A Plot in the Names

Now Naomi had a kinsman of her husband, a man of great wealth, of the family of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz Ruth 2:1

Elimelech . . Boaz – Naomi takes the name Marah, a play on the Hebrew word for “bitter”. Then we find that she has a kinsman, a moda’, within her husband’s family. What we need to know besides the puns and the alliterations are the meanings of the names. Elimelech combines two words that mean “God is king”. Naomi’s husband’s name is a proclamation of the sovereignty of God. And in God’s sovereignty, a kinsman comes forth whose name is Boaz, another combination of two Hebrew words, be and az that literally means “in him strength”. In order to see the Hebrew author’s use of language, we should recognize that the English translation “a man of great wealth” is not quite right. Boaz was wealthy, but the phrase uses the word gibbor, which is a term for “mighty, strong and brave”. In fact, it is used as a title for God Himself in Isaiah 10:21 and Psalm 24:8. The author is enjoying his craft. The man whose name means “God is King” marries a woman whose name means “delightful”. She takes a name that means “bitter suffering” because she does not see the sovereignty of God. But God leads her to a man related to “God is King” whose name means “in him strength”. This man is precisely what his name means: strong and mighty. He will be the kinsman redeemer of both Naomi and Ruth. His actions will not only fulfill the will of God but will also demonstrate that he is aptly named for the task.

Now that you see the intricacy involved in the names of these actors on the stage of ancient history, and now that you know the result centuries later when the line of David finds its way into the life of Jesus, you must recognize that the man whose name meant “God is King” points us toward a much deeper story: the story of God’s direction of the history of men. No matter what it may appear to be on the surface, God moves the hearts, minds and wills of men to accomplish His purposes. This is the deeper plot line of Ruth. God is King. The man whose name proclaims the deeper plot dies before the story beings, but his name is never absent. God is King.

Is God writing this kind of story with your life? Are you willing to let Him direct the deeper plot to bring about His purposes? Does your life reflect the assurance of the husband named Elimelech?