THE CURSE OF MOAB

Bill Fitzhenry's Thoughts For Today…

Understanding important truths from the Bible….

THE CURSE OF MOAB                     

Ruth 4:17

¹⁷ Also the neighbor women gave him a name, saying, “There is a son born to Naomi.” And they called his name Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David.

Matthew 1:5

Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse, 

The story of Ruth is unusual in a number of ways.  As is Job, it is about a Gentile.  This Gentile is a woman and from a despised nation.  The story itself is rather bland and shows Israel enjoying the land God had given them.  There is no conflict with enemy nations and no indication of Israel’s worship being suspect. 

There is some general information that can be determined from the content.

1.  Israel as a nation is somewhat lawless.  The danger of assault Ruth faced, Ruth 2:9, 22 is an indication of lawlessness which existed at that time.
2. There were traditions, Ruth 3:4, which we do not understand.  But this is no hindrance to understanding the overall history in this writing.
3. This is written later, Ruth 4:17, probably in the time of David.  There is no reason to put the authorship later than David’s reign.  The period it covered in the story is late in the time of the Judges and it might well have overlapped the time of early Samuel at least as far as the life of Obed.

There are three facts about Ruth which are both interesting and necessary to any understanding of her importance.

1. There was no reason for Ruth to leave Moab.  Judah had nothing that can objectively be named that could interest her.  When Naomi had come to Moab there was a famine in Judah.  There was only a rumor of prosperity and at that no more in Judah than in Moab.  As Naomi told her she had no expectation of a favorable marriage awaiting her if she left Moab.  And even more important she would go there as a second class citizen.  As a sojourner all the privileges of citizens was given to her but she was still a Moabitess.
2. Ruth would go knowing she was forbidden any Spiritual citizenship in Israel.  Duet. 23:3 “Even down to the tenth generation.” ‘means, not even their remotest descendants .  “ten” is the number of totality or all inclusiveness”  Deuteronomy, Ridderbos,  Students Commentary, Zondervan, pg 229.  Her spiritual prospects in Israel as far as she could know were none.How then did she become a mother in Israel?  Again we have an illustration of God’s sovereign electing grace being unbounded.  That which is impossible for man is possible for God.  The Ten Commandments cannot be changed.  But laws or regulations of service are always left to God’s disposal.  She was God’s elect, man must receive her.
3.  This brings us to the third great truth about Ruth.  She is one of five women in the genealogy of Jesus given in Matthew.  Mary, the mother of Jesus, is the only one of these women who does not have something questionable in their history.  Tamar was of questionable ethics.  Rahab was a converted harlot.  Bathsheba was an adultress.  And Ruth was a Moabitess excluded from God’s presence forever.  The blessed Mary is the single exception.  Not an exception as a sinner but she was an exception in virtue.  What Roman Catholicism has done to her should not change our veneration for her as the mother of Christ.

After all these facts are weighed it is easily understood why Christianity has always had their love for Ruth.  She is as Boaz described her, Ruth 2:10-12,”  So she fell on her face, bowed down to the ground, and said to him, “Why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?”

¹¹ And Boaz answered and said to her, “It has been fully reported to me, all that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband, and how you have left your father and your mother and the land of your birth, and have come to a people whom you did not know before. ¹² The Lord repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge.” 

Application:

1.  Grace is greater than all that separates us from God.
2. The humanity of Christ is so real and ordinary that anyone can identify with Him.