Then Naomi took the child and laid him in her lap, and became his nurse.
The neighbor women gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi!” So they named him Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David.
— Ruth 4:16-17
Naomi took the child, laid him on her bosom, and became his nurse. Then something interesting happened. It seems it was the neighbors who came into the house who gave this child his name. They named him Obed, which means serving or worshipping. It is very meaningful that these two can come together in one person. Obed became the father of Jesse, who was the father of David.
There are three places in the Bible where ten generations are mentioned. The first is in Genesis 5, which goes from Adam to Noah. The second is in Genesis 11, which goes from Shem to Abraham. The third set of ten generations is here in Ruth chapter four. The first set of ten generations covers the experience of redemption, the second covers the experience of God’s calling, and this third one covers the experience of being brought from regeneration into the kingdom of God.
Adapted from Ruth: Growth Unto Maturity, pages 87-88.
Tomorrow: “May We All Give Our Hearts to the Lord!”