75 of 365 - Obed

​Then Naomi took the child in her arms and cared for him. The women living there said, “Naomi has a son!” And they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David. Ruth 4:16-17
 
So just when you think the story couldn’t get any better, it is punctuated with the genealogy a few generations after the son of Ruth and Boaz…Boaz the father of Obed, Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David.
 
Yes, King David. We will learn more about him as we continue in God’s story to us, but you may have heard of him. The shepherd boy who killed the giant, Goliath, everyone was afraid to fight. The one described as a man after God’s own heart.  David, the great-grandson of the once homeless and childless widow, Ruth.
 
Let that soak in. A redemption story that has impact generations beyond its story.
 
Interestingly it is Naomi who is mentioned as taking the child into her arms and caring for him. Naomi whom the women say, “Naomi has a son!”  He is part of her redemption story too.
 
And while this is the end of the book of Ruth, it isn’t the end of God’s story. The entire Bible points to Jesus. Naomi, Ruth, Boaz were all part of the story…as are all of us. While there are ups and downs, tragedies and triumphs, the story isn’t about us. It is God’s story and it is all about Jesus, the one who came to save us. To fully satisfy the penalty of our sin by His blood so the story can end with us with Him for all eternity.
 
Just as Ruth and Naomi needed a redeemer, we too need a redeemer. This life and fallible humans in it will always let us down. Trying to do things in our own power will always let us down. Trying to be good enough will always let us down. And until we recognize our need for a redeemer, we won’t receive the power that comes from being redeemed.
 
Questions:  Where are you growing weary trying to do things on your own? Have you come to a point of realizing your desperate need for a redeemer?