Ruth 4:18  Now these are the generations of Pharez: Pharez begat Hezron,
19  And Hezron begat Ram, and Ram begat Amminadab,
20  And Amminadab begat Nahshon, and Nahshon begat Salmon,
21  And Salmon begat Boaz, and Boaz begat Obed,
22  And Obed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David.

Genealogical records are important to God. He knows what He is doing all the time. He worked through different people to bring His plan into reality. He never needed to change His plan. He did not pre-program man to fall or to do right. He made man in His own image and He equipped man with the ability to glorify Him. He gave man a freewill, but with the reminder that there are consequences to choices we make.
Freewill seems to be a big deal to us as people. We like the sound of that word, but we do not pay very close attention to the consideration of the consequences of freewill. That is why we need to come to the place where we put ourselves under the authority of the God of creation. We do not think about the consequences to our freewill until it is too late.
A person may see the ads or see others smoking and think that would be a cool thing to do. He or she takes up that very expensive and destructive habit and does not realize how addictive it is. Then he justifies his habit and continues to indulge in it. Meanwhile, his health is being permanently altered. There is no drug to bring back the condition of the lungs to what they would be without all that smoke going into them. There is nothing that can repair the other damage that is being done. Some people live to a good old age, even though they have smoked most of their life. However they are still doing damage to their bodies and they are also expressing a defiance of the will l of God.
That is just one example of the many ways that we can abuse freewill and yet, most people assume that even though they want absolute control over their own bodies and minds, they still want a home in heaven. In the secular world, a person either needs to have the cash to purchase a home, or they need to go to the bank and borrow the money to purchase a home. Certain criteria must be met in order to purchase that house and make it your home. Most people accept those criteria. There are those who are “squatters” and they assume they can live for free in someone else’s house. Our legal system entertains that false idea. There are many people who follow the lies of false teachers who tell them that they can go to heaven even though they set their own standard for righteousness. The Bible tells us this does not work. It is wise to listen to what God says.
We need to be brought to the place where we submit to the will of God. We cannot bring ourselves to that place. God works in the heart of every person to bring them to that place, but most reject that work. They refuse to submit to God’s will and try to make God fit their will. Of course that does not work, but the devil is able to deceive most people to think that it does work. The devil is happy with that because he wants to take as many people as he can to hell with him. He will be in the lake of fire and in torment for all eternity, but his pride does not allow him to accept that fact, nor can he change that fact. Most people are in that same category. They refuse to accept the fact that without repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ according to the Biblical definition, there is no salvation.
In our text, God chose to close out the book of Ruth with a short genealogy. Pharez was one of the names the women brought up with regard to Boaz and Ruth’s son. Pharez was the son of a sinful relationship. Pharez had no part in his coming into this world. His parents had a choice. God did not arrange the sinful actions of Judah and Tamar. He took that son, Pharez and through that son He continued to develop the lineage of Judah to the place of the incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Hebrew name for Pharez means “breach”. Pharez begat Hezron. The Hebrew name for Hezron means “surrounded by a wall”. These names are names that the parents chose but God knew about them. Judah had lost two of his sons due to their wickedness. He was left with one son, whom he did not want to give in marriage to Tamar. He did not want Shelah to be the kinsman redeemer for his other sons. He chose to commit sin with Tamar and the result was Pharez, a breach in the family line. God did not carry the lineage through Shelah, but rather through Pharez.
Hezron begat Ram. The Hebrew name for Ram means “high” or “exalted”. Indeed the lineage of Judah would be high and it would be exalted, ultimately through Jesus Christ. Of Ram came Amminadab. His name means “my kinsman is noble”. The next son mentioned is Nahshon whose name means “enchanter”. His son that is mentioned was Salmon. His name means “garment”. Certainly the Lord Jesus Christ provides that garment that we must have in order to enter heaven.
Of Salmon came Boaz. Boaz means “fleetness”. He was the honourable man that God gave us greater details of in this book. Since the Bible is a patriarchal book, the names of the women are not mentioned here. It is not that women are not important to God. He made Eve. He designed procreation to require a man and a woman. God reminds us often that we as men are to be the leaders in our homes, society and churches. We are to lead by example, not decree alone. We are required to set godly standards for our homes, but those standards should be our own personal standards first and foremost.
The next name given here is Obed. Obed means “serving”. Jesus Christ came as a servant in order to provide salvation for mankind. He came to serve His Heavenly Father and in so doing He met the needs of mankind as well. His provision of salvation is the greatest need that man has. Without the reception of that gift there is no hope for man.
Obed begat Jesse. His name means “I possess”. Despite what most people reject, we are all accountable to God and will all answer to Him. Those who are saved need to be taught that they belong to God and have been bought with the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Those who are saved must understand that we do not have the right to go our own way. We have been placed into the Father’s hand and He will direct us. When a saved person sins, God will chasten him. He expects His child to follow Him. That is not optional for those who are saved. We are saved to glorify God.

Ephesians 2:10  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Saved people are a work of God. No one saves himself. The Holy Spirit works in the heart of every person to convince the person of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. If the person gets saved, the Holy Spirit works to enable him to obey his new master. Saved people still need to make choices, but there are certain choices we cannot make. A saved person cannot choose to leave God. He belongs to God for eternity. It is a privilege to come under the loving care of God. The truly born again person learns to appreciate that fact more and more as he walks with God.
The next and last name given to us in this book is David. His name means “beloved”. We know that ultimately, God declared Jesus Christ to be His beloved Son, in whom He was well pleased. The Greek word translated as “beloved” in the context of Matthew 3:17 is found 62 times in the New Testament. It is used to speak of Jesus Christ, but it is also used to address true born again saints.
We can only be made to be beloved through the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is a blessing to receive that gift. If you are reading this, but have not received that gift, why not do so right now. Humble yourself, and bow your head in repentance toward God and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ to save you. Those who have done so, will never regret that important decision.
Pastor Bartel