NOTES for Rut 4:1-13

The conclusion of Ruth's story is very characteristic; one is tempted to call it a “happy ending.” Among other things, the author of the book clearly needed such a conclusion. He wants us to see that keeping God's commandments is precisely what leads to blessing, to the miraculous restoration of a human life that is falling apart. But the author's divine inspiration is not manifested in this didactic purpose. He tells us that Ruth is now included in the Messiah's genealogy: she and Boaz became ancestors of King David, and therefore of his Descendant. This is what truly matters: keeping the commandments and remaining faithful in great and small things involves a person—in this case, Ruth—in the work that God is accomplishing in the world. The prosperity Ruth found in Boaz's household recedes into the background. Ruth's entire life acquires eternal meaning and a new, eternal dimension.