Journal: Southern Baptist Journal of Theology
Volume: SBJT 21:1 (Spring 2017)
Article: A True And Greater Boaz: Typology And Jesus In The Book Of Ruth
Author: Mitchell L. Chase

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SBJT 21:1 (Spring 2017) p. 85

A True And Greater Boaz:
Typology And Jesus In The Book Of Ruth

Mitchell L. Chase

Mitchell L. Chase is adjunct professor of Old Testament at Boyce College and Preaching Pastor at Kosmosdale Baptist Church, Louisville, Kentucky. He earned his PhD in Biblical Studies from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and his ThM and MDiv from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Dr. Chase is the author of Behold Our Sovereign God (Lucid Books, 2012), The Gospel is for Christians (Lucid Books, 2010), and articles published in the Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, Journal of Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, Southern Baptist Journal of Theology, and articles for The Gospel Coalition. Mitch is married to Stacie and they have four boys. 

Introduction

The Book of Ruth is not the only Old Testament (OT) book with a genealogy, but it is the only one with a genealogy in its closing verses.1 In fact, the content of the genealogy may be the whole reason the Book of Ruth was written.2 The last word of the final verse is “David” (Ruth 4:22). Since the story in the Book of Ruth took place during the pre-Davidic period of the judges when there was no king in Israel (1:1), the appearance of David’s name at the very end is noteworthy.3 This four-chapter drama leans forward. The events therein were not reported for their own sake by a narrator who was impartial to grander purposes.

The Book of Ruth tells a story that resolves in chapter four yet is still heading somewhere. It narrates how a Moabite named Ruth met an Israelite named Boaz and how their marriage ensured the continuation of her mother-in-law Naomi’s family line and inheritance (4:3-5, 9-10, 14-15).

SBJT 21:1 (Spring 2017) p. 86

But the book is about more than immediate relief for the main family. The coming together of Boaz and Ruth is a result of God’s providence, and God’s providence plays the long game. From their line will come David and, in the fullness of time, David’s greater Son.

While the genealogy at the end of Ruth 4 looks beyond the days of Boaz and Ruth, and while Boaz is an ancestor not only of David but also of Jesus, this article will contend that the relationship between Boaz and Jesus is typological. Put ...

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