RUTH by F. D. Starr

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Jun 15, 1904

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 30, No. 24.

RUTH

By F. D. Starr

BY F. D. STARR.

The question is asked whether this series of articles on the books of the Bible is designed to be taken up as a course of Bible study. This was not the thought in writing the articles, as they are too brief to furnish much study; still much benefit would of course be derived from studying the texts and suggestions found in these productions.

The design and desire in writing these brief notes on the several books of the Bible was to encourage study of the Bible itself. It is as if we could take our position with Moses upon Mount Pisgah, and get a transporting view of the promised land. It would be very comprehensive, and only the somewhat dim outline of its beautiful hills, and its lovely lakes, rivers, and plains; its majestic forests, fruitful orchards, and fields could be seen. How intense would be the desire to go over and examine more closely the various objects of interest, and not only to examine, but to live on the delicious productions of the land that flowed with milk and honey, and yielded the mammoth clusters of grapes. We remember how Moses longed to be allowed this privilege. In this respect we see the difference between our opportunity and that of Moses. This man of God was not allowed to go over the narrow stream that separated him from the land that was the glory of all lands, but must be contented to view the land and its contents from afar. On the other hand we are permitted and urged to enter the vast territory opened up to our view, and dwell upon, and live by every word of God; to taste and eat without restriction the wonderful words of life, and know the powers of the world to come. Let us get up into the mountain, and view these things in a general way; and then let us go over and possess for ourselves the treasures that are hidden in this inexhaustible mine of eternal truth.

We will now proceed to examine the book which is the topic of this week’s study. The title itself is a standing evidence of the superiority of the true religion over false religions, in that woman is given her proper place in connection with the work of God in the earth.

This is not the only instance in which a woman has been honored by having her name stand at the head of one of the inspired books. What a contrast to the systems of heathenism, in many of which woman is degraded, and even robbed of her identity and individuality. Let us thank God for this additional evidence that He is no respecter of persons, but that those of both sexes, as well as of all nationalities, may be used as instruments in His hands in accomplishing His purposes.

The interesting story before us is that of a proselyte to the Jewish faith, and her sincere devotion to the people of her choice, the Israel into which she had been adopted. The sentiment of her soul finds utterance in those beautiful words so often quoted or referred to, and which furnish the key-note of the entire book: “Whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge; thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God.”

We notice that Ruth was a Moabitess. Let us examine the origin of that people. We read from Genesis 19 that Moab, the father of the Moabites, was born nearly a century before Isaac, the noted progenitor of the Israelitish nation; that this same Moab was the offspring of the incestuous conduct of Lot and one of his daughters. We find the attitude that Israel should take toward that people quite plainly given in Deut. 23:3, 4: “An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter into the congregation of the Lord; even to their tenth generation shall they not enter into the congregation of the Lord forever; because they met you not with bread and with water in the way, when ye came forth out of Egypt, and because they hired against thee Balaam the son of Beor of Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse thee.” We find that in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah this restriction caused a very thorough work of reformation to be started in the congregation of Israel, so much so that those who had married wives of the Moabites put these wives away, “and such as were born of them.” Ezra 10:3. The tenth generation from Ruth would bring us down several generations this side of David. But in this case there must have been a commuting of the sentence against the Moabites. God has ever held the prerogative or right to commute and reverse sentences, as proven by Jer. 18:7–10. The kingdom of heaven sometimes suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. Matt. 11:12. Those who will humble themselves like the Greek woman to accept the position of a dog in the eyes of the people (Mark 7:24–28), and who will persist, like Jacob, to obtain the blessing, are counted with the true Israel, of whatever nationality they may be.

Ruth, the Moabitess, became the ancestor of the illustrious king David, and through him, also the ancestor of our blessed Lord and Saviour.

We find it was the king of Moab who called Balaam to come and curse Israel, and it was the women of Moab who became a stumbling-block to the men of Israel, and drew them into sin and perdition. Numbers 22.

The history of Ruth is a very interesting one. The writer was told recently by a lady who was not a Christian, that there was only one book in the Bible that she cared to read, and that was the book of Ruth. This was no doubt a morbid fancy, but the anointed eyes of the true seeker for spiritual truth may see, in the account of the one who willingly accepted the position of the nearest kinswoman to Ruth to redeem her possession for her, the type of Him who came to be the Redeemer of the lost, as there was no other being to rescue the perishing. Isa. 59:16.