Ruth 4:22 “And Obed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David.”
Ending and Beginning
Have you ever skipped to the end of the book you are reading? You might do so to find out who is revealed or how things work together. Some books end with, “The end,” or that famous fairy-tale quote, “And they lived happily ever after.” Well, the book of Ruth is a great book to skip to the end because the ending is really the beginning!
The very last verse in Ruth chapter 4 says, “And Obed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David.” Why is this important? Because the lineage of the Lord Jesus Christ goes through David. Each person in those long lists of genealogies that we like to skip is a real person with real heartaches, triumphs, joys, and difficulties.
The beginning of Ruth’s story is actually the end of Naomi’s story. Naomi’s husband died, her two sons died, and she was left in a strange land surrounded by strangers. Little did she know that God had a plan for her and her daughter-in-law, Ruth. We can learn that sometimes the end of our plans marks the beginning of God’s.
God may still be writing a chapter in your story at the point when you think you have finished the last chapter. God is never done with you until He takes you to Heaven. Until then, don’t stop!
When Elimelech died, God had the world in mind. When Naomi was coming to the end of her plan, God was coming to the beginning of His. God always has a perfect perspective, and you can (and ought to) trust Him. Sometimes the end of your story is actually the beginning of the story that God intends!