Piece of the Ultimate Puzzle

I love a good story, especially love stories! Some of my favorite movies are romances. I’m a sucker for a hallmark movie! Yes, even though they are cheesy and we can usually guess the storyline in the first 5 minutes! Today we wrap up the story of Ruth in the final verses of the book. Maybe you saw it coming, maybe you didn’t, but the story is complete and the piece of the puzzle is now revealed! Boaz and Ruth get married and have a son, named Obed. Naomi went from losing her husband and her sons to gaining a grandson. The family name would now be carried on and continued because of Boaz redeeming Naomi and Ruth. I always love a happy ending! But it gets better! Maybe like the cheesy hallmark movies, you too predicted that Ruth and Boaz were going to get married. But I bet you didn’t see this coming. Here comes the plot twist! Their son Obed would later become the father of Jesse, and Jesse would become the father of DAVID! KING DAVID!!!!!!! That would make Ruth the great grandmother of David. Um…this means she is in the direct genealogical line of Jesus Christ. You can read about the lineage of Jesus in Matthew or Luke's account. Talk about an upgrade! From being poor, widowed, and childless to being directly related to Jesus Christ! Ruth and Naomi could finally connect the dots. God's direction over their lives, the reason for their struggle and waiting, was now making sense. God had BIG plans for them. Ruth's determination, humility, and faithfulness changed the course of history. What if she had gone back to her hometown like Orpah? She didn’t though. She did the hard thing. The right thing. And in the end, it was worth it! Faithfulness doesn’t go unrecognized by our Heavenly Father. Ruth stuck with it even through the struggle. Later, her character was rewarded, and God took care of her far beyond what she could have imagined, and God will do the same for us! Romans 8:28: “And we know in all things that God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”