Ruth 2, Continued: Ruth and the Law

Deuteronomy 23:3 An Ammonite or a Moabite shall not enter into the assembly of the LORD; even to the tenth generation shall none of them enter into the assembly of the LORD for ever;

It is very important that we keep that passage from the Law in mind as we consider Ruth's situation. Ruth was a Moabitess, making her a woman marked by the Law. She was probably shunned.

Yet Boaz says:

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

Boaz essentially tells Ruth that so long as she stays in his fields, she will be taken care of. Ruth is overwhelmed. And her response is perfectly natural:

Rth 2:10 And she fell on her face and bowed to the earth, and said to him, Why have I found grace in your eyes, that you should notice me, and I a foreigner?

We are not from heaven. We are of the earth. Here and now as we experience the grace of God through our own Kinsman (He became one of us), we can become overwhelmed upon contemplation of our own unworthiness and His choosing of us in spite of ourselves. Falling down before Him is the natural thing to do.

Today we know in our hearts that we belong to Him. But today we walk by faith, and fail Him all too often. Today we see in that glass darkly. How will it be for you on that Day when you literally stand before the throne of the King? How will it be for you when He declares His favor toward you at that time after all is said and done? I'll tell you how it will be: You will fall down.


Deu 23:3 An Ammonite or a Moabite shall not enter into the assembly of the LORD; even to the tenth generation shall none of them enter into the assembly of the LORD for ever;

Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, Perez, Hezron, Aram, Aminidab, Nahshon, Salmon: That's ten generations in the assembly of the Lord; or genealogy of Jesus Christ who is Lord. And as certain as God is to His Word, there will be no Moabite found there. But in the first Fourteen Generations listed in the 1st Chapter of Matthew, we find that a Moabite entered in. At number 11: and Boaz begat Obed of Ruth