Old Testament Study

The Old Testament Study followed on from the crossing of the Jordan by the Israelites after spending forty years in the desert during which time everyone who had crossed the Red Sea with Moses had died and a new generation of Israelites was initiated in the crossing of the Jordan. Upon entering the land that had been promised to the Israelites YHWH (Yahweh of the Elohim) hoped to “marry” the culture of the city of Jericho with the culture that He had established among the Israelites, but the city of Jericho closed itself off, not only physically but also spiritually and therefore become anathema to YHWH. One woman showed her faithfulness to YHWH and recognised that He was a mighty being with a plan that was intended to include her culture. She is Rahab, known as the unfaithful one, because she was not faithful to Jericho. She was spared the fate of Jericho together with her whole family and was absorbed into the Israelites in being given in marriage to one of the young men, Salmon, she had aided when they first came to investigate the situation in Jericho. This marriage enters her into the line of Judah from whom Jesus is a direct descendent.

Her son, from this marriage, Boaz marries Ruth who is a Moabite woman who is faithful to her husband and mother-in-law to the extent that she cannot return to her Moabite home after her husband dies but swears allegiance to YHWH and her mother-in-law, Naomi when Naomi returns to Bethlehem after the death of her own husband and of both her sons. Ruth means friendship, and her reputation as a companion friend to Naomi is quickly known in Bethlehem, the “House of Bread”. They arrive at the time of the barley harvest. Bread at the time was baked from a mixture of wheat and barley. Ruth wishes to help her widowed mother-in-law and goes to glean in the fields. She finds herself in the fields of Boaz who notices her for her dedication to her task. He invites her to eat with him and dips bread in wine to give her. He then gives her roasted gain to eat. and she eats her fill and there is left over. But she does not waste and takes the left-over home to Naomi. The dipping of bread in wine prefigures the Last Supper while the feeding with left-over grain prefigures the feeding of the multitude. Being a close kinsman of Naomi, Boaz has a right of redemption of her and over Ruth. He can redeem them from their state of being without husband and family. Boaz prefigures the deed of Christ as the redeemer. Ruth follows the instructions of Naomi which brings her into the situation with Boaz where he can exercise his right of redemption. But there is another kinsman, who throughout the story remains nameless as he is that insignificant, who has prior right of redemption. Before elders and other witnesses Boaz offers the right of redemption to this kinsman, who at first is delighted, but upon realising that it places the inheritance of his sons at risk foregoes his right to Boaz, thereby providing Boaz, who is unmarried, although no longer young, the right to inherit the possessions that went from Naomi’s husband to her sons. Boaz marries Ruth and provides her with a son, a grandson to Naomi, who Ruth presents to Naomi as the son who will inherit the goods and lands of her, Naomi’s, husband. Ruth thereby becomes another non-Israelite woman to play an important role in the lineage to Jesus. Her son Obed is the grandfather of King David.