Ruths Recompense, Commentary on Ruth · Chapter 4 · Verse 13
Verſe 13. So Boaz tooke Ruth, and ſhee was his wife: And when hee went in vntounto her, the Lord gaue her conception, and ſhee bare a ſonne.
HEre is the full accompliſhment of the marriage, the holy liberty thereof, and the bleſſing of God vponupon the ſame: both for conception, and bringing forth a ſonne.
So Boaz tooke Ruth.] Where hee tooke her, it is not mentioned; whether after this Aſſembly was diſmiſſed or before, is not certaine: ſome thinke ſhee ſtayed with Naomi, expecting the ſucceſſe, as Naomi aduiſed in Chap. 3. verſe 18. and ſo from thence did take her. It may bee ſhee was, while this Aſſembly was together (after Boaz had publikely declared his mind, and bought the land and her at the hands of the Kinſman) brought in thither, and ſo he there did ſolemnely take her: for in the end of the former verſe it is ſaid, Of the ſeed which the Lord ſhall giuegive thee of this yong woman,] as implying her then there preſent. And He tooke her,] implyeth the marriage, as appearethGen. 24. 67. 1. Sam. 25. 43. Iudg. 14. 8. Gen. 34. 2. elſewhere in other places. And the next words in the Text ſhew, that it was not like Sichems taking of Dinah, to deflowre her, but to make her his wife by lawfull wedlocke, which was euer publike, and not done priuately in corners. So then the meaning of the words is, that Boaz did marry Ruth, and ſo was his wife; and with vsus ſuch as doe marry, doe take either other by the hand, and doe by word of mouth ſay, that the one doth take the other to liue together as man and wife. And it may be, that the word taking is put for marrying, to note the free conſent of mind and heart; then the right and intereſt which the one hath in the other: and thirdly, the care and protection of the husband, which he taketh of his wife, and the womans acknowledgement to hauehave betaken herſelfe vntounto the man, as her head and husband. This Boaz taking and marrying of Ruth, ſheweth, how a noble man (for1. Chron. 2. 10. his father was the Prince of Iudah) may marry with a meane poore woman, ſo ſhee be vertuous: as his father did Rahab before, and Aſsuerus did Ester, and no diſparagement: though Boaz had further reaſon to lead him thereto, as his owne wordsVerſe 10. before declare. Againe, we ſee, how an Iſraelite might marry with a woman a ſtranger, ſo ſhee were a Conuert. And laſtly, that a good man will keepe his honeſt word: for what he had priuatelyChap. 3. 11, 13. promiſed, he heere now maketh good to the vtmoſt: of which two laſt points I hauehave ſpoken before.
And ſhee was his wife.] That is, by his taking and marrying of her. So we ſee, that lawfull marriage Gen. 24. 67.is that which maketh man and woman husband and wife. So is it ſaid of Rebecca, That Iſaac tooke Iudg. 14. 8, 15.her, and ſhee was his wife; and in like caſe of the woman of Timnah, which Samſon did marry. It is not liuing or lying together, as lewd perſons may doe, nor yet mutuall affection, but the entering in Gods holy Ordinance, which maketh the woman the wife. Therefore to liue honeſtly, and to make a woman thy wife, marry her lawfully. Now in this that the marriage is ſo ſhortly deſcribed, without mentioning of any ſuch feaſting and merriments, as is often with vsus, with too much ryot and exceſſe; it may here bee demanded, Whether it bee lawfull to make feasts at marriages, and then to bee merry? Anſw. It is lawfull to be merry in ſobriety, to reioyce and ſing, ſo it be with grace in our hearts, as the ApoſtleEphe. 5. 19. ſpeaketh. And we may make feaſts, as Laban didGen. 29. 22. Iudg. 14. 10. at Iacobs marriage, and as Samſon did at his, as the cuſtome was among the Philiſtims, which he obſerued: yea, our Sauiour was at a feaſt when ſome were marryed, and did by diuine powerIohn 2. Mat. 22. 2. and 25. ſupply their want of wine; and by the Parable it ſeemeth to be an vſuall thing to feaſt, and to hauehave ſolemnities obſerued beſides at marriages. Here onelyonly beware of wantonneſſe, ryot, and exceſſe, and then may they eate, and drinke, and reioyce their hearts.
And when hee went in vntounto her.] This is expounded in another place, to goe to her into theIud. 15. 1. Ioel 2. 16. chamber: for Brides had a priuate chamber, into which the bridegrome entred on the marriage day: but here is modeſtly implyed the act of marriage, ſet out alſo in Scripture by other tearmes, as of knowing, lying with one, giuing due beneuolence; neuer ſpeaking hereof, but by a periphraſis and circumlocution: and therefore are wee hereby taught, that when neceſsity enforceth to ſpeake of that, which in proper ſpeech is not comely to vtter, it is to be expreſſed ſo, as chaste eares may not be offended. This the holy Ghoſt in thus ſetting downe this thing in theſe modeſt tearmes teacheth; And it ſerueth to reproue ſuch as abuſe their tongues to wantonneſſe, and laſciuious and immodeſt tearmes, to make others merry, and to be held pleaſant companions: but ſuch fooles, as Salomon calleth them, make a ſport of ſin: for theſe offend againſt the Commandement and chargeEphe. 4. 29. Col. 3. 8. Ephe. 5. 3. 1. Cor. 15. 33. giuen by the Apoſtle: they corrupt good manners, by their ill words; they treſpaſſe againſt the ſeuenth Commandemēt, and do contrary to that which the Apoſtle teacheth and exhorteth vntounto for the gouernment of the tongue both inCol. 4. 8. Ephe. 4. 29. & 5. 19. ſpeaking and ſinging; yea, theſe doe grieue, not as they think, onelyonly men, ſuch as they iudge ouerpreciſe, becauſe they will not runne with them into the like exceſſe of ryot, but the bleſſed SpiritEphe. 4. 30. of God. And let theſe know, that if men muſt giuegive an account vntounto God for eueryevery idle word, then ſurely for ſuch filthy communication and bawdy ſongs, which fleſhly ſpirits made themſelues merry withall, which godly men hauehave condemned, calling ſuch a ſpeech, The chariot of adultery, becauſe it bringeth many to ſuch a lewd practice. Heathen by lawes hauehave forbidden it,Athenian law: apud S…obaeum. for that it polluteth the mind, filleth it with wickedneſſe, and maketh ſuch impudent; and alſoAu. Gell. did puniſh the ſame, as is reported of the Romanes, that ſo the dignity of the Lawes and Diſcipline among them might remaine, as one ſaith, inuiolable. What a ſhame and impudencie is it then in ſuch as would bee called Chriſtians, and yet cannot by Reaſon nor Religion of Chriſt, be reſtrained from ſuch petulancie and wantonneſſe? Note againe here, how this is ſpoken after marriage, and not before; to teach, that ſuch as be marryed, may lawfully company together: and thatGen. 29. 21. by warrant from God, who ſaid after hee had made man, and ioyned Adam and Eue in marriage, Increaſe and multiply: and the Apoſtle1. Cor. 7. 3, 5. teacheth, that then neither of them hath power ouer their owne body, and hereof maketh a double vſe, to render due beneuolence, and not to defraud one another. Then they are to be reproued, which before marriage company one with another, as incontinent and violently luſtfull perſons doe, and ſuch as being married doe defraud one another. And heere this condemneth the Church of Rome, which alloweth man and wife, vponupon the vowe of chaſtitie (forſooth) to liue aſunder one from another, contrary to the Apoſtles Doctrine and exhortation.1. Cor. 7. 5.
The Lord gaue her conception.] Hence it is euident, that the gift of conception is from the Lord: and this is true not onelyonly in ſuch as be altogether barren, as was Sarah, Rebecca, Hannah, the Shunamite, and Elizabeth: but in ſuch as bee at theIob 10. 8, 10, 11. firſt fruitfull; this alſo is from his gift. And therefore is it to be aſcribed to him, he is to be thanked for it; wee are not to thinke, as Rachel did, that a husband can giuegive children: it is no ſtrength of body, nor good complection that can make fruitfull, but the bleſſing of God. And wee may further learne here, that the Lord alloweth of the honest act of marriage: for hee commandeth due1. Cor 7. Heb. 13. 4. beneuolence: he calleth the marriage bed vndefyled, hee bleſſeth it, and giueth the gift of conception: hee allowed thereof before the fall, andGen. 1. 1. Cor. 7. 2. hath in mercy ordained it as a remedy againſt ſinne. This therefore confuteth ſuch as hauehave iudged the companying together of man and wife to bee a ſinnefull act, abſurdly and prophanely abuſing this place for it, Thoſe that liue in the fleſh, cannot pleaſe God: as if that which God himſelfe hath allowed, and moſt holy men of God hauehave done, ſhould bee now that, which ſhould debarre them of Gods fauour: when yet theſe popiſh harlotries can diſpence with Gods Law, and keepe their whores; and yet not liue in the fleſh, but bee holy men. But let them know, that whoremongers and adulterers GodHeb. 13. will iudge: when marriage is honourable, and the bed vndefiled, and the libertie to be vſed and allowed for procreation of children, to auoid fornication, with heartie thankes vntounto God for his ordinance. Heere note farther the difference which the Scripture maketh betweene conception of a woman a wife, and of another. In copulation out of marriage, it is ſaid of a woman, that ſhee conceiued, as Thamar by Iudah, Hagar byGen. 38. 18. & 16. 4. 2. Sam. 11. 5. Abraham, and Bathſheba by Dauid: but neuer as heere, that the Lord gaue her to conceiue: for the other is by his common bleſſing, as among bruit beaſts, but this by his fauourable approbation and gracious bleſſing, as Iacob ſaid of his children vntounto Eſau.Gen. 33. 5.
And ſhe bare a ſonne.] After the gift of conception, followeth child-birth, not forthwith, but inGen. 18. 10. due time of life, which is ſometime at the nynth monethmonth, but commonly at the tenth. It was not enough that ſhe ſhould conceiue, and after hauehave an abortiue birth, but that God in mercy ſhould preſerue the child aliue in the mothers wombe to be timely borne: for as not to conceiue, but to be barren, was a puniſhment, ſo conceiuing, and to bring forth an vntimely birth, is in the ſame nature. The Lord therefore here ſheweth his goodneſſe, not onelyonly in giuing conception, but a happy deliuerance vntounto Ruth, and a timely birth; ſo the Lord followeth his with his mercies. Now in that it is ſaid to be a ſonne, and not a daughter, it is to note the greater bleſſing. For it is a greater bleſsing to hauehave a ſonne, then a daughter. And therefore wee doe finde, when God would make the barren to beare, and ſuch as had begged that bleſſing at his hands, he gaue them ſonnes, as we may ſee in Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, Hannah, Elizabeth and in others. Becauſe the ſonne is the vpholder of the name of the family, he is in nature the more worthy; for the woman was made for man, and not man for the woman, as the Apoſtle teacheth; and the man is a more fitter inſtrument for the good of the Church or Commonweale, albeit ſometime the Lord hath done wonderouſly by women. Beſides theſe reaſons, the males among the Iſraelites were a greater bleſſing; for that the man-child, and the continuance of the line in Iudah, gaue them hope of the Meſſias, which they looked for; and the male child bare vponupon him the ſeale of the couenant of God, which was circumciſion, that God would bee their God, and of their ſeed after them. Therefore praiſe God for this bleſſing and birth, for both, but more ſpecially for this, as beholding therein the Lords mercy to keepe thy name vponupon the earth, among thy brethren, and Saints of God. Laſtly, note the effectuall power of the prayer which they made, verſ. 11. The Lord heard them; for here wee ſee Ruth before barren, is now become fruitfull. So as we hereby doe learne, That the hearty and faithfull prayer of the godly is neuer in vaine: for the people and Elders deſired that Ruth ſhould be fruitfull, and ſhe was ſo, and alſo that Boaz poſterity might be honorable and renowned, & ſo it was, as we may ſee in the 21. and 22. verſes of this chapter. For an effectuall praier of righteous men auaileth much, as Iames ſaith,Iam. 5. 16, 17. and prooueth by an inſtance of the prayer of Eliah, and as may be ſeene in the prayer of Moſes, 2. Chro. 14. 11. 12, and 20. 6-14, 15 — and 32. 20.of Aſa, Iehoſaphat, Eſai, and Hezechiah, and of many moe: which is to encourage vsus to the exerciſe of prayer in faith and feruency of ſpirit. If any thinke, that thoſe afore-named were extraordinary men, and that therefore wee poore and miſerable perſons, in compariſon of them, cannot looke to hauehave our prayers ſo effectuall with God; I anſwer, firſt, that Iames takes away this obiection and feare of acceptance with God; for hee ſaith, that Eliah was a man ſubiect to the like paſſions as wee are, yet hee prayed and was heard. Secondly, that we hauehave aſſiſtance of God his Spirit, teaching vsus to pray with groanes which cannot bee expreſſed; becauſe wee know not how to pray as wee ought: and thirdly, that Chriſt prayeth for vsus, and in him we offer vp our ſupplications, and ſo ſhall be heard. This leſſon1. Sam. 12. Rom. 15. 30. 2. Cor. 1. 11. Epheſ. 6. 18. Col. 4. 3. 1. Theſ. 5. 25. Philem. 22. Phil. 1. 19. Heb. 13. 18, 19. alſo teacheth vsus to eſteeme greatly of the prayers of the godly, ſeeing they be ſo effectuall, and deſire them to pray for vsus, as the Iſraelites did Samuel, and S. Paul the faithfull and Saints of God, as may appeare in almoſt eueryevery of his Epiſtles; ſo highly did he account of their prayers for him.