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refuge" (Ruth 2:12), he tells her. Later, Boaz becomes the instrument through which that blessing was fulfilled, when he redeems Mahlon's property and takes Ruth as his wife. At this time, another blessing is spoken over Ruth and Boaz:

"May the Lord make the woman who is coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel. May you have standing in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem. Through the offspring the Lord gives you by this young woman, may your family be like that of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah" (Ruth 4:11-12).

This blessing received it's fulfillment from the Lord through Boaz and Ruth's son, Obed, for Obed would become the grandfather of David. The line of David is one that continued in greatness for generations, it has been made famous, and it is the name that was still associated with Bethlehem thousands of years later. And the charge Naomi made against God? The townswomen would say of her,

"Praise be to the Lord, who this day has not left you without a kinsman-redeemer. May he become famous throughout Israel! He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. For you daughter-in-law, who loves you and who is better to you than seven sons, has given him birth" (Ruth 4:14-15).

They had silently heard Naomi's charge against the Lord, now they rejoice at the outcome, as God has vindicated himself and shown his goodness. He is the one with the last word.

The Theology of Ruth:
No less than seven different theological themes have been gleaned from this book throughout the history of the church. The most famous of which is its value as a Davidic/Messianic history, following up on the promise of a royal deliverer. The genealogy of Obed traces the Messiah's lineage from Perez, son of Judah, through to King David, from whose descendants came Christ. The account demonstrates God control over the events that led to the Saviour, and legitimizes Christ's heritage as proof of his Messiahship. This thread woven through the generations is again picked up in the book of Matthew chapter one where the author gives special mention to Ruth, the woman, and foreigner, who earned her place as a forbearer of Jesus Christ.

A second major theme is redemption: the concept of one being bought back' and reinstated into favour. The Hebrew word "redeem," ga'al, occurs 23 times in the book of Ruth, and is displayed primarily by the relationship between Boaz and Ruth as Boaz redeems Ruth from her position of poverty and widowhood and returns

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