"13 So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife. And he went in to her, and the Lord gave her conception, and she bore a son. 14 Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a redeemer, and may his name be renowned in Israel! 15 He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age, for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.” 16 Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her lap and became his nurse. 17 And the women of the neighbourhood gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi.” They named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.
18 Now these are the generations of Perez: Perez fathered Hezron, 19 Hezron fathered Ram, Ram fathered Amminadab, 20 Amminadab fathered Nahshon, Nahshon fathered Salmon, 21 Salmon fathered Boaz, Boaz fathered Obed, 22 Obed fathered Jesse, and Jesse fathered David."
Ruth 4:13-22
Let us look back, then, and gather a few lessons from this lovely story. One that we must not miss is the glorifying of the ordinary in human life. God puts a high value on the ordinary, and is interested in ordinary things. Indeed, He chooses the weak things of the world to confound the things that are mighty. This is how dignity comes to Christian living. If we believe that even the ordinary incidentals of our daily lives are somehow, in a way beyond our understanding, caught up in the divine hand - the things we have been, or will be, doing today, ordinary, insignificant things ? Then all of life becomes in- vested with a dignity and a meaning, giving it a sense of purpose and direction that must evermore redeem it from triviality and irrelevance.
Another important lesson - and herein lies the challenge of the book - lies in the act of obedience on Ruth's and Boaz's part. Obedience to simple duty may have repercus- sions far greater than any of us could ever realise. Ruth's obedience to duty in leaving her father's house and tying herself to Naomi led her into the royal line - as the kins- man’s disobedience led him out of it. God does require of us obedience. Take as an il- lustration the idea of a commander-in-chief of a large army with many divisions. The plan of campaign is broken up into sections and segments, and by the time it reaches the platoon of twenty men at the front, they may see neither rhyme nor reason in the particular orders they receive. But on obedience to these orders will depend the success of the over-all battle strategy. The commander-in-chief knows what he is about, and he counts on unquestioning obedience at the front, on the part of the twenty men. This is why we must be content to obey God in the darkness, when we do not know what is go- ing on, do not know why this or that pressure is upon us, or this or that of frustration. It should be enough for us that He knows.