Part One: Ten Generations to Redemption

Return to The History of Ruth
Throughout most of our Biblical journey in research and study, many of us have been forced to ask legitimate questions about the contents of God's Word. Why did God say this? What did God do that?

"Every word of God [is] pure: he [is] a shield unto them that put their trust in him." Proverbs 30:5

Each of us, as Bible students, have placed our trust in His pure and perfect Word, but it remains a part of our rugged design that we should test and approve the things presented to us for their value and purpose.

"The simple believeth every word: but the prudent [man] looketh well to his going." Proverbs 14:15

Prudence is always contrasted to foolishness or simple-mindedness. When we see "every word" of God before us in hundreds upon hundreds of pages compiled over thousands of years, what reason would we have to not "looketh well" into where we are going? What exactly do we have in our possession? Why is this written? Why was that said?

One of the more popular passages we've probably all heard before is when Matthew quotes Christ as saying that nothing of the law shall pass away.

"For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled." Matthew 5:18

Indeed we see it again in Luke.

"And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail." Luke 16:17

Did anyone ever have a parent use the phrase, "Not one I-ota!" in their home? My father used it, but it took me quite some time before it meant anything. What he was saying was, "Not one word!" And the word "Iota" is the Greek for "jot."

Christ makes claim to the Books of the Law saying that absolutely no mark, no word, and no claim will pass away from them until all of it is fulfilled. All of it. The trouble is, don't we usually associate fulfillment with prophecy? With something that is a foretelling of the future? How can there be fulfillment of the things written in Law when they are merely declarations of fact?

It is for these questions that I'd like to take you on a journey that will lead us to the Book of Ruth in a way that you may not have expected. For the question might reasonably be asked, "Why do we have the Book of Ruth? What's the significance?" Indeed we will answer this question quite extensively as we pass through a more pressing matter that sets the stage.

As we begin to view the Old Testament picture and Christ's mention, it's incredibly important to note that when He speaks about these "jots and tittles," he is speaking most directly about the first five books of the Bible: the Pentateuch (meaning five books) or the Torah (meaning law).

Deuteronomy was the culmination of those books. And in it, we find the following claim about all that had been written to that point.

"Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee." Deuteronomy 31:26

The Book of the Law was set aside as most precious for it told of creation, the fall, and spent its greater portion laying out the roadmap for redemption to mankind. If man has fallen, how can they be redeemed? If they have lost land, how can they get it back? If they are of an impure bloodline, when will they be pure again and through whom? What will make them clean again when they have sinned?

Among the many passages in the Torah, we're going to focus in on just one of them for reasons of this study. Deuteronomy 23.

"He that is wounded in the stones, or hath his privy member cut off, shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD. A bastard shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD; even to his tenth generation shall he not enter into the congregation of the LORD." Deuteronomy 23:1-2

There are several groups that God regards as having no present access to the congregation of the Lord. And we must recognize that the "congregation of the Lord" is contrasted with the "congregation of Israel" to indicate those who are princes, elders, and leaders in the community. The "congregation of the Lord" are the prescribed royalty of Israel (Numbers 16:2-3).

The first group mentioned as being unable to enter the royal line of Israel is he that is "wounded in the stones" or "hath his privy member cut off." No need to go into great detail on this other than to say that the royal line of God's people, as we've always seen, should be pure and without defilement. If a man is marred, distorted, cut up, beaten, or maimed in some way, then he is not welcome to the royal house or congregation. In essence, we can think of this in terms of sin (imperfection) not being welcome in the presence of God. He won't look upon it. In this, a man cannot himself enter the congregation because it is him alone that has been defiled.

So what happens when the defilement goes beyond the single generation of a man? Let's go back to the sin of Adam. How long was it from Adam's fall to the time when the world was purified once again through a new man and his family line? 10 Generations. Through one man, Adam, sin entered into the world. Through Noah, sin did not leave the world, but man's lineage was able to start pure again. 10 Generations from a great sin.

Returning to Deuteronomy 23,

"A bastard shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD; even to his tenth generation shall he not enter into the congregation of the LORD." Deuteronomy 23:2

Here a "bastard" is very specific. In our modern thinking, we associate this with anyone born out of wedlock, but to be fair in the Scripture, it means something much more immoral. A "bastard" is one born out of incestual relations. A father and his daughter. A sister and brother. Take a look at one of these relationships with me.

"And Lot went up out of Zoar, and dwelt in the mountain, and his two daughters with him; for he feared to dwell in Zoar: and he dwelt in a cave, he and his two daughters. And the firstborn said unto the younger, Our father [is] old, and [there is] not a man in the earth to come in unto us after the manner of all the earth: Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father. And they made their father drink wine that night: and the firstborn went in, and lay with her father; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose. And it came to pass on the morrow, that the firstborn said unto the younger, Behold, I lay yesternight with my father: let us make him drink wine this night also; and go thou in, [and] lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father. And they made their father drink wine that night also: and the younger arose, and lay with him; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose. Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father." Genesis 19:30-36

That's awful, right? Horrible. Disgusting. Sexually demoralizing. But what is the result?

Both daughters are with child. Out of Lot would come two lines. And what were those lines?

"And the firstborn bare a son, and called his name Moab: the same [is] the father of the Moabites unto this day. And the younger, she also bare a son, and called his name Benammi: the same [is] the father of the children of Ammon unto this day." Genesis 19:37-38

Lot would be the father of the Moabites and the Ammonites. People born out of incest. Bastard children, if you will. As we found in Deuteronomy 23:2, a bastard cannot enter the congregation of the Lord through to the tenth generation. Who is a bastard child in Genesis 19? Moab.

Many often joke about the insignificance of generations and ages between men, but I insist that you follow closely now and watch the generations from Abraham.

Abraham to Isaac (1st Generation)
Isaac to Jacob (2nd Generation)
Jacob to Judah (3rd Generation)
Judah to Pharez (4th Generation)
Pharez to Esrom (5th Generation)
Esrom to Aram (6th Generation)
Aram to Aminadab (7th Generation)
Aminadab to Naasson (8th Generation)
Naasson to Salmon (9th Generation)
Salmon to Boaz (10th Generation)
Boaz to Obed (11th Generation)
Obed to Jesse (12th Generation)
Jesse to David (13th Generation)
David to Solomon (14th Generation)

These are as we have them recorded fully in the Book of Matthew, Chapter One.

Lot belonged to the house of Haran, Abraham's brother. Meaning what? Lot was a nephew, belonging to the second generation (Isaac to Jacob) of God's noted record. It is during the 11th Generation from Abraham that Boaz meets Ruth, the Moabite woman who returns with her mother-in-law, Naomi. 11 Generations from Abraham. 10 Generations from Lot and the incestual relationship. Obed, in the 12th generation from Abraham, is the 10th Generation out from the Lot's son Moab (born of incest). A perfect roadmap of fulfillment.

Interestingly enough, the story continues in Deuteronomy 23 to further enhance what we've just discovered.

"An Ammonite or Moabite (from the daughters of Lot) shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD; even to their tenth generation shall they not enter into the congregation of the LORD for ever:" Deuteronomy 23:3

One might reasonably ask without this information why God would choose to share the story of Ruth. Why would it matter?

Ten generations of ancestors polluted by a relationship of incest. And out of that tenth generation comes a Moabite woman named Ruth, just as the Book of the Law said she would. This alone should be enough to raise an eyebrow. And we haven't even entered the Book of Ruth yet.

Keep all of the above in mind as we now engage some of the bits and pieces (jots and tittles) of this fulfillment.

"Now it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehemjudah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons. And the name of the man [was] Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehemjudah. And they came into the country of Moab, and continued there." Ruth 1:1-2

Throughout Scripture, a famine is usually associated with a curse on the land by God Himself. And as a result, those living in the land must "sojourn" or "move away" for some time to another land that is not so destitute. In this case, a man from Bethlehem (yes, it's the same one you're thinking about) goes to Moab across the great Salt Sea with his wife and two sons.

"And Elimelech Naomi's husband died; and she was left, and her two sons. And they took them wives of the women of Moab; the name of the one [was] Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth: and they dwelled there about ten years." Ruth 1:3-4

So not long after arriving, the man who led his family to safety in Moab dies. This leaves his wife and their two sons alone in a foreign land for almost 10 years. While there, the two sons marry Moabite wives named Orpah and Ruth.

"And Mahlon and Chilion died also both of them; and the woman was left of her two sons and her husband. Then she arose with her daughters in law, that she might return from the country of Moab: for she had heard in the country of Moab how that the LORD had visited his people in giving them bread. Wherefore she went forth out of the place where she was, and her two daughters in law with her; and they went on the way to return unto the land of Judah." Ruth 1:5-7

Now the two sons die. Naomi, the father's wife, is left only with two daughter-in-laws that are not of her own kin. They are not her flesh and blood. So she prepares to leave and return to her homeland of Judah, in the city of Bethlehem.

"And Naomi said unto her two daughters in law, Go, return each to her mother's house: the LORD deal kindly with you, as ye have dealt with the dead, and with me. The LORD grant you that ye may find rest, each [of you] in the house of her husband. Then she kissed them; and they lifted up their voice, and wept. And they said unto her, Surely we will return with thee unto thy people." Ruth 1:8-10

On the way back, Naomi insists that these two women go grieve for their dead and return home to Moab. Why come with her? They have a home in Moab and she has a home in Judah. They are from two different worlds essentially. But the daughters press on.

"And Naomi said, Turn again, my daughters: why will ye go with me? [are] there yet [any more] sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands? Turn again, my daughters, go [your way]; for I am too old to have an husband. If I should say, I have hope, [if] I should have an husband also to night, and should also bear sons; Would ye tarry for them till they were grown? would ye stay for them from having husbands? nay, my daughters; for it grieveth me much for your sakes that the hand of the LORD is gone out against me. And they lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed her mother in law; but Ruth clave unto her. And she said, Behold, thy sister in law is gone back unto her people, and unto her gods: return thou after thy sister in law.." Ruth 1:11-15

Once again, Naomi gives them every excuse to turn around and go home. Orpah kisses her mother-in-law and returns home, but Ruth cleaves unto Naomi. Further insisting a third time that she return home, you can almost imagine the emotional coldness that Naomi had to this young woman, Ruth.

Go home.

Go HOME.

GO HOME!

And yet...

"And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, [or] to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people [shall be] my people, and thy God my God:" Ruth 1:16

Where you go, I will go. Where you sleep, I will sleep. Your people shall be my people. And your God shall be my God.

Wow. If you can imagine the Jewish mother that Naomi was, she already had plenty of concerns about her sons having married foreigners against the law of Moses. Why would she want them to come back with her? After enough insistence and a pretty persuasive argument, Naomi continues on down the road with this Moabite woman who has absolutely no reason to declare what she has said. What reason does she have to say that "thy God will be my God?"

Little does she know that it is her generation that would be purified and redeemed according to Deuteronomy 23.

"So they two went until they came to Bethlehem. And it came to pass, when they were come to Bethlehem, that all the city was moved about them, and they said, [Is] this Naomi? And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me. I went out full, and the LORD hath brought me home again empty: why [then] call ye me Naomi, seeing the LORD hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me? So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter in law, with her, which returned out of the country of Moab: and they came to Bethlehem in the beginning of barley harvest." Ruth 1:19-22

Here we discover that Naomi once had a fair share of land and fulness. When she and her husband and the two boys left Bethlehem, they had everything. Now, in return, Naomi is seen by the people in surprise asking, "Can this really be the same woman?" She asks them not to call her by name, but in a sarcastic tone you might imagine, she says, "Call me bitter." For she had left with everything and come back with nothing.

They have no immediate family and no land.

"And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband's, a mighty man of wealth, of the family of Elimelech; and his name [was] Boaz." Ruth 2:1

Boaz was in the family of Naomi. This was one of her husband's kin. He was a mighty man of wealth in the city of Bethlehem.

If I may, what readers may find interesting is that Matthew's Geneological account makes note of four women. And each of these women noted has a story written about them. One of the women was Rahab.

When Joshua was about to enter the promised land, he sent two spies into Jericho and Rahab is the harlot who allows them shelter in her home. As a result of her provisions, she is given equivalent shelter among the Hebrews when they take over the land that God has promised them (the same land that she is presently in). Having once BEEN a harlot, she now marries into the Hebrew nation and mothers Boaz to a Hebrew named Salmon, of the line of Judah.

He was thus born to a foreign mother and a Hebrew father. They name him Boaz, which means, "In Him There is Strength." Several years later, his great-great-great-great grandson, King Solomon would name two pillars in the entrance to the temple Jachin (which means "Established") and Boaz (which means "Strength").

So here is this man, Boaz, a man of wealth in the city of Bethlehem, born of a harlot mother and a Hebrew father... and named with the indication that "In Him there is Strength." And all of this, akin to Naomi.

"And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi, Let me now go to the field, and glean ears of corn after [him] in whose sight I shall find grace. And she said unto her, Go, my daughter." Ruth 2:2

For those of us who are always amazed at the search for grace, this ought to ring quite memorable. A woman who has nothing to speak of, no knowledge of the people she's with, and no immediately family to depend upon... speaks about grace with the eloquence of a woman who knows that she needs what she does not deserve.

"And she went, and came, and gleaned in the field after the reapers: and her hap was to light on a part of the field [belonging] unto Boaz, who [was] of the kindred of Elimelech." Ruth 2:3

Scripture here says that her "hap" was to light on a part of the field belonging to Boaz. What's fascinating is that she would have seen this as chance, perhaps a run of good luck. "It just happened." Yet, with Scripture, every "jot and tittle" is reckoned as significant. She does indeed "hap" upon Boaz' field, but little does she know that it is his field or what that would mean to the people.

"And, behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem, and said unto the reapers, The LORD [be] with you. And they answered him, The LORD bless thee. Then said Boaz unto his servant that was set over the reapers, Whose damsel [is] this?" Ruth 2:4-5

First to consider is that the field we're speaking about was not IN Bethlehem, but on the outskirts of it. Remember that for later.

Boaz returns to the field to see how things are going. He greets some of the people in the field even though he is the owner that you'd imagine wants nothing to do with getting his hands dirty. As he says hello to the reapers, he catches the eye of Ruth and asks who she is.

"And the servant that was set over the reapers answered and said, It [is] the Moabitish damsel that came back with Naomi out of the country of Moab. And she said, I pray you, let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves: so she came, and hath continued even from the morning until now, that she tarried a little in the house.:" Ruth 2:6-7

Ruth has been very respectful of the reapers who are from Judah. She knows that she is an outsider and asks permission to do anything at all that she has done in reaping the field. She even rested a little bit in the house.

Hearing this of his reapers, Boaz says one of the most profoundly moving things that could be said to a foreigner working in his field.

"Then said Boaz unto Ruth, Hearest thou not, my daughter? Go not to glean in another field, neither go from hence, but abide here fast by my maidens: [Let] thine eyes [be] on the field that they do reap, and go thou after them: have I not charged the young men that they shall not touch thee? and when thou art athirst, go unto the vessels, and drink of [that] which the young men have drawn." Ruth 2:8-9

Having absolutely no precedent for this, Boaz basically says three things to Ruth.

1. Not only are you welcome here, but don't go anywhere else.
2. Move about freely and no man shall touch you on my order.
3. If you are thirsty, please have all that you want to drink.


"Then she fell on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, and said unto him, Why have I found grace in thine eyes, that thou shouldest take knowledge of me, seeing I [am] a stranger?" Ruth 2:10

This passage often causes my eyes to well up. For it is in this that I can identify to a claim by the Lord Jesus Christ and His grace that has redeemed me. Why have I found grace in your eyes, Lord? Why should You even notice me and have knowledge of who I am? Am I not just a stranger in Your greater goals? Who am I that the Lord of all should care to know my name?

And he answered...

"And Boaz answered and said unto her, It hath fully been shewed me, all that thou hast done unto thy mother in law since the death of thine husband: and [how] thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people which thou knewest not heretofore. The LORD recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust." Ruth 2:11-12

Interesting word is this "nativity." For in it we see pictures of Bethlehem, but rarely do we consider that the traditional Christmas story never mentions "nativity." So why use it? What does it mean when it comes up in other areas of Scripture? In the story of Ruth, we see the only mention of Nativity with Bethlehem. And in it, Boaz mentions that the land of Ruth's Nativity she has left to be in Judah. Thus, she has left her own people (kinsmen = nativity) to find herself here. Having left one nativity, she has encountered the Nativity of Boaz in Bethlehem.

This effort she has made to come to a people that she does not know... "The Lord will recompense." Equally meaning that "The Lord will make a covenant." For what reason? Why should God go so far as to make a covenant just because she has left the Moabites and come to Judah?

Because for 10 Generations, she and all of her family before her were never welcome into the Congregation of the Lord, this royalty of princes, elders, and wealthy men in the land of Israel. Making a covenant would involve restoring the purity of her name.

As we discover in Ruth, chapter 4, Boaz is in a position above his other kinsmen and above the elders. Seemingly, this position he has would make him even a prince of the land where judges rule. And for what we've studied so far, a Moabite has no precedent or right to the land according to the final book of the Law. Neither should she even be reaping in the field.

Yet, the ten generations to Ruth have passed and what happens? A "Kinsman Redeemer" gives her grace.

Hosea speaks about the manner in which much of Scripture is written.

"I have also spoken by the prophets, and I have multiplied visions, and used similitudes, by the ministry of the prophets." Hosea 12:10

Similitudes are those things which are likened to something other than themselves.

"I am like a pelican of the wilderness: I am like an owl of the desert. I watch, and am as a sparrow alone upon the house top." Psalm 102:6-7

"Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, turn, my beloved, and be thou like a roe or a young hart upon the mountains of Bether." Song of Songs 2:17

"This thy stature is like to a palm tree, and thy breasts to clusters [of grapes]." Song of Songs 7:7

"Son of man, take up a lamentation for Pharaoh king of Egypt, and say unto him, Thou art like a young lion of the nations, and thou [art] as a whale in the seas: and thou camest forth with thy rivers, and troubledst the waters with thy feet, and fouledst their rivers." Ezekiel 32:2

We often think of similitudes as "types" or "models" of things to come. Boaz, the Kinsman Redeemer of a foreign woman who had no place and of the land to which her mother had lost... for these things he became a model in many forms.

Much, much more could be written on the relevance of Ruth's story to the greater picture of God's handiwork in 66 books, yet it is sufficient to close here having provided a picture of necessity for the four chapters contained in those pages.

Ruth, the Moabite woman born to a lineage of incest and a bastard child, was not to be welcomed into the royal congregation of the Lord in Israel until 10 generations had passed. Not knowing who she was in this context, she loses her husband and father-in-law to death in the land of her Nativity. She returns with her mother-in-law to Bethlehem in this 10th generation and finds grace in the love of a kinsman redeemer. Mind you, not a grace that is about love and infatuation (Boaz was not so absent of integrity), but a grace that is about giving someone what they do not deserve... an inheritance that was not in theirs to begin with.

All of this and more does Ruth receive by the grace of Boaz, the Kinsman Redeemer.

Boaz being the "similitude" of Christ our Redeemer, we learn about grace from a historical standpoint in one of the most beloved stories of Old Testament Scripture. In keeping with the theme of unmerited grace, we see Paul speak of redemption as well.

"In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;" Ephesians 1:7

"Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory." Ephesians 1:14

"And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption." Ephesians 4:30

"In whom we have redemption through his blood, [even] the forgiveness of sins:" Colossians 1:14

"Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works." Titus 2:14

The One who "gave Himself for us" for redemption's sake was born in the city of David, the city of Bethlehem, the city which first was ruled in royalty under Boaz and Ruth in the 10th Generation away from Lot and Isaac.

"Moreover Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, have I purchased to be my wife, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance, that the name of the dead be not cut off from among his brethren, and from the gate of his place: ye [are] witnesses this day. And all the people that [were] in the gate, and the elders, said, [We are] witnesses. The LORD make the woman that is come into thine house like Rachel and like Leah, which two did build the house of Israel: and do thou worthily in Ephratah, and be famous in Bethlehem:" Ruth 4:10-11

They were famous in Bethlehem indeed. For it was here of all places that the Lord set in mind to begin an eternal redemption likened to the one we read in the Book of Ruth.

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