I began my day in Bible Study in the Book of James. One of the exercises was to go back to Matthew 1:5 and write it out. “Salmon begot, Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse”.
Suddenly I was sent head long into thoughts of Rahab, the harlot, being Ruth’s second mother-in-law. Ruth being a Moabite had been mentored by a God fearing woman, Naomi, and Ruth loved her and her God so much that she left everything to go to Israel with her and I quote one of the great love passages in the Old Testament.
But Ruth said: “Entreat me not to leave you
or to turn back from following after you; for wherever you go,
I will go; and wherever you lodge, I will lodge.
Your people shall be my people and your God, my God.”
Ruth 1:16
Fast forward to Ruth marrying Boaz and getting a former harlot mother-in-law! What contrast between the godly Naomi and Rahab! Did Ruth have a problem with this? Did Naomi have a problem? Did Rahab feel unworthy?
None of these questions can be answered in Scripture it is only my imagination running wild. So let’s go a little farther…..Naomi is a godly woman, one whose example won Ruth over to God. She did not judge her daughter-in-law’s birth and she would not judge Rahab by her former life. I can picture these two women sitting over tea and bragging about their sons and praising both of them for choosing Ruth for their wife.
Ruth was given a second chance at happiness because of the wonderful man that Rahab had raised. Boaz was kind and loving as well as honest and generous. All traits taught him by his mother. Ruth would most likely realize that to the Jewish community her past was equal to Rahab’s harlotry and therefore loved her all the more
Rahab may have felt inferior to these other women but as the three formed a bond brought about by bonds of love everyone was equal.
Oh, that we would live that way! If we can but realize that our “sisters” may have come from different backgrounds but that nothing “BC” matters. There are no “lesser” or “better” in the family of Christ.
And above all things have fervent love for one another,
for love will cover a multitude of sins.
1 Peter 4:8
Father, I pray that my attitude will be one of love and reconciliation. Lord that I may see only what You see when I look at others and place no unrighteous judgment on things of the past. Amen
Written by
Jackie Gilmer
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