The Practice of Blessing Prayers in Good and Bad Times (Ruth 4.14)

Blessed be the LORD, who has not left you this day without next-of-kin; and may his name be renowned in Israel! He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age; for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has borne him.”

Blessed be the LORD, who has not left you this day without next-of-kin; and may his name be renowned in Israel! He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age; for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has borne him.”

Background

It is no surprise that the last prayer in the book of Ruth is a prayer-blessing. It is the seventh such prayer in the book, and along with the intercession in 1.8–9 and the vow in 1.17, makes for nine prayers in this short story.

This prayer comes after the climax of the story, after the marriage of Boaz and Ruth. A brief paragraph summarizes a year a more: they married, Ruth became pregnant, and had a son. The birth of a first son was a cause for great celebration in that world because a son was an heir who would carry on the family name. He would take control of the land, the profession, and protect the extended family of the household. The birth of this son means that Ruth and Naomi now have a male heir. The story began with Naomi and Ruth losing every male in their family, but ends with the birth of a male. Ruth has a husband, Naomi has a family to care for her, and the family line is secured.

The women of the village rejoice with the family. The women focus on Naomi rather than the new mother. She is the oldest of the family. It was through her that salvation came to them. The women offer the prayer-blessing above because of what He has done for Naomi.

The prayer blesses God and then explains why. A prayer of blessing can be a simple blessing, or it can be longer and more complex by including the reasons for it. A blessing-prayer can also request a blessing. Here, the first reason for the blessing is because God did not leave Naomi without a “redeemer.” This might refer to Boaz as the “kinsman-redeemer.” Yet, the rest of the prayer shows that the redeemer is the newborn son—the one who will continue the family which seemed lost. The second reason for the blessing is that this newborn son has restored Naomi’s life. She was a homeless widow without hope; now she has a family and the land that belonged to the family. The third reason given is because the child will care for her in her old age. She has a grandson to ensure she will be taken care of should Boaz die before Naomi. This prayer-blessing, like the previous one, is not just about the birth and a new family, it takes a larger view of life.

The last reason given in the blessing is about Ruth, who, the women say, is more important than seven sons. This is quite a comparison! A family in the ancient world needed sons. They were the ones to work in the fields, care for the animals, and become an apprentice to the father. The son was also the one to carry on the family name and inherit the land. Daughters were not unimportant, of course, for they contributed to the family in other ways, but they did not usually inherit or become farmers or carpenters. In that world, sons were crucial to the survival of a family.

The number “seven” in the ancient world was a number used to depict “perfection” or “completeness.” A mother with seven sons was complete.¹ Her future was secure. This prayer suggests, however, that Ruth completes Naomi more than the perfect number of sons. They have such high praise for Ruth because she stayed with Naomi, left her land, and took a bold and risky action to ensure their survival.

These four reasons for the prayer-blessings cover the past, the present, and future. Its perspective is wide.