The Grace of God in the Line of Christ

The closing verses of Ruth present a family history of the line that came from Jacob through Judah and Pharez, the line that would lead to David and, ultimately, to Jesus Christ. The point of the history is to remind us that all the events of life take place in the wider context of the purpose of God. They also remind us, as we consider other occurrences of this history, that God showed His grace, not only in bringing Ruth into the family of Christ, but also Tamar, Rahab, and even the one who was the wife of Uriah the Hittite. God will have no part of the fulfillment of His sovereign purpose to be the result of any human merit, but will magnify His grace seen in the lives of those women, and in the lives of Eve and Mary.