Ruth
We have another book of the Bible, that is read yearly in its entirety in Jewish Synagogues, and that is the book of Ruth, well worth another read; contemplatingly. In Short, Naomi and her husband and two sons, leave Bethlehem (the House of Bread) because a famine, “No Bread.” Her two sons marry local girls, her husband dies, her two sickly sons die, and that is about as rough as she can take it here in a foreign land, there is now bread in “the House of Bread” so she decides that enough is enough, and she is “Going Home.”
Her two daughter-in-law’s start out, but only Ruth, completes the journey. With no food and income, Ruth goes Gleaning, and providentially ends up in the fields of Boaz. Barley Harvest over, and she does very well, Wheat harvest and she is doing pretty good for a poor lady. Threshing time for the now well dried Barley as all crops are safely inside from dew and rain, so they start to thresh the first crop, barley.
Poverty Ruth is very fond of Affluent Boaz, and Boaz kind of thinks this foreign girl is pretty, very kind, and a great conscientious worker. Boaz finishes threshing the Barley crop, and it is now a mountain of Grain, so after the celebratory feast, he sleeps with the crop, only to awake in the middle of the night to find a pretty Ruth sleeping at his feet. She proposes to him, Ruth 3:9 “Then he said, Who [art] thou? And she answered, I [am] Ruth thine handmaid: spread therefore the Wing of thy garment over thine handmaid; for thou [art] the kinsman” {Geneva}. This is the corner of his Tallit, or head covering shawl, and only a Wife is permitted this honour, so Ruth in essence said, Cover me with thine Tallit, he replied, but that is only for my wife; she replied, terms and conditions accepted.
Ruth 3:16 “And when she came to her mother in law, she said, Who [art] thou, my daughter? And she told her all that the man had done to her.” Foot note; Perceiving by her coming home, that he had not taken her to his wife (married her on the spot), she was astonished {Geneva}. Day break and Boaz is on a mission, he sits at the City Gate very early, and the person he wants comes through, so he gets him to sit with him. The first Ten Elders that come to the gate (City Council and High Court) so now he has a quorum, Boaz presents his case. Naomi is back in town and wants to sell her land, goodie the man says, I’m ahead of you so I buy now. OK says Boaz, but today you take Ruth to wife; not OK, then you buy as you are next in line.
Great says Boaz, deal is done, with shoe in hand as evidence, he is off to collect his prize, and the lovely and wonderful Ruth is married, she soon thereafter delivers a bonny baby boy, Naomi is now the doting nurse. Ruth 4:16-22 “And Naomi took the child, and laid it in her bosom, and became nurse unto it. And the women her neighbours gave it 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. Now these [are] the generations of Pharez: Pharez begat Hezron, and Hezron begat Ram, and Ram begat Amminadab, and Amminadab begat Nahshon, and Nahshon begat Salmon, and Salmon begat Boaz, and Boaz begat Obed, and Obed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David.
What a lovely “Happily ever after story;” well not quite, let us look at the ladies mentioned. Genesis 38:6 “And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, whose name [was] Tamar.” Ruth 4:12 “And let thy house be like the house of Pharez, whom Tamar bare unto Judah, of the seed which the LORD shall give thee of this young woman.” Judah took a wife for his son, Tamar, but the son was so evil, God removed him. The Second son married Tamar and was just as wicked, so he died. Tamar got tricky and got pregnant to her father in law hence Pharez. Matthew 1:1-6 “The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren; and Judas begat Phares and Zara of Thamar; and Phares begat Esrom; and Esrom begat Aram; and Aram begat Aminadab; and Aminadab begat Naasson; and Naasson begat Salmon; and Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse; and Jesse begat David the king; and David the king begat Solomon of her [that had been the wife] of Urias;”
Salmon married Rachab (that is the red cord in the window at Jericho, Rahab) King David had a son to the wife of Uriah, hence Solomon. So Tamar got pregnant to her Father-in-law, she marries the father of her twins, her father-in-law. Rahab ran a Motel/B&B/Linen weaving etc. business in Jericho, and Israel were not too happy with her past, so she was tagged rightly or wrongly as a “Prostitute.” Ruth was a Moabites, and as such was not deemed fit marriage material by “The Jews.” Solomon had a mother from a very questionably immoral past, and not the sort of chap you would chooses for your special daughter.
Even Jesus Christ; and we have looked at some of his “Family Tree,” had skeletons in the closet, and the rumour mill had his mother Mary (Miriam in Hebrew) having a pregnancy by unusual circumstances. Old saying, “Man in Glass House not throw stones.” Is your “Family Tree” more shameful than the Messiah, Jesus Christ, well who cares, Salvation is not by Rumours and Gossip, it is by Jesus Christ.” John 6:37 “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” Jesus loves you so much, and it is you that matters, and not your musty-dusty past that matters to him, so commit to him right now.
