Ruth 4:11-22 | From Empty to Full

Some of you might remember, back in Week 1, I opened our Ruth series with a personal story about my college dating life. I shared about an unwise decision I made: ignoring a massive red flag, rationalizing a compromise, and believing I would be the exception to the rule! This choice, driven by desperation more than discernment, led to a season of bitter and avoidable heartache. I dated a guy I had no business dating, who said right up front she never wanted to marry a pastor! The relationship imploded, and I learned firsthand that when we make unwise decisions, we carry the consequences.

I titled that sermon 'The Bitter Road Home' because Ruth chapter 1 opened in a similar emotional framework. If you recall, the story of Ruth began with a man named Elimelech making a seemingly practical, but deeply unwise, move to Moab—the spiritual "no go zone"—seeking security outside of God's promise. And it ended up costing him everything. He died. His sons died. Ruth and Naomi returned to Bethlehem, empty and heartbroken. Naomi showed up back home, telling everyone to call her 'Mara'—bitter. She even changed her name! From Naomi, meaning "pleasantness" or "my delight," to "Mara," meaning "bitter." She wanted them to call her bitter because life had been bitter to her!

I know some of you all have had it rough! Maybe even felt like throwing in the towel completely on life. But have you ever been so downtrodden that you considered changing your name? Hi there, nice to meet you, what’s your name? Or just call me SadSack… Sad Sack Stuckey! I’d say cice to meet ya, but it ain’t!

Noami’s on another level here of depression folks! And we can understand why, Ruth chapter 1 opened on a very bitter road. These women, were utterly empty. And after I graduated college and got dumped… so was I!

Now after that sermon, Wes pulled me aside and gave me the business a little bit because I never mentioned my wife Rachel! “Why didn’t you tell them the rest of the story?” he said!

To which I responded… “Patience, young Padawan, patience!” Ironically, good ole Wesley will be teaching us all more about biblical patience next week!

But I didn’t tell you the rest of the story, because like the story of Ruth, all good stories take some time to tell properly. As much as we’d all like to rush to the happy ending, sadly, life doesn’t always play out that way, right? Sometimes the bitter road is a bit longer than we’d like!

Because Ruth chapter one started with Ruth and Naomi bitter and empty, I left you to sit in the bitterness and emptiness of my dating life for a couple of weeks. But I’m here now to tell you the rest of the story—not just with my dating life, but more importantly, with the life of Ruth and Naomi!

Over these past weeks, we've walked that road with Naomi and Ruth. We’ve seen faithfulness in the fields, loyalty in the midst of loss, and God’s surprising providence at the threshing floor. We’ve watched last week as Boaz, a faithful farmer, stepped into the role of kinsman-redeemer and paid the costly price to get Ruth and Naomi unstuck from their dire situation!

And now, we arrive at the very end of this incredible story, Ruth chapter 4:11-22.

If you’ve ever wondered whether God could truly take a desolate beginning and weave it into something beautiful, well this is your answer. Today, we’re going to see how God leads His followers from bitter roads to better endings.

In the story of Ruth, we witness God taking what feels like a burial and revealing that actually it was a planting. We see that He is able to bring fullness to what was utterly empty!

And we’ll see this fullness—this divine filling—play out in three powerful movements. Think of this as our road map for today:

First, we'll talk about A Legacy Affirmed (vv. 11–12) as God embraces our messy roads.

Next, we'll explore how A New Chapter Begins (vv. 13–17) as God fills what was empty.

Finally, we'll discover A Greater Story Unfolds (vv. 18–22) as God's 'Better Ending' reaches farther than you can see.

So firstly,

I. A Legacy Affirmed: God Embraces Our Messy Roads (vv. 11–12)

If you’ll remember from last week, Ruth and Naomi were content to trust God. They had but a bold proposal plan into action by faith and now they were content to let God through a group of men decide their future at the city gate!

And through and eventful and emotional roller coaster ride of a conversation, the deal is sealed. Boaz officially takes on the role of redeemer. And in this incredibly significant moment, the elders and all the people present stand up and publicly bless Boaz and Ruth.

Listen to the loaded names they invoke:

Ruth 4:11-12: “11 Then the elders and all the people standing in the gate replied, “We are witnesses! May the LORD make this woman who is coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, from whom all the nation of Israel descended! May you prosper in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem. 12 And may the LORD give you descendants by this young woman who will be like those of our ancestor Perez, the son of Tamar and Judah.”

Now, to an ancient Israelite, these names weren't just random mentions from a family tree. These were the names loaded with incredibly history and significance for the people of Israel and the stories these names represent, well spoken as a blessing makes the blessing of this community over Boaz, Ruth and Naomi as beautiful as it is ironic.

If you don’t know, and it’s ok if you don’t, Rachel and Leah were sisters and also the wives of one man named Jacob! You can read about their story starting in Genesis 29, but suffice to to say, these 2 sisters were rivals in a broken, polygamous marriage and that worked out about as well as you might expect! It was a train wreck and yet God worked faithful and providentially through this sinful situation to bring about His people and the 12 tribes of Israel. Rachel and Leah were both very flawed women, living in less that God’s best way and yet, God brought a better ending from their bitter road than one would’ve ever thought possible! The nation of Israel, God’s chosen people and Jesus, came from them!

And what of Tamar and Judah. That story is just unreal! There are kids in here so I’ll let you go read the finer details for yourselves later in Genesis 38, but scandalous doesn’t even begin to describe how little Perez comes into the family! You think your family reunions are interesting with all the divided polictics… go read Gensis 38 and be encouraged… you’re family might be a real mess, but Judah’s family was worse!

Tamar, ‘ughhem’ acts shall we say in quite an unconventional manner to fight for covenant faithfulness and God moves through that mess and that bitter road to bring about a better ending than anyone thought possible there as well!

And now here’s Ruth, a Moabite outsider, whose very origin comes from another scandal—Remember the Moabites and where they came from — from Lot and one of his daughters which you can read more about that bitter road and train wreck of a story in Genesis 19!

All of this, all of this is loaded into the bless that that the elders speak over Boaz and Ruth at the city gate!

The elders are essentially saying, "Just like God worked through these bitter, broken, messy, and even scandalous stories before—just as He redeemed them for His purposes—may He do it again through Ruth."

Which as we’ve patiently seen played out, is exactly what God has been up to all along!

It hasn’t been neat and tidy. It’s been bitter and a bit of a mess, but the names spoken in blessing over this new couple reminds them… God can work with messy and does!

And I also want to mention here, Boaz.

Sometimes in preaching, it’s easy to go to the extremes. Depression or Bliss! Catastrophe or triumph, and while life has those experiences, most of life is lived somewhere in between the valleys and the mountain tops. And when we only preach to the extremes, it can make the rest of us who are kind of just somewhere in the middle feel left out and possible wondering, well I know God can work through disaster and disease, but what about my everyday!?

That’s why I want you to see Boaz.

When Ruth and Naomi show up, Boaz, isn’t in extreme bitterness. He may be grappling with singleness and desiring to be married, but we don’t know that. He may also be very content in his singleness! We also know, he’s got a thriving business. He’s a farmer and things seem to be going quite well for him. He’s not a mogul, jet setting around on private yachts, but he’s doing alright for himself!

My point is Boaz is not some flashy prophet or a conquering king. He's just a good man, doing good work in a hard time.

And it is a hard time Church. The story of Ruth is set in the time of Judges! Which if you’ve never read that book of the Bible you should! It has some of the best stories in it. Samson and Delilah. Ehud and the fat King of Moab! Such a great story! And I know fat is not a very nice word, but that’s how Judges 3:17 describes Eglon the King of Moab.

Judges 3:17 NLT

17 He [Ehud] brought the tribute money to Eglon [King of Moab], who was very fat.

Dude gets assassinated and I’m not gonna tell you how! You wanna go read that story now! That was my plan all along!

Now there is some funny stuff in the book of Judges, but mostly it’s just really really sad.

The book of Judges is about Israel's total failure after Joshua to obey God and live into the blessings of the promised land! It describes the tragic downward spiral of moral corruption and bad leadership under increasingly flawed judges. This descent into self-destruction culminates in horrific acts that are almost too terrible to recount with you here and there’s a constant refrain in the book that goes like this:

Judges 21:25 NLT

25 In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.

That’s the cultural moment Boaz is living in. Chaos. Moral decline. Everyone doing what’s right in their own eyes. And yet, Boaz is living a quiet life of faithfulness. He honors God. He treats others with kindness and integrity. He follows God’s laws and steps up when it would’ve been easier to step away. And that, Church, is not small.

We need to celebrate that! Because some of you are like Boaz. You’re not on a platform preaching. You’re not starting a nonprofit or moving to the mission field. You’re showing up to work, doing honest business, serving your family, loving your neighbors, and honoring God behind the scenes. And you need to know: God sees that. He loves working through people like that. Faithfulness in the middle of a messy world is not second-string Christianity—it’s the very way God keeps His promises alive in the world.

So what does this moment in Ruth 4:11–12 tell us?

It tells us that God embraces our messy roads.

From Rachel and Leah to Tamar and Perez to Ruth the Moabite, God weaves redemption through the tangled threads of scandal, grief, and human limitation. And He doesn’t just endure the mess—He redeems it. He turns it into legacy. And when His people gather at the city gate to bless Ruth and Boaz, they’re not just wishing them well—they’re affirming a legacy of grace. They’re saying: “God has done it before. And He’s doing it again.”

So let me ask you:

Do you feel like your story is too broken, too messy, too embarrassing to be redeemed?

Do you look at your family history and think, “Nothing good can come from this”?

Friend, I want to say to you what the elders essentially said to Ruth: Look at what God can do through a mess. Don’t underestimate the God who turns bitter roads into better endings.

And don’t underestimate the power of quiet, consistent, ordinary faithfulness. God uses people like Boaz—not just the flashy or famous—to carry His purposes forward.

So if you're waiting… if you’re wondering whether any of it matters… if you’re weary from walking a messy road… hold on.

Because the legacy of redemption begins in exactly those kinds of places. For those who follow God, He leads them from bitter roads to better endings.

But for God to do this kind of redemptive work—turning our emptiness into something fruitful—it requires something from us. It requires honesty. It requires that we deal truthfully with where we really are, not where we wish we were. And it requires the courage to keep trusting God into new and uncharted chapters of life.

Following God begins with entrusting Him with your whole story—flaws, failures, bitterness, brokenness, all of it. Not just the cleaned-up version you show others, but the raw, vulnerable, unfinished parts too.

Which brings us to the second movement in the story:

II. A New Chapter Begins as God Fills What Was Empty (vv. 13-17)

The narrative suddenly accelerates:

Ruth 4:13–17 NLT

13 So Boaz took Ruth into his home, and she became his wife. When he slept with her, the Lord enabled her to become pregnant, and she gave birth to a son.

Ruth, who had known only loss and barrenness in Moab—a cultural symbol of emptiness—is now blessed by God with life. But notice what happens next. In verses 12–17, the focus doesn’t remain on Ruth and Boaz. It shifts—beautifully and unexpectedly—to Naomi:

Ruth 4:13–17 NLT

14 Then the women of the town said to Naomi, “Praise the Lord, who has now provided a redeemer for your family! May this child be famous in Israel. 15 May he restore your youth and care for you in your old age. For he is the son of your daughter-in-law who loves you and has been better to you than seven sons!” 16 Naomi took the baby and cuddled him to her breast. And she cared for him as if he were her own. 17 The neighbor women said, “Now at last Naomi has a son again!” And they named him Obed. He became the father of Jesse and the grandfather of David.

This is remarkable. The baby is Ruth’s biological child, yet the women of the town declare that it’s Naomi who has received a son. Naomi—the one who once insisted, “Call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me”—now finds herself holding a grandson in her arms. She cradles a new beginning. What began with famine, death, and emptiness is now overflowing with joy and hope.

This isn’t just about a birth—it’s about restoration. Naomi’s story comes full circle, from empty to full. And in that, we see a pattern that runs all the way to the cross.

Jesus, facing His own moment of sorrow before the crucifixion, shared this principle:

“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” (John 12:24)

Jesus was talking about Himself. He would be that grain—buried in sorrow and death—so that others might live. His self-sacrifice would bear the eternal fruit of salvation.

And in Ruth and Naomi’s story, we glimpse that same redemptive pattern. Naomi's life felt like it had died—husband gone, sons buried, hope lost. Ruth left everything familiar behind—her land, her gods, her security—and embraced a future she couldn’t see. Boaz faithfully followed God’s law in a generation that mostly ignored it. Each, in their own way, experienced a kind of death. But what felt like burial was actually planting.

God brought life from what was surrendered. Fruit from what was buried. Redemption from what looked like ruin.

And the beauty of this redemption runs even deeper. Remember how the book of Judges ends?

"In those days, there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in their own eyes."

It’s a picture of total chaos—civil war, fragmentation, despair. And right in the middle of that generation, God quietly begins writing a new story. Not through a warrior or a ruler, but through a faithful widow, a grieving mother, and a loyal farmer. No grand displays. Just hesed—steadfast, sacrificial love.

This is God’s countercultural response to the chaos: not conquest, but covenant love. Not spectacle, but quiet faithfulness.

Naomi, once bitter and broken, is now full and restored. The women proclaim, “Your daughter-in-law, who loves you, is better to you than seven sons.” In that patriarchal culture, that’s a staggering statement. Sons were prized. And yet the Moabite outsider—Ruth—is honored above all.

God's redemption flips every human expectation. And it all began with people who were honest about their loss and willing to trust Him with their future.

Boaz said, “I will do what is right.” Ruth said, “Your God will be my God.” Naomi said, “Call me bitter.”

Each made a courageous choice to walk with God—not perfectly, but honestly and with trust.

And that’s where redemption begins.

So let me ask: Is there something you're hiding? Something you're downplaying or dismissing, hoping it’ll just go away? What if that is exactly what God wants to heal?

The new chapter begins when you choose to trust and follow—even in the emptiness. What feels like death may actually be planting. What seems like the end may be the soil of something eternal and abundant sprouting!

Remember, God leads His followers from bitter roads to better endings!

Which brings us to our final point, as Boaz, Ruth and Naomi follow the Lord, A Greater Story Unfolds. And let’s just say that God's 'Better Ending' reaches farther than anyone could’ve imagined.

The story doesn’t end with Boaz, Ruth, and Obed. It powerfully continues with a genealogy:

Ruth 4:18–22 NLT

18 This is the genealogical record of their ancestor Perez: Perez was the father of Hezron. 19 Hezron was the father of Ram. Ram was the father of Amminadab. 20 Amminadab was the father of Nahshon. Nahshon was the father of Salmon. 21 Salmon was the father of Boaz. Boaz was the father of Obed. 22 Obed was the father of Jesse. Jesse was the father of David.

This genealogy ties Ruth’s family into Israel’s royal future. Her "ordinary" son, Obed, becomes the grandfather of Israel’s greatest king—David.

For Ruth and Boaz, they didn’t know any of this. They didn’t see the whole picture. They didn’t know their names will be in the genealogy of the Messiah. They don’t know that their faithful decisions at the city gate will echo into eternity. They just knew what God asked of them that day—and they obeyed, trusting God's ultimate plan.

You see, our faithfulness today, your decision to follow God even when the road is bitter, can bear fruit generations from now, even if you never see it! And you may not!

The names in this lineage—Perez, Tamar, Rachel, Leah—they remind us that God’s grace includes outsiders, brokenness, and unexpected heroes. Even in the "dark and difficult" days of Judges, when "everyone did what was right in their own eyes," God was quietly preserving a faithful remnant. He was shaping His redemptive plan not through national might, but through individual acts of selfless love and faithful following. This genealogy isn't just history; it's salvation history. It's God's answer to Israel's spiraling self-destruction: a lineage of grace that leads to the true King.

And this points us to the ultimate fulfillment, from Bethlehem to Bethlehem:

In the time when Israel had no king and every did what was right in their own eyes… a baby was born in Bethlehem. Obed. He brought hope to Naomi and carried the promise of a future king.

And in the days when Augustus was Emperor of Rome and God’s people had no Savior… another baby was born in Bethlehem. Jesus. He brought hope to the world and is the King of kings.

The book of Ruth ends with a genealogy… because God was just getting started. From bitter to full. From emptiness to redemption. From Boaz to David… and from David to Christ.

Here’s the deal, folks: you may never see the full fruit of your obedience. But God does. You’re not just living your story—you’re living in God’s story. And when you surrender to Him—when you choose to follow Him even down that bitter road—your small acts of faithfulness are never wasted. They’re being woven into His grand, eternal tapestry of redemption.

So let me land the plane with this: You don’t have to live a spectacular life to be used by God. You just have to live a surrendered one. That’s what Boaz did. That’s what Ruth did. That’s what Naomi ultimately did when she returned to God. And that’s what God still honors today.

So don’t despise your ordinary. Don’t hide your brokenness. Don’t bury your hope.

Remember that unwise decision from college? The bitter road I walked? Here’s the rest of the story: Today, I’m married to a woman far better than what I ever dreamed of—Rachel is the greatest gift of my life, and she blesses me every single day. We’ve got four fantastic kids, and I am living proof that God really does bless the broken road. Careful—I might just start singing some Blake Shelton for ya!

But in all seriousness… This story reminds us: God really does lead His followers from bitter roads to better endings. Even your most mundane, confusing, or painful season can become part of His greater redemptive story—transformed from emptiness to overflowing hope.

If God could bring light from the darkness of Judges… If He could bring joy from Naomi’s sorrow… If He could take one bitter road and lead it to a blessed, full ending… Then He can redeem your story too.

So here’s the invitation: Will you choose to follow Him? Will you trust the God who writes "A Better Ending"? Will you trust the King who came from Bethlehem? He wants to take your emptiness and fill it with His overflowing grace.

In a time of spiritual collapse, Ruth reminds us: God doesn’t need a perfect nation to carry out His plan. He just needs a faithful few who will follow Him. And through them, the King will come.

I don’t know about you, but that sounds like the better ending we’re all hoping for. Because that’s what God does—He leads His followers from bitter roads… to better endings.

So will you trust Him with your story? Will you follow Him, even down the bitter road, believing He’s not done yet? The King has come. And in Him, your story isn’t over—it’s just getting started.