An Improbable Ancestor - May 27th, 2026

1 AN IMPROBABLE ANCESTOR AIM OF THE STUDY To see how the LORD turned loss into blessing, brought Ruth the Moabitess into the covenant line, and widened one family’s redemption into the redemptive history that leads to David and ultimately to Jesus Christ. INTRODUCTION The book of Ruth began with famine, departure, death, and deep sorrow. Naomi returned to Bethlehem with grief in her heart and emptiness in her hands. Ruth came with her as a Moabite widow, an outsider with no obvious place among the people of Israel. Yet the LORD was quietly at work through ordinary obedience, covenant kindness, and the faithfulness of Boaz as redeemer. In Ruth 4:13–22, the story reaches its earthly resolution. Boaz takes Ruth as his wife. The LORD gives her conception. A son is born. Naomi, once emptied by sorrow, now receives a child into her arms. The women of Bethlehem, who once heard Naomi say, “Call me Mara,” now bless the Lord for His mercy and speak of the child as one who will restore life and nourish her old age. The final verses show that this family story is part of something far larger. Obed becomes the father of Jesse, and Jesse becomes the father of David. When Matthew opens the New Testament, Ruth appears in the genealogy of Jesus Christ. The Moabite widow, once far from Bethlehem and far from Israel’s covenant life, is named in the line that leads to the Saviour. This closing lesson reminds us that God’s grace reaches unlikely people, restores broken people, and uses ordinary faithfulness in purposes far greater than anyone can see at the time. OPENING DISCUSSION QUESTION When have you seen a small act of faithfulness lead to a blessing that was larger than expected? PERSONAL REFLECTION QUESTION Where do you most need to trust that God is working graciously, even though you cannot yet see the full result? 2 READ-THE-TEXT SECTION Read Ruth 4:13–22 and Matthew 1:1–6 in the King James Version. As you read, notice the movement of the passage: Ruth 4:13 — The LORD gives conception and a son is born. Ruth 4:14–17 — Naomi is blessed, restored, and given joy through Obed. Ruth 4:18–22 — The genealogy moves from Pharez to David. Matthew 1:1–6 — Ruth is named in the genealogy of Jesus Christ. Ruth 4:13–22 KJV So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife: and when he went in unto her, the LORD gave her conception, and she bare a son. And the women said unto Naomi, Blessed be the LORD, which hath not left thee this day without a kinsman, that his name may be famous in Israel. And he shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life, and a nourisher of thine old age: for thy daughter in law, which loveth thee, which is better to thee than seven sons, hath born him. And Naomi took the child, and laid it in her bosom, and became nurse unto it. And the women her neighbours gave it a name, saying, There is a son born to Naomi; and they called his name Obed: he is the father of Jesse, the father of David. Now these are the generations of Pharez: Pharez begat Hezron, And Hezron begat Ram, and Ram begat Amminadab, And Amminadab begat Nahshon, and Nahshon begat Salmon, And Salmon begat Boaz, and Boaz begat Obed, And Obed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David. Matthew 1:1–6 KJV The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren; And Judas begat Phares and Zara of Thamar; and Phares begat Esrom; and Esrom begat Aram; And Aram begat Aminadab; and Aminadab begat Naasson; and Naasson begat Salmon; And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse; And Jesse begat David the king; and David the king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Urias; DISCUSSION QUESTIONS 1. In Ruth 4:13, the text says, “the LORD gave her conception.” Why is it important that the birth of Obed is directly connected to Jehovah’s gracious action? 3 2. How does Ruth’s new life in Bethlehem compare with her situation when she first came from Moab with Naomi? 3. The women of Bethlehem bless the LORD because He has provided a redeemer for Naomi. What does this show about the community’s understanding of God’s mercy? 4. In Ruth 4:15, Obed is described as “a restorer of thy life, and a nourisher of thine old age.” How did the LORD answer Naomi’s earlier bitterness and emptiness? 5. What does Naomi’s holding of the child in Ruth 4:16 reveal about the tenderness of God’s restoration? 4 6. The child is named Obed, and the text immediately tells us that he becomes the father of Jesse and the grandfather of David. Why does the genealogy matter to the message of Ruth? 7. How does the ending of Ruth show that personal acts of faithfulness can have a place in God’s larger purposes? 8. In Matthew 1:5, Ruth is named in the genealogy of Christ. What does her inclusion teach us about the grace of God toward outsiders and unlikely people? 9. Matthew’s genealogy moves from Abraham to David and then onward toward Christ. How does this help us see the book of Ruth as part of God’s unfolding plan of redemption? 5 10. How should this passage shape the way we view ordinary obedience, family faithfulness, and service to others? PERSONAL APPLICATION The closing verses of Ruth call us to trust God with the hidden results of faithfulness. Ruth could not have known that her loyalty to Naomi, her humility in the fields, and her marriage to Boaz would place her in the line of David and Christ. Naomi could not have known, in the bitterness of loss, that the LORD would give her joy through a child placed in her arms. Consider one area of your life where obedience feels ordinary, costly, or unseen. Ask the Lord to help you serve faithfully without demanding to know the full outcome. God is able to use quiet faithfulness in ways that reach far beyond our understanding. Personal Application Prompt: Write down one specific act of obedience or faithfulness you believe the Lord is calling you to continue. Pray over it this week, asking God to use it for His glory. PRAYER FOCUS Thank the Lord for His gracious providence, His kindness to the needy, and His power to restore what sorrow has emptied. Pray for faith to obey Him in ordinary matters, humility to receive His mercy, and confidence that His redemptive purposes are greater than what we can presently see. Praise Christ as the final Redeemer to whom the story of Ruth ultimately points. CONNECTION TO THE SERIES The series began with a world marked by spiritual disorder, famine, death, and need. Ruth has shown us the Lord’s quiet providence, the beauty of covenant kindness, the necessity of redemption, and the faithfulness of a redeemer who acts on behalf of the vulnerable. In Lesson 6, the theme of redemption reaches its fullest horizon in the book. Naomi’s emptiness is answered, Ruth’s outsider status is overcome by grace, Boaz’s faithfulness bears lasting fruit, and Bethlehem becomes the setting for a lineage that leads to David and, in the fullness of time, to Jesus Christ.