Ruth 4:21

Now the genealogy reaches the heart of the story: Salmon begat Boaz, and Boaz begat Obed. Here the names we have come to know take their place in the sacred line. Boaz, the faithful redeemer, and Obed, the child of promise born to Ruth, are woven into the lineage leading to David. The redemption at Bethlehem's gate was not only a kindness to one family but a crucial link in God's unfolding plan.

To see Boaz and Obed named here is to realize that the tender events of this book belong to something far larger than themselves. The kindness Ruth showed, the integrity Boaz lived, the son the Lord gave, all of it flows into the river of redemptive history. God took the faithfulness of ordinary people in a small town and made it part of the lineage of kings. Obed, the restorer of Naomi's life, becomes a forefather of David. Nothing done in faith is ever wasted; the Lord gathers it into purposes that reach across the ages toward Christ.