Women in Jesus’ Line – Ruth A Moabitess?

November 21, 2011

They took for themselves Moabite women as wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. And they lived there about ten years. Ruth 1:4

They were the enemy of Israel. Descendents of Moab, the son of Lot by his incestuous relationship with his eldest daughter. They were idol worshipers. They were superstitious. The Moabites were a continual thorn for Israel throughout the nation’s history.

During the conquest, as Israel took possession of the Promise Land, the king of Moab summoned a prophet to curse God’s people, and the women of Moab seduced Israel into worshiping Baal of Peor (Numbers 22–25). As a result, the Mosaic Law specifically forbade the Moabites from admittance into the Israelite community (Deuteronomy 23:3–6).

Yet desperate times in Israel caused an Israelite named Elimelech and his family to journey into this foreign land to escape the famine that ravaged Bethlehem. They made the fifty-mile journey around the Dead Sea hoping to find shelter until the famine subsided.

But the situation soon turned disastrous. Elimelech died, and his sons took wives from the foreign nation. His eldest son, Mahlon, married a woman named Ruth. But after ten years of marriage he too passed away, leaving Ruth without a husband, without an heir, destitute. So how did this seemingly insignificant Moabite woman make it into the Old Testament and into the genealogy of the Messiah?

Take a second look at Ruth, and we find that her name reveals her character. Ruth means “friendship.” In the ancient Near East names were indicative of character. “Friendship” was an apt name to describe the woman whose life could be summed up in one word—loyalty.

All throughout the book of Ruth, we find this woman showing loyalty to God and loyalty to the people she loved. Perhaps it was the home she married into, perhaps it was the relationships she grieved, or maybe it was the stigma that she bore as a Moabite. Regardless her struggles developed within her the character of a loyal friend and prepared her to become the great grandmother of Israel’s greatest king—David.

The same is true for us. Difficulties develop us and struggles shape us. May we become like Ruth and allow the hard, grief-stricken places to create character within us. And may we bless others with the lessons we’ve learned.

How have difficulties shaped me and given me something to share?

 

by: Amanda DeWitt