This post is written to complement our Sunday morning sermon series, The Redeemer: God’s Faithfulness in the Story of Ruth.
If you are unfamiliar with the story of Ruth, you may wish to read Ruth 1 before continuing. This post will be here when you get back.
The ancient nation of Moab plays an important role in the biblical story of Ruth. Moab is the land to which Elimelech, Naomi, and their family fled during a time of famine. It’s also the homeland of Ruth, the central character of the book that bears her name. Israel and Moab shared a complicated history, all of which provides background to God’s faithfulness to Ruth.
The story of the Moabites goes back all the way to Abraham’s nephew Lot. Abraham and Lot travelled to the promised land together, but they eventually separated in a land dispute---Abraham to Canaan, and Lot to the Jordan River Valley and eastward (Genesis 13). Lot fathered sons named Ammon and Moab in a sinful relationship with his daughters, and both sons fathered nations (the Ammonites and Moabites) who settled east of Israel where Lot’s herds grazed.
Hundreds of years later, when Israel was wandering in the wilderness of Moab after the Exodus, the descendants of Lot and Abraham clashed again. The king of Moab, fearing an invasion, hired the prophet Balaam to curse Israel (Numbers 22-24). Though God prevented Balaam from cursing his people, many Israelites died after worshipping false gods and using cult prostitutes (Numbers 25). Because of this incident, Moabites were forbidden from participating in ‘the assembly of the LORD’ (the exact nature of which is debated) for generations (Deuteronomy 23:2-4).
Closer to Ruth’s own day, the nation of Moab occupied Israel for 18 years during the time of the judges (Judges 3:12-30). We don’t know whether Ruth lived before, during, or after this time (though some have suggested that Elimelech and his sons were defectors who were killed in this war), but we can be sure that most Israelites would view Ruth with suspicion, if not hostility. All of this makes Boaz’s kindness that much more incredible. Not only does he allow Ruth to glean (which he is legally required to do), but he treats her as one of his own servants and invites her to dine with him.