THE LADIES IN THE LINEAGE – RUTH

Ruth, the Moabites is the third lady, in the lineage of the LORD Jesus Christ. She is the second lady from the gentile nations. Rahab, the Canaanite was a prostitute, Ruth the Moabites married – one of the “Chosen People” – the son of Naomi, who had migrated, along with her husband Elimelech, and her two sons, to Moab, because of famine in the promised land – Ruth 1:1-5.
– Rahab, the harlot, a Canaanite lady, is the mother of Boaz.
– Hence, Rahab, is the Mother-in-law of Ruth.
– “5 Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse,” – Matthew 1:5

When Elimelech, and his two sons die, Naomi wants to return back to Bethlehem, her home town. Orpha, reluctantly, and upon the insistence of Naomi, decides to stay back in her land, to be among her people in Moab. Not so with Ruth.
– “But Ruth replied, “Don’t ask me to leave you and turn back. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. Wherever you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord punish me severely if I allow anything but death to separate us!” – Ruth 1:16-17 (NLT)

Even though Ruth was a Moabites, who were counted as Gentiles, with serious derogative connotations, yet, she chose to display, tremendous amount of love and faithfulness, towards her mother-in-law, Naomi, and did not wish to leave Naomi alone, but accompanied her to Israel. She not only was gladly willing, to leave behind her own family, her own people, and the land of her ancestors, so that Naomi would not be alone, in her old age, and in such a state of pain and agony, but also, was courageous enough to face the taunts and the insults, if any, from the Jews, who utterly hate Gentiles, as some inferior people, because the Jews were proud of being the “chosen ones” by God, therefore, superior people, which the gentiles were not – Acts 6:1; Galatians 2:11-16, Acts 10:28, John 4:9, 18:28, Acts 11:1-3.

Sophia Bricker, writing in her article, “5 Remarkable Women in Jesus’ Genealogy and What They Teach Us” observes this about Ruth, the Moabites.
– “Ruth further showed her love for Naomi, by going out to work in the fields, to collect and thresh grain.”
– “The job was physically exhausting, but Ruth consistently worked to provide food for her mother-in-law and herself.” 

These are the comments of the prominent people of the town of Bethlehem, about Ruth.
– “11 And all the people who were at the gate, and the elders, said, “We are witnesses. The LORD make the woman who is coming to your house like Rachel and Leah, the two who built the house of Israel; and may you prosper in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem. 12 May your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, because of the offspring which the LORD will give you from this young woman.” – Ruth 4:11-12

The following are the commendations by the women of the town of Bethlehem, about Ruth.
– “14 Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the LORD, who has not left you this day without a close relative; and may his name be famous in Israel! 15 And may he be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age; for your daughter-in-law, who loves you, who is better to you than seven sons, has borne him.” – Ruth 4:14-15

What an amazing lady is Ruth, the Moabites!!! A woman of tremendous courage, and true character. A lady, whom YAHWEH counted it worthy to be counted in the list of the ancestors of the Redeemer. Oh, the ever so gracious LORD, unlike His people.

Why did God include Ruth? I believe, God is telling the chosen people, the Hebrew children, and to the Church too, that, *all who love and obey Him are His children. For there is no discrimination with YAHWEH, nor any favouritism in His eyes. All, including the  Gentiles, are equal in His sight, for all, including the Jews, have sinned, and have fallen short of the LORD’s righteous standard* – Romans 3:9-20,23; 6:23. 
– “9 What then? Are we better than they? Not at all. For we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin.” – Romans 3:9; and for further reference, Psalm 14:1–3; 53:1–4

As we glean from the holy Scriptures, for the God of the Bible, “the chosen people” are not the ethnic descendants of Abraham, but the ones who truly call on the name of Yeshua – Jesus Christ of Nazareth, to be their God, just like Ruth the Moabites, an enemy of the Jews, and a “despicable” Gentile in the eyes of Jews, so that they become sons of daughters of Abraham. 
– “28 For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; 29 but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God.” – Romans 2:28-29
– “6…For they are not all Israel who are of Israel, 7 nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, “In Isaac your seed shall be called.” 8 That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed.” – Romans 9:6-8
– “5 Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?— 6 just as Abraham “believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” 7 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.” 9 So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.” – Galatians 3:5-9

May the LORD open our eyes, to know, who the God of the Bible, truly is, and not drown ourselves, with our own petty and narrow understanding, and interpretations, jaundiced by our own biases, prejudices and preferences. God loves all people, right from the beginning of creation, and not just one race of people. God of the Bible is, the God of all people, and God all nations, not just one. Sadly, we tend to lean more towards such a corrupted understanding of the LORD God Almighty, and seem to walk this erroneous path, unmindful of our error. May the LORD help us through the lives and testimonies of Rahab, the Canaanite harlot, and Ruth, the Moabites.