ruth asking Boaz to spread His skirt over her.

Isa 26:8  Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O LORD, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee. 
Isa 26:9  With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness. 
Isa 61:10  I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.

Through the furnace of affliction, we are chosen to learn the ways of the Lord as we see Ruth uncovering Boaz’ feet. We also learn to come to rest in Him, symbolized by Ruth laying down at Boaz’ feet throughout the night.

Isa 48:10  Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.

Psa 103:7  He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel. 

Rth 3:7  And when Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of corn: and she came softly, and uncovered his feet, and laid her down.

As Ruth was leaving the threshing floor, Boaz gave her six measures of barley.  The six measures of barley represent all that we need to know about the word of God as long as we are in this body of flesh. That is what will guarantee our inheritance.

Act 20:32  And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.

Naomi, representing the church, told Ruth that Boaz would not rest until He had resolved her kinsman redemption issue. That is to let us know that what our Lord starts, He is able to bring to completion. He will not rest until He has made us (His bride) ready for the marriage feast!!

Php 1:6  Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

Isa 62:1  For Zion’s sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth.

Today’s study of Chapter 4 focuses on the marriage union between Christ and the church, which is signified by the marriage of Boaz and Ruth.

Rev 19:6  And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.
Rev 19:7  Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.
Rev 19:8  And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.
Rev 19:9  And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.

This chapter also gives us a glimpse of our reward, that is, our rulership as indicated by tracing David’s lineage to Ruth.

Rev 2:26  And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:
Rev 2:27  And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.

Rth 4:1  Then went Boaz up to the gate, and sat him down there: and, behold, the kinsman of whom Boaz spake came by; unto whom he said, Ho, such a one! turn aside, sit down here. And he turned aside, and sat down. 
Rth 4:2  And he took ten men of the elders of the city, and said, Sit ye down here. And they sat down. 

As we indicated in the previous review, there are two kinsmen – Boaz and another kinsman who was much closer to Naomi. Boaz here stands for the new man after the image of Christ, and the old man, or the flesh, is the kinsman closer to us. In the Jewish tradition, the older relative must take up the responsibility of a needy relative first, and if he fails to do so, then the onus rests on the younger relative. The old man, or the flesh, always comes first before the spirit or the new man comes.

1Co 15:46  Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.
1Co 15:47  The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.
1Co 15:48  As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. 
1Co 15:49  And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. 

The failure of the old man to bring us to our safe haven provides the opportunity for the new man to come.

A city gate in the scripture is where the elders meet to decide on an issue or judge. The elders here represent the elect.

Deu 21:19  Then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out unto the elders of his city, and unto the gate of his place;

Deu 22:15  Then shall the father of the damsel, and her mother, take and bring forth the tokens of the damsel’s virginity unto the elders of the city in the gate:

A city gate is also a place where elders bear witness on an issue. As we can see here, Boaz took ten men to bear witness of the issue of kinsman redemption he was going to discuss with the closest kinsman of Naomi. The elders at the city gate represent the cloud of witnesses. As God’s elect, we are surrounded by a cloud of witnesses which motivates us to lay aside every weight or any sin that easily besets us.

Heb 12:1  Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

The number ten signifies the fullness of the flesh. Boaz taking ten men is to let us know that it is when our sins are full that we are dragged by the Lord to expose who the nearest kinsman (our old man) is.  It is then that Christ comes with the brightness of His coming (which is the words spoken in the church) to deal with the old man or the wicked. So, the significance of this encounter of Boaz with the nearest kinsman of Naomi is to reveal the old man in our lives and to subsequently destroy the old man by the word of God.

2Th 2:8  And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

Rth 4:3  And he said unto the kinsman, Naomi, that is come again out of the country of Moab, selleth a parcel of land, which was our brother Elimelech’s: 
Rth 4:4  And I thought to advertise thee, saying, Buy it before the inhabitants, and before the elders of my people. If thou wilt redeem it, redeem it: but if thou wilt not redeem it, then tell me, that I may know: for there is none to redeem it beside thee; and I am after thee.  

In verse 3, the decision of Naomi to sell a parcel of land gives us an indication of her utter poverty after coming from the land of Moab. In other words, when Naomi came from Babylon, she was spiritually poor concerning the things of God. The decision by the kinsman to redeem the land, which is our body, on her behalf is to let us know that initially, when we all come from Babylon, we think we can use our own strength in the flesh to stop sinning and to serve the Lord. That is zeal without knowledge, and in a bid to depend on the old man or the flesh to serve Christ, we establish our own righteousness.

Rom 10:2  For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.
Rom 10:3  For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.

Rth 4:5  Then said Boaz, What day thou buyest the field of the hand of Naomi, thou must buy it also of Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance.
Rth 4:6  And the kinsman said, I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I mar mine own inheritance: redeem thou my right to thyself; for I cannot redeem it.

When sin, influenced by the flesh or the old man, has run its course, we painfully come to realize that it is impossible for the flesh to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance. Raising up the name of the dead is being resurrected from our dead works to a new life in the spirit which the flesh or the old man itself admits that it does not have the capability of doing. It is when we come to this point in our walk with Christ regarding the fact that the flesh cannot help us to live the life that pleases God in the spirit, that Christ steps in as we see Boaz committing to redeem Naomi’s land in the next verse.

Rom 7:14  For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.
Rom 7:15  For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.
Rom 7:16  If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good.
Rom 7:17  Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
Rom 7:18  For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
Rom 7:19  For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.
Rom 7:20  Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
Rom 7:21  I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.
Rom 7:22  For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
Rom 7:23  But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
Rom 7:24  O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
Rom 7:25  I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

Rth 4:7  Now this was the manner in former time in Israel concerning redeeming and concerning changing, for to confirm all things; a man plucked off his shoe, and gave it to his neighbour: and this was a testimony in Israel. 

The kinsman closer to Naomi than Boaz removed his shoe to confirm the fact that he had surrendered the buying of the land and marriage to Ruth to Boaz. The removal of the shoes of the kinsman, which we have identified spiritually as the old man, means that our walk in Christ is no longer under the dictates of the old man or flesh but rather under the influence of the new man or Christ. As we walk in the spirit (influenced by the new man), we will automatically not fulfill the lustful desires of the flesh. It is only the spirit that can raise the name of the dead to inherit the land which is our body.

Gal 5:16  This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

Rom 8:5  For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.

Rom 8:10  And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
Rom 8:11  But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

Rth 4:8  Therefore the kinsman said unto Boaz, Buy it for thee. So he drew off his shoe.

At a certain point of our walk with Christ, it becomes obvious to our old man, or the flesh, that the new man has come to succeed him as shown by the kinsman asking Boaz to buy the land. This is symbolized by Saul telling David that he knows that surely David would come and succeed him as king.

1Sa 24:16  And it came to pass, when David had made an end of speaking these words unto Saul, that Saul said, Is this thy voice, my son David? And Saul lifted up his voice, and wept.
1Sa 24:17  And he said to David, Thou art more righteous than I: for thou hast rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded thee evil.
1Sa 24:18  And thou hast shewed this day how that thou hast dealt well with me: forasmuch as when the LORD had delivered me into thine hand, thou killedst me not.
1Sa 24:19  For if a man find his enemy, will he let him go well away? wherefore the LORD reward thee good for that thou hast done unto me this day.
1Sa 24:20  And now, behold, I know well that thou shalt surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in thine hand.
1Sa 24:21  Swear now therefore unto me by the LORD, that thou wilt not cut off my seed after me, and that thou wilt not destroy my name out of my father’s house.

Rth 4:9  And Boaz said unto the elders, and unto all the people, Ye are witnesses this day, that I have bought all that was Elimelech’s, and all that was Chilion’s and Mahlon’s, of the hand of Naomi.

As we have stated earlier, the elders at the gate represent the cloud of witnesses who have compassed us about urging us to let go of everything that offends and to run the race that is set before us with patience.

Heb 12:1  Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
Heb 12:2  Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Our ability to run this race of getting to know Christ in this life is because Boaz representing our Lord Jesus Christ had purchased our land, which is our body, with His precious death on the cross. Being purchased with a price means that we can now glorify God with our bodies.

1Co 6:19  What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 
1Co 6:20  For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

Rth 4:10  Moreover Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, have I purchased to be my wife, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance, that the name of the dead be not cut off from among his brethren, and from the gate of his place: ye are witnesses this day. 

It is this purchase of our land, which is our body, which qualifies us to become the bride of Christ. Being the bride of Christ means that in union with Christ, we are required to raise the name of the dead upon his inheritance. This means that we, the elect, are supposed to make the blind see, the lame to walk, the lepers cleansed, the dead raised and the poor having the gospel preached to them. That basically was what Christ did while on earth, and we are required to follow up with this work here on earth. That is why we are His Christ.

Mat 11:4  Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see:
Mat 11:5  The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.

The blind seeing means that through us, those called and chosen will come to understand the word of God. The lame walking signifies the fact that our walk before Christ will be blameless. The lepers cleansed means we are delivered from the power of sin by the death of our old man. The dead raised up is to tell us that we are being awakened from our spiritually dead situation or sleep. The poor having the gospel preached to them signifies that it is only those who come to recognize that they are spiritually poor who are brought to understand the truth of the gospel.

Mat 5:3  Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Rth 4:11  And all the people that were in the gate, and the elders, said, We are witnesses. The LORD make the woman that is come into thine house like Rachel and like Leah, which two did build the house of Israel: and do thou worthily in Ephratah, and be famous in Bethlehem: 

As indicated, the people at the gates represent the cloud of witnesses. They are the elect of every generation who have petitioned or are petitioning the Lord to bless us spiritually. Them blessing us is the same as the Lord Himself blessing us. So, the Lord is saying that we, the church (Ruth), shall build the house of Israel just like Rachel and Leah did. This house of Israel here symbolizes the church of the first born. Our union with Christ as our husband is to build the church in this age. Later in another age, as shown in other scriptures, we shall build the house of God that involves all humanity.

This spiritual building of the house of Israel is demonstrated physically by the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem by Nehemiah after he returned from captivity.

Neh 4:15  And it came to pass, when our enemies heard that it was known unto us, and God had brought their counsel to nought, that we returned all of us to the wall, every one unto his work.
Neh 4:16  And it came to pass from that time forth, that the half of my servants wrought in the work, and the other half of them held both the spears, the shields, and the bows, and the habergeons; and the rulers were behind all the house of Judah.
Neh 4:17  They which builded on the wall, and they that bare burdens, with those that laded, every one with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other hand held a weapon.
Neh 4:18  For the builders, every one had his sword girded by his side, and so builded. And he that sounded the trumpet was by me.
Neh 4:19  And I said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, The work is great and large, and we are separated upon the wall, one far from another.
Neh 4:20  In what place therefore ye hear the sound of the trumpet, resort ye thither unto us: our God shall fight for us.
Neh 4:21  So we laboured in the work: and half of them held the spears from the rising of the morning till the stars appeared.

As indicated in Nehemiah 4:16, we build the house of Israel with all the spiritual talents our Lord has given to our brothers and sisters. In other words, our Lord has given what every joint supplies. All the weapons mentioned here in Nehemiah refer to the word of God.

Rom 12:3  For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. 
Rom 12:4  For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:
Rom 12:5  So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. 
Rom 12:6  Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; 
Rom 12:7  Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching; 
Rom 12:8  Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.

Rth 4:12  And let thy house be like the house of Pharez, whom Tamar bare unto Judah, of the seed which the LORD shall give thee of this young woman. 

The mention of Tamar here is to let us know the way God operates. Tamar was a widow on two occasions and was without children just like Ruth before she (Tamar) gave birth to Pharez (Genesis chapter 38). We, the church, the bride of Christ are currently barren, but our union with Christ will finally result in us having more children than the religions of this world that have many children.

Gal 4:27  For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband.

Rth 4:13  So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife: and when he went in unto her, the LORD gave her conception, and she bare a son. 

This verse speaks of our marriage union with Christ.

Rev 19:6  And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.
Rev 19:7  Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.
Rev 19:8  And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.
Rev 19:9  And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God. 

Rev 21:9  And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife. 
Rev 21:10  And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,
Rev 21:11  Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;
Rev 21:12  And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:

What comes out of this marriage union is the birth of a son who represents the new man who is after the image of Christ.

Eph 4:24  And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

Col 3:10  And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:

Rth 4:14  And the women said unto Naomi, Blessed be the LORD, which hath not left thee this day without a kinsman, that his name may be famous in Israel. 

We are spiritually blessed that our kinsman, the Lord Jesus Christ, has not left us alone to wallow in the miry clay of sin but has paid the price for us to be cleansed so that a new man would be birthed in us. That his name may be famous in Israel is the same as praising the Lord to the glory of His grace.

Eph 1:3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
Eph 1:4  According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
Eph 1:5  Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
Eph 1:6  To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

Rth 4:15  And he shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life, and a nourisher of thine old age: for thy daughter in law, which loveth thee, which is better to thee than seven sons, hath born him. 

Our union with Christ is what results in the birth of the new man after we have gone through suffering resulting in the death of the old man. This verse shows us the benefits of the birth of the new man in our lives.

The new man is a restorer of our lives. This means that we shall eat bread at our Lord’s table. It means we shall be given the eyes to see and the ears to hear what the spirit is saying in God’s words. We shall know the joy of God’s salvation and become the light to the Gentiles and God’s salvation unto the ends of the earth. Finally, we shall be comforted.

2Sa 9:7  And David said unto him, Fear not: for I will surely shew thee kindness for Jonathan thy father’s sake, and will restore thee all the land of Saul thy father; and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually.

Psa 51:12  Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.

Isa 49:3  And said unto me, Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified.

Isa 49:6  And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.

Isa 57:18  I have seen his ways, and will heal him: I will lead him also, and restore comforts unto him and to his mourners.

The new man is also a nourisher of our lives in our old age. This means that the new man comes only when we are in our old age. The old age here signifies the period in our lives when we begin to walk with Christ knowing we are weak and cannot do anything. In other words, our strength has failed. That is when the new man comes to nourish us.

Psa 71:9  Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength faileth.

The coming of the new man in our lives signifies that we, the elect, are better than seven sons. The better here means precious. Seven sons in the scriptures have both positive and negative applications. The seven sons in a negative application means all of our brothers and sisters in Babylon. They are the called but not chosen.

Act 19:14  And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so. 
Act 19:15  And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?

1Sa 16:10  Again, Jesse made seven of his sons to pass before Samuel. And Samuel said unto Jesse, The LORD hath not chosen these.

Rth 4:16  And Naomi took the child, and laid it in her bosom, and became nurse unto it.

The role of the church is to nurture those whom the Lord brings into our midst so that they will grow up into Him and not tossed about by every wind of doctrine.

Eph 4:11  And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
Eph 4:12  For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
Eph 4:13  Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
Eph 4:14  That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; 
Eph 4:15  But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: 
Eph 4:16  From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

Rth 4:17  And the women her neighbours 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 name Obed according to Strong’s Dictionary means serving. It is when the new man comes in our lives that we can serve the Lord acceptably. We are called and chosen to serve the Lord.

Joh 12:26  If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.

1Sa 12:20  And Samuel said unto the people, Fear not: ye have done all this wickedness: yet turn not aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart; 
1Sa 12:21  And turn ye not aside: for then should ye go after vain things, which cannot profit nor deliver; for they are vain. 
1Sa 12:22  For the LORD will not forsake his people for his great name’s sake: because it hath pleased the LORD to make you his people.

Rth 4:18  Now these are the generations of Pharez: Pharez begat Hezron, 
Rth 4:19  And Hezron begat Ram, and Ram begat Amminadab, 
Rth 4:20  And Amminadab begat Nahshon, and Nahshon begat Salmon, 
Rth 4:21  And Salmon begat Boaz, and Boaz begat Obed, 
Rth 4:22  And Obed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David. 

The list of names of the genealogy of David is to show us the road to rulership which is our reward as the elect.

Rev 2:26  And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:
Rev 2:27  And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.

Pharez, which is the same as Perez, means a breach, that is, the act of breaking or failing to observe the law. We all came into the world being naked or sinful but we did not know it. We were marred in the hands of the Potter which is Christ.

Psa 51:5  Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.

Pharez gave birth to Hezron which means surrounded by a wall. In our desperate situation, we were basically surrounded by the prison walls of sin and so doing what was good was no option.

Hezron gave birth to Ram which means high. This indicates that our sins take on a higher notch bringing us to a state where we become people of liberality (the meaning of Amminadab, the son of Ram). That is, we are swept away by false doctrines and the principles of the world from both Babylon and the world. We therefore become worse off than when we started. That is the situation we all found ourselves in. We therefore cry out just like Paul as follows:

Rom 7:24  O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
Rom 7:25  I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

Amminadab gave birth to Nahshon which means encounter. It is when we get to this deplorable state that we have an encounter with Christ who comes with the brightness of His coming to destroy the wicked or the old man within us.

2Th 2:8  And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

Nahshon gave birth to Salmon which means clothing. Our Lord Jesus comes into our lives to cloth us with His righteousness.

Isa 61:10  I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels. 

Salmon gave birth to Boaz which means in Him is strength. As we are clothed in righteousness, we grow in the strength of the Lord.

Boaz gave birth to Obed which means serving. As we receive strength from the Lord, we are able to serve the Lord acceptably.

Obed gave birth to Jesse which means wealthy or possess. True riches means coming to know Christ.

Rev 2:9  I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.

Jesse gave birth to David which means beloved. David is the man after God’s own heart and was therefore ready for the reward of rulership. As we press on and die daily, we automatically become like David who sought after God’s own heart. This means that we shall surely receive our reward which is to rule the earth with Christ symbolically for a thousand years and to judge the world.

1Sa 13:14  But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the LORD hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the LORD hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the LORD commanded thee. 

Rev 20:4  And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 

May the Lord strengthen us and grant us the grace to die daily as we wait on our Lord!! Amen.