Ruths Recompense, Commentary on Ruth · Chapter 4 · Verse 17
Verſe 17. And the women her Neighbours gaue it a name, ſaying, There is a ſonne borne to Naomi: and they called his name Obed; he is the Father of leſſe, the Father of Dauid.
HEre is the naming of the child, which was borne of Ruth: where note who named it, the reaſon, the name thereof, and what he came to be, ſhewed in his honorable and royall poſterity in his Sonne and Grand-child.
And the women her Neighbours.] The women here are thoſe before in verſe 14. very godly and religious, as appeareth by many things before ſpoken off. Theſe godly women were Naomi and Ruths Neighbours, ſuch as dwelt together withforeign them, as the word ſignifieth. Here may be noted who be fittest to be called to ſuch buſineſſes, the honeſt Neighbours, and Kinſfolke, as was at the birth and Circumciſion of Iohn Baptist: for kinſfolke they expect it, and hauehave therein an intereſt and cauſe of reioycing in the increaſe of their linage, and therefore may not be careleſly neglected: and Neighbours are to be called, as thoſe which be nigh at hand and helpfull at need, who being neere, are better, as Salomon ſaith, then a brother farre off. But here obſerue farther what manner of Neighbours they were, which theſe godly women had, euen ſuch as themſelues: for godly women delight to hauehave about them ſuch as themſelues: for the wicked and they cannot accord; they hauehave differing heads and hearts; ouer the one, God ruleth; ouer the other, Satan; the one is regenerate in heart, the other vnregenerate, and therefore cannot but iarre in word and deed, the one being an abomination to the other, as Salomon ſpeaketh. But the godly hauingProu. 29. Act. 4. one head, Ieſus Chriſt, and one heart, they will reape benefit one of another; by inſtructing, admoniſhing, comforting and praying one for another. Therefore to ſhew your ſelues godly, bee yee delighted to hauehave them about you.
And gaue it a name.] It is ſaid, the women gaue it: we finde that ſometime the Fathers gaue the name, as Abraham to his ſonne whom hee called Iſaac; Mothers often, as we may ſee in Leah andGen. 29. & 30. Rachel; ſo kinſfolke now and then, as wee may note out of Luke, chapter 1. 58, 59. And here in Ruth the Neighbours gaue it, yea, ſometime a ſtranger named the child vponupon iuſt occaſion, as Pharaoes daughter did giuegive the name of Moſes to him, which the Parents did not alter; ſo as it ſeemeth, this was not ſtrictly ſtood vponupon, though moſt commonly the Parents gaue the name. If any here aske concerning the time when children were named? I finde that it was ſometime at the birth of the Infant, ſo Rachel and the wifeGen. 35. 18. 1. Sam. 4. 21. of Phineas gaue their children names vponupon their departure; but being in ſuch caſes, it ſeemeth not to be ordinary; it may be thought, to be vſually at the time when the child was circumciſed, as we may perceiue at the naming of Iſaac, Gen. 21. 4. Luke 1. 59.and Iohn the Baptiſt. And thus doe wee giuegive names at the baptizing of Infants, that as they did, ſo we may put children in minde of the Couenant made in Baptiſme, of their badge of Chriſtianity, and of their ingrafting into Chriſt, and how they were admitted as Gods children, into the houſehold of faith, and as heires of the Kingdome of Heauen.
There is a Sonne borne to Naomi.] That is, for the good and comfort of Naomi, as is before ſhewed out of the fifteenth verſe, and as may bee gathered by the like phraſe elſewhere. So as inEſai. 9. 6. Luk. 2. 11. theſe words is a reaſon of the name which they gaue vntounto the child. Whence note, that the godly in ancient time gaue names not by hap-hazard, but as good reaſon did leade them thereunto; for they gaue names in obedience to Gods commandement,Gen. 17. 19. & 21. 3. Luk. 1. 13. who appoynted ſometimes names vntounto children; to knowe alſo whence they were, and whence taken. Thus Adam was ſo called of the matter whereof his body was made; ſo Moſes of the place whence he was taken. Some had a name from their miſerable eſtate and condition, as Enoſh; ſome, to call to remembrance ſome fauours of God: thus Simeon was ſo called of his Mother Leah; and Ioſeph for the like reaſon calledGen. 29. & 41. 51, 52. his ſonnes, Manaſſes and Ephraim. Sometime names were giuen from ſome thing which fell out at the birth; hence Pharez had his name,Gen. 38. 29. 1. Sam. 4. and Ichabod his. Some were named ſo from that which ſhould come to paſſe afterwards, as Salomon was, for that in his daies ſhould be reſt and1. Chron. 22. 9. peace. Some had their names from ſome things to be effected and done by them, ſo was our Lord called Ieſus, becauſe hee ſhould ſaue his peopleMat. 9. from their ſinnes. Beſides theſe inducements to impoſe a name, they did ſometime call them after their Anceſtors, to keepe them in remembrance.Luk. 1. 59, 61. We muſt learne to imitate the holy men of God in theſe things; to expreſſe our own graces, or to teach our children ſome duties, or to call to minde the workes of God, or to remember holy men and women to imitate their vertues. And we may not thinke this to be too preciſe a practice, ſeeing Gods wiſdome interpoſed it ſelfe ſometime, both in giuing names, and in changing of names; and the reuerence due to the holy Sacrament adminiſtred, aduiſeth vsus to a due conſideration hereof in honor of the Sacrament. And a good name may call ſometimes a man to the remembrance of his duty. I knowe that a name maketh not a man good: for ſome hauehave good names, but their conditions ſtarke naught: yet a good name may ſometime occaſion a man to thinke of goodneſſe; and howſoeuer the party ſo named doth make no vſe of it, yet it is commendable in the impoſers thereof, who imitate the example of godly men in the old time, the Saints alſo in the Primitiue Church, and the godly-diſpoſed at this day. Which reprooueth ſuch as giuegive names idly without ſenſe or reaſon, ridiculous names, Heatheniſh rather then Chriſtian, and ſome ſuch names as bee very prophane. But of this thus much.
And they called his name Obed.] That is, as they gaue him his name, ſo thus was hee called: which words may imply, that the name once giuen, was with authority confirmed ſo, as the Infant was commonly ſo called without alteration: neither were euer any names altered, but vponupon ſome extraordinary occaſion; for to ſuffer a change thereof, is either folly, or worſe, if good and honeſt cauſes mooue not thereunto.
Obed.] This ſignifieth ſeruing, becauſe hee ſhould ſerue as a comforter to old Naomi, as the women ſaid, verſe 15. which is the reaſon of this name; to teach him, and alſo all Children their duetie, which is this, to labour to be a comfort vntounto their Parents: of which before in verſe 15. Now this they ſhall doe, if they liue in obedience to their Parents, with feare to offend, yeelding euer to bee ruled by them: if they ſeeke to imitate their Parents vertues, and to follow them in all good things: if they frame their courſes to godlineſſe, ſtriuing to hauehave an Heauenly Father alſo for their guide and direction: if they ſettle themſelues to a good courſe of life, to liue within ſome honeſt calling, either in the Church or Common-wealth: if laſtly, they liue in mutuall louelove one with another, like Iobs children. Theſe things will comfort Parents; which therefore let children labour for; let them bee Obeds, ſeruing thus to their comforts; let them bee Iſaacs, to make their Parents to laugh for ioy; and not Benonies, Sonnes of ſorrow, like Cains, Eſaus and Abſaloms, wicked, prophane and vnnaturall.
Note here one thing more, before I come to the next words, how that this child is not called either Elimelech or Mahlon; and yet was he giuen to raiſe vp the name of the dead vponupon his inheritance, that might not be cut off from among his brethren, and from the gate of his place; andVerſe 10. for this end did Boaz marry Ruth. Whence therefore we may perceiue, that the preſeruation of the name of the dead ſtood not in anothers bearing of his name, ſo to be called, as he was; but rather in the iſſue hauing a right to the inheritance and inioying of it, that it might not bee alienated from the kindred and ſtocke of the dead: which being ſo, ſheweth the groſſe folly and wrong which ſome ſhew to their neere blood, in diſinheriting daughters, and paſſing their inheritance vntounto meere ſtrangers for a very bare name; as if that were to hold vp their name, when oftentimes it commeth to paſſe, that ſuch ſell away the inheritance, and ſo roote out their name, which is better kept by continuing an inheritance in their blood and bowels, then by the ſound of a word vponupon the perſon of a ſtranger: this folly we ſee by examples to be condemned and curſed before our eyes, in not a few.
Hee is the Father of leſse, the Father of Dauid.] Theſe words are added to ſhew, firſt, who this Obed was, or rather what a one he came to be in his poſteritie, euen very honorable and of high renowne. Here wee ſee, that as Ancestors may grace posteritie, ſo honorable of ſpring may grace Ancestors and forefathers. Againe, by theſe words we vnderſtand when this Story was written, euen in the daies of Dauid, and that alſo when he was choſen of God from his brethren; for elſe Ieſſe his eldeſt ſonne ſhould hauehave been named, and not Dauid, who was the ſeuenth and youngeſt ſonne of his Father. Thirdly, theſe words ſhew whereto this Hiſtory tendeth, to bring vsus vntounto Dauid, that ſweet ſinger of Iſrael, the chiefe type of Ieſus Christ, the Sauiour not onelyonly of the Iewes, but likewiſe of the Gentiles, of whom he was pleaſed to come, to be their Sauiour alſo, as it appeareth to vsus at this day, bleſſed be God for euer.
Amen.