From Curse to Blessing - The Story of Ruth the Moabite

BQ NO 73 - WHAT LESSONS CAN WE LEARN FROM THE LIFE OF RUTH THE MOABITE?

By Ezekiel Kimosop

INTRODUCTION/BACKGROUND TO THE BOOK OF RUTH

Bible scholars consider the historical background of the Book of Ruth to fall into the period of the rule of the Judges in Israel. 

The narrative of Ruth is believed to lie somewhere around the time of Gideon. This was the period in which Israel experienced a cycle of religious apostasy, affliction and restoration and then back again to apostasy.

The period of the Judges follows that of Joshua who led Israel faithfully though the conquest. However, after Joshua's generation were “gathered unto their fathers”, the children of Israel lost their spiritual footing and borrowed from the detestable idolatry and abominations of their Canaanite neighbors. They worshipped foreign gods and forsook the LORD, the God of Israel.

In Joshua’s day, the Israelites could not mingle with the Moabites or Ammonites because of a clear prohibition from God. The Bible teaches in Deuteronomy 23:3 that “An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter the assembly of the LORD; even to the tenth generation none of his descendants shall enter the assembly of the LORD forever.”

Ruth was a descendant of Lot, the nephew of Abraham, who fathered two sons with his two daughters under the incestuous incident described in Genesis 19:31-38. The two sons of Lot became the ancestors of the Moabites and the Ammonites. The two communities had no part in the heritage of God's covenant people despite their ancestral connection with the people of Abraham. 

Their separation from Abraham can be traced to the incident recorded in Genesis 13 when Lot and Abraham parted ways over a conflict on grazing land. This was to be a long, long separation until Ruth and Boaz came together!

The Israelites had numerous conflicts with the Moabites during their journey through the desert. The Moabites were  idolaters who worshipped some of the most detestable gods of the Canaanites including Chemosh (cf. 1Kings 11:7, 33) while the Ammonites worshipped Milcom (2Kings 23:13). 

The famine situation in Bethlehemjudah was no excuse for Elimelech to violate God’s law in dwelling among the Moabites. The Jewish society had simply declined in its moral standards. God however used the unusual circumstances to work out His redemption plan for Israel. This reminds us that God always preserves a remnant of faithful people in every generation or civilization.

THE STORY OF RUTH

Ruth is first introduced to the Bible reader in Ruth 1:4 where she is described as the Moabite widow of one of the two sons of late Elimelech. Given the order of the description of the sons, Ruth was possibly the wife of the second son, Chilion. She is later distinctly described by the servants of Boaz in Ruth 2:6 as “…the young Moabite woman who came back with Naomi from the country of Moab.” Her racial identity was distinct from that of the Jews. She was the stranger in Bethlehem but this fact did not stifle her determination to make the best out of her situation. 

It appears that God graciously overlooked and reversed the curse on Moabites for her sake. One may argue that the curse was to follow the male lineage but this argument fails. Ruth had the blood of the cursed Moabites running in her veins! God had to reverse the curse to permit her into the assembly of God’s people. She, like us, was not deserving of God’s grace! The Bible teaches in Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,  9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.”

Some scholars believe that the Moabites may have been people of a fairly dark skin and that David may have shared these attributes with Ruth, his great grandmother. 

Despite her idolatrous background, Ruth appears to have been positively influenced by Naomi’s virtuous life. She was determined to follow Naomi into Bethlehem despite the tragedy that the Elimelech family suffered. Unlike Ruth, Orpah, who was possibly the wife of Mahlon, returned to her Moabite people.

Choices do have consequences...

The name Ruth sounds like the Hebrew name for friendship, a significant attribute of this great young Moabite woman who courageously forsook her past; her cultural connections for a strange people in a foreign land.

LESSONS IN RUTH’S RESOLVE TO FOLLOW NAOMI

Ruth made a powerful resolve to follow Naomi into Israel. Her firm conviction clearly rings out when she declares to Naomi in Ruth 1:16-17  "Entreat me not to leave you, Or to turn back from following after you; For wherever you go, I will go; And wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall be my people, And your God, my God.  17 Where you die, I will die, And there will I be buried. The LORD do so to me, and more also, If anything but death parts you and me."

Five important lessons  can be distilled from this statement.

First, Ruth was unshakable in her resolve. She had made up her mind on the way forward and not even the return of Orpah could break her resolve.

Secondly, we notice that Ruth was convinced that Naomi was a great mentor, a mother and a virtuous woman worth following in life. She saw in Noami much more than a relative or a mother in law. Naomi was an icon of virtue, a pillar of integrity, a mentor.

Thirdly, Ruth had determined to convert to Judaism and abandon her idolatrous past. Her  conversion had probably occurred much earlier in her life and Naomi may have noticed her moral and spiritual transformation. 

We later learn from the testimony of Boaz that Ruth was a kind and diligent woman. She faithfully supported her mother in law in Moab. In Ruth 3:11 Boaz says to Ruth during their meeting “…I will do for you all that you request, for all the people of my town know that you are a virtuous woman.”

Notice the kind words of Boaz earlier in Ruth 2:11-13  which says “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."  13 Then she said, "Let me find favor in your sight, my lord; for you have comforted me, and have spoken kindly to your maidservant, though I am not like one of your maidservants."

Ruth’s testimony of faithfulness had already spread to Bethlehem even before she set her foot there. It appears that some relatives of Elimelech who possibly used to visit Moab came with the good report. 

Ruth was not just an ordinary Moabite but one chosen by God for His divine purposes.

This teaches us that we should never tire in doing good to others, even those we do not know. Even if no one notices or appreciates our acts of kindness, we need to remember that God will never forget them.

The Bible says in Hebrews 6:10-12  “For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister.  11 And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, 12 that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.”

Fourthly, we notice that Ruth did not consider returning to Moab no matter what happens in Israel. Her going to Israel was a sealed deal. She was prepared to live in Israel for the rest of her life and be buried there. 

She had consciously forsaken her immediate family, relatives and friends to follow Naomi, who in this case was a type of Christ. 

This reminds us of our resolve to follow Christ. Our walk with God is eternal, never again to reverse to the dark evil ways of our disobedient past.

Finally, Ruth sealed her promise to Naomi with an oath. She swore by the God of Israel that she would keep her promise (Ruth 1:17). The statement she makes here was a solemn oath which invokes God as a witness. This was a cultural way of affirming an oath or a solemn pledge among ancient Middle Eastern societies. 

Several Bible characters in the Old Testament made or proclaimed oaths in this manner. Abraham and Abimelech made a covenant through an oath (Genesis 21:23-24). 

Esau foolishly sold his birthright through an oath he hurriedly made because of hunger pangs! Genesis 25:33-34 says “Then Jacob said, "Swear to me as of this day." So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob.  34 And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; then he ate and drank, arose, and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.” 

What a shame to sell one’s birthright in this cheap manner! 

Similarly, Jacob’s remains were returned to Israel under an oath by Joseph his favorite son who went to bury him in Judea after 70 days of mourning (Genesis 50:3), which, according to Bible scholars, was only two days shorter than the 72 day period prescribed for the mourning of a dead Pharaoh! 

This confirms that Jacob was highly respected by the Egyptians, being the father of the second in command in the land at the time.

Now back to the story of Ruth…

Ruth’s oath was therefore solemn and came from the depth of her heart. She was not coerced into making the decision. She did it under a firm conviction. God grafted Ruth into the heritage of Israel in the same way that those who choose to cling to Christ are grafted into the household of God and share in His divine heritage! 

John 1:12-13  says: “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: 13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”

Have you resolved by an oath to follow Jesus? If so, please keep your promise... 

RUTH AND THE FAVOUR OF GOD

Arising from her resolve to join God's covenant people and be counted among them, Ruth was later to become the wife of Boaz and the great grandmother of King David. 

God was touched by her great love for God’s people and her virtuous life of chastity. She, like Rahab before her, was counted among God’s covenant people and God graciously permitted her to fall into the lineage of our Savior, Jesus Christ. 

She, like us, may have been a despised, disadvantaged foreigner who was separated by the curse of sin, but once we, like her, walked into the presence of God, our lives were never the same again.

Finally, in the life of Boaz and Ruth, we see the ultimate reunion between Abraham and Lot after centuries and generations of separation. This reunion mirrors our ultimate reunion with God in Christ under our eternal covenant relationship which Christ secured for us at Calvary. 

We are in Christ purely by God's grace yet we are counted as true sons of Abraham who are entitled to the divine heritage in Christ alongside the Jewish people. 

Galatians 3:7-8  says “Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham.  8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand,saying, "In you all the nations shall be blessed."

What a privilege we have in Jesus!

CONCLUSION 

Let me conclude by stating that Ruth, like us, came from spiritual poverty to eternal riches in Christ. She rose from obscurity to prominence; from widowhood to a fulfilled marriage; from childlessness to motherhood; from hopelessness to eternal security in God; from curse to blessing, from alienation to inclusion, from a destitute life to a life of adoption, from infamy to fame, from death to life!

Does this describe your journey of faith in Christ? 

May we always, like Ruth, be grateful to God for divinely inviting us to share in the eternal glory that awaits us when Christ shall be revealed (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). 

Shalom

© Ezekiel Kimosop 2019

[This article was originally posted on L & D WhatsApp Forum on 17th January, 2017. It was sparingly revised on 15th July, 2021]