RESOURCES — SHORT ARTICLES

 

SHORT ARTICLES BY TOM ELSEROAD
	2021-04-14	Was It Against The Mosaic Law For Boaz to Marry Ruth (Du.23:3)
		Deu 23:3 "An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter the assembly of the LORD; even to the tenth generation none of his descendants shall enter the assembly of the LORD forever, Deu 23:4 because they did not meet you with bread and water on the road when you came out of Egypt, and because they hired against you Balaam the son of Beor from Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse you. Deu 23:5 Nevertheless the LORD your God would not listen to Balaam, but the LORD your God turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the LORD your God loves you. Deu 23:6 You shall not seek their peace nor their prosperity all your days forever. Boaz was a Jew living in Bethlehem who married Ruth a Moabitess (Ru.4:13). The question often comes up, how is this not a violation of God's law? According to Deuteronomy 23:3, God specifically mentions Moabites as ineligible for admittance into the assembly of the Lord. This law raises some difficulty for the Moabitess Ruth marrying the Jew Boaz. There are several factors we must consider concerning this law. 1. Notice the wording of Deuteronomy forbids the naturalization of the Ammonites and Moabites. They “may enter the assembly of the Lord.” That is, they cannot be admitted as a citizen of Israel. This law does not address whether they can dwell in the land of Israel. Also, it does not say anything about prohibiting marriage to them. 2. Ruth was a proselyte to the Jewish religion. Ruth's own words to her mother-in-law, Naomi, demonstrate her devotion to the God of Israel (Ru.1:16). Rth 1:16 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. 3. God blessed the marriage of Ruth and Boaz. God used their union to bring further blessing to Israel (Ru.4:13-22). Jesus was a descendant of Boaz and Ruth. Many people mistake God’s prohibition of the Israelites’ intermarrying with other nations for a denunciation of those races or ethnicities. But such commands were not meant to raise a racial/ethnic issue. At the core was a religious issue. God did not want the Israelites marrying people who worshiped false gods, and the reason was obvious (Du.7:3-4). Deu 7:3 Nor shall you make marriages with them. You shall not give your daughter to their son, nor take their daughter for your son. Deu 7:4 For they will turn your sons away from following Me, to serve other gods; so the anger of the LORD will be aroused against you and destroy you suddenly. King Solomon foolishly ignored God’s law and married women from pagan cultures. As God predicted, “his wives turned away his heart” (1Ki.11:3) and “his wives turned his heart after other gods” (1Ki.11:4). Boaz married a woman from a pagan culture, but she did not bring her worship of Chemoth to Israel with her. In contrast to Solomon, Ruth devoted herself to the One True God. Ruth found that she was accepted by God who “shows no partiality” (Ac.10:34–35; Ro.2:11; Ga.2:6; Cl.3:25; Ep.6:9). Pastor Tom Elseroad

 

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