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Ruth – Uncomfortable Lessons
Uncomfortable Lessons from Ruth:
1. The most loyal woman is not an Israelite, but a Moabite (ch.1).
2. The most bitter person is an Israelite bitter towards God (ch1).
3. Boaz has to order fellow Israelites to “not touch” Ruth (ch.2).
4. Although Ruth is loyal to Naomi, Naomi puts Ruth in a possibly socially compromising situation (ch.3).
5. Although Boaz is a possible “redeemer”, Naomi is conniving in getting him to fulfill his obligation (ch.3).
6. Not every Israelite qualified to redeem is willing out of selfishness (ch.4).
7. David’s, Israel’s greatest king, Great-Grandmother was not an Israelite (ch.4).
Why are these uncomfortable lessons important?
1. The story is about Naomi more than about Ruth. Naomi needed a redeemer (4:14,17) which is only needed because life is not always good. That is grace!
2. David is a 3rd generation descendant of a Moabite who was an proselyte. According to Deuteronomy 23:3 no Moabite or descendant up to the 10th generation could enter the tabernacle or temple. And yet, David collected the materials for the temple and his son became the temple building. That is grace!
Let’s never forget the overall lesson: God redeems because we need a redeemer and spiritually Jesus is that redeemer because we are not as perfect as we sometimes pretend to be. Sometimes we are not even as good as those who belong to “us”. If we were as good as we pretend, we would not need grace!
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