The Book of Ruth: Bat Avraham

By J. Ainsley Blaine

The decision to take on this study of Ruth bat Avraham (daughter of Abraham) came about subsequent to a celebration of the feast of Shavuot several years ago in the home of a member of a Hebrew messianic congregation. In keeping with tradition, the book of Ruth was read with simultaneous discussion on the work and was followed by additional discussion. Listening to the comments from the attendees: their assertions, points and other input, I decided to conduct a deeper study of the work. And, after months of reading/re-reading Ruth, prayer, researching, more prayer and listening, I determined to write this study. It is also written with the hope and intent of causing the reader to ponder or reflect on their relationship and their walk with El Elyon (The Lord Most High) and Yahusha HaMashiach. Concomitantly, it is written to give the reader an opportunity to muse on who those people in this book and in the age and time of Ruth, Naomi, Orpah, Boaz, actually were: ethnically, racially.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Oct 20, 2021
• ISBN: 9781098084417

Book preview

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ISBN 978-1-0980-8440-0 (paperback)

ISBN 978-1-0980-8441-7 (digital)

Copyright © 2021 by J. Ainsley Blaine

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.

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Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Preface

Hebrew Names Used in the Work

L’eau de vie in Ruth

Introduction

Naomi’s Transformation and Her Descent into Bitterness

Ruth, the Gleaner, Meets Boaz, The Kinsman: Sacrificial Love Does the Extra-Ordinary

Naomi Rekindled with a Purpose, Now the Matchmaker

Naomi Fully Restored from Bitter to Blessed: Ruth Fully Blessed from Gleaning to 20 Progenitor of the Mashiach: God’s Plan Revealed

Addendum

The Field of Elimelech

A Bird’s-Eye View of Marriage in Ancient Israel

Naomi’s Rebirth upon Boaz’s Entrance

The Significance of the Name Boaz

Chemosh, the Pagan God of the Moabites and His Influence/Impact on Hebrew Life and History (a Bird’s-Eye View)

A Closing Comment

So shall My Word be that goeth forth out of My Mouth: It shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in [make prosper] the thing whereto I sent it.

—Isaiah 55:11

This book is dedicated to my wife and best friend Carolyn Lawrence Blaine, my two best gifts from God—our daughter Cassandra Blaine and our son John Ainsley Blaine Jr., in appreciation and thanksgiving to the Most High for His blessing me by placing these three in my life.

Preface

As we delve into the book of Ruth, we come face to face with the amazing and wondrous work of the Most High God (El Elyon), ¹ especially in the lives of Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz. However, years before Naomi or Ruth came into the picture, Rahab—a Canaanite prostitute (אשה זונה) ² formerly of Jericho—gave birth to Boaz. His father, Salmon, was Hebrew. ³ They settled in the area of Bethlehem—not an accident, but in keeping with God’s divine schedule and His redemptive program. Then years later, a widowed Moabite—a Bat Avraham, ⁴ totally sold out and committed to the God of the Hebrews—arrives in Bethlehem as part of the Most High’s redemptive program. Her name is Ruth.

And so begins our look at this woman, at the people in her life, and at her immediate impact on the lives of the persons, who come in contact with her. She is a Moabite by birth, by nationality, but a daughter of Avraham by choice and conversion and an Ephratite⁵ by residency. The Most High prepared her, laid the groundwork for her, beginning all the way away in another land⁶ so that she could then participate in His divine plan in the land.

Why am I writing this study or, if I may, commentary?

Several years ago, I was invited to a Shavuot (the Feast of Weeks)⁷ celebration in the home of a member of a messianic community. In keeping with tradition, the book of Ruth was read and simultaneously discussed. Listening to the comments from the hosts and attendees, their assertions, points, and observations, and thinking about the very book of Ruth that I had read, I was a little befuddled by some of what was being said. I left there with questions and at the same time curiosity, wonderment, and a little bit of head-scratching at a lot of what I heard. I was determined to re-read the book of Ruth and over a period of many weeks, I read and re-read it, and I contemporaneously started reading and researching via commentaries, critical works, and other writings on the book of Ruth. After a lengthy period of reading and studying, I slowly began hatching a thought of providing a layman’s grasp of the book of Ruth.

Writing a study, a book, or even a sermon about the Most High’s (El Elyon’s) word or words inspired by Him is a serious endeavor. Such an effort demands and brings with it a tremendous responsibility to ensure that nothing, which is bad or deleterious, impacts His Word, His work, or His sovereignty. The author is aware of the danger or tendency where the reader’s reaction might be to dismiss any study not in keeping with their view. Or the reader might take the route of the zealot and trash what they see as outside their scope of truth or tradition. As such, this small study on the book of Ruth is intended to spark another look at the results of our demonstrating a trust in God of Israel.

As you read this small volume, please have open a copy of the book of Ruth so that you too can read it and refer to it deliberately, prayerfully, contemporaneously, and thoroughly. And just maybe, in the process, you will broaden your walk. Amen! I read from several translations of the book of Ruth, three of which are the King James version, the Messianic Jewish Family Bible (Tree of Life Version) and a Hebrew–English Bible, According to the Masoretic Text and the JPS 1917 Edition.

May God bless you enormously and may you abide in the shadow of el Shaddai (God Almighty).

J. Ainsley Blaine

Hebrew Names Used in the Work

(See also Luke 1:32, where Yahusha [Jesus] is called "ben Elyon [son of the Most High]. In Psalms 91:1, we read: He who dwells in the (secret place) shelter of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.")

The author uses the Hebrew name for the persons found in the scriptures.

L’eau de vie in Ruth

In Naomi a Goliath roaring, lived

A giant of bitterness overwhelmingly thrived

And all, that was delightfully pleasant, nose-dived

And all the while in Moab, a Bethlehemite strived.

Then she in Bethlehem—the house of bread

Goliath—the giant of bitterness is dead

No sound from his pagan lips just a dead good-bye

Slain by the love of the Most High

Through His willing vessel—Ruth, the Moabitish; Chai¹² חי

She filled with His l’eau de vie¹³

J. Ainsley Blaine

February 19, 2020

Introduction

Before delving into our study of the book of Ruth, we will segment this " introduction into two parts—Part 1 and Part 2. Then we will conclude with a Part 3, which we will entitle So What?" Our aim is to situate the book within a contextual environ, which will give the reader of this book of Ruth a greater grasp and fuller understanding of its content.

Part 1

The Beginning

As a way of setting the stage for this study of the book of Ruth, we begin with a brief ancestral look at the Moabites and at some of their interactions and contacts with the children of Ya’acob (Jacob). Our starting point is Terah himself, a descendant of Shem (one of Noah’s sons). For a detailed look at Shem’s genealogy, see the Ancient Book of Yasher, ¹⁴ chapter 7 and the book of Genesis, chapter 11, verses 10 to 32. Based on these sources, we learn the following:

Shem begat Arpachshad, who then begat Salah also spelled Shelach, who begat Eber. Then, Eber had two sons Peleg and Yoktan.¹⁵ Peleg begat Yen aka Reu,¹⁶ who in turn begat Serug. Serug then begat Nahor, who then begat Terah. Terah fathered three sons: Haran, Nahor and Abram¹⁷ אברם (Abraham).¹⁸

Haran, the eldest son of Terah, at the age of thirty-nine, took a wife, who gave birth to their son Lot. Lot was therefore Abram’s and Nahor’s nephew. Haran later fathered three daughters, the first of which was Milcah, the second Sarai (Sarah),¹⁹ and the third Iscah.²⁰ (These were Abram’s and Nahor’s nieces.) Sometime after the birth of his daughters, Haran died—at a relatively young age, it would seem. Abram and his older brother, Nahor, married their nieces (the daughters of Haran)—Abram to Sarai (Sarah) and Nahor to Milcah.

According to Genesis chapter 11, verse 31, Terah decided to leave his land, Ur of the Chaldees, taking with him, his grandson—Lot, his son—Abram, and Abram’s wife—Sarai. They settled in Haran, where sometime later, Terah died at the age of 205.

In Chapter 12 of Genesis we read that Abram, at the age of seventy-five, left Haran with Sarai and Lot and headed into the land of Canaan. However, a famine in that land caused them to move to Egypt.²¹ (It is amazing how many times Egypt has been the seat of refuge for Abraham and his descendants. It seems to be understated in the commentaries.) Upon leaving Egypt, both families—Abram’s and Lot’s—now rich in flocks, herds, cattle, and tents settled between Bethel and Hai.²²

Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver and in gold.

Lot also …, had flocks, and herds and tents.²³

They soon ran out of land and space to raise, graze and take care of their growing flocks and herds. Disputes and quarrels, contentious strife, erupted between the shepherds of Lot and those of Abram. In order to settle the disputes, he discussed the warring situation with Lot and suggested that they go in different directions, with the proviso or understanding that he, Abram, would come to his nephew’s defense, in case Lot encountered problems. Abram gave his nephew the opportunity to choose first—any location in any direction. And Lot chose the area around Sodom. Abram then chose the plains of Mamre in Hebron.

Lot and his family essentially ended up in the worst neighborhood, where the heinous sin of homosexuality was rampant. In the book of Yasher,²⁴ chapter 18, Sodom’s wickedness is detailed. Verses 11, 14, and 15 provide a snapshot of their evil:

In those days all the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, and of the whole five cities, were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the Lord and they provoked the Lord with their abominations, and they strengthened in aging abominably and scornfully before the Lord, and their wickedness and crimes were in those days great before the Lord.

And in the time of rejoicing they would all rise and lay hold of their neighbor’s wives, and some, the virgin daughters of their neighbors, and they enjoyed them, and each man saw his wife and daughter in the hands of his neighbor and did not say a word. And they did so from morning to night, and they afterward returned home each man to his house and each woman to her tent; so, they always did four times in the year.

In the book of Genesis, chapter 19, we read what happened after the two angels went into Lot’s tent.

But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter: And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them. [Some translations, instead of know, use the words "have relations with them."]

That evil very grievous sin of Sodom and Gomorrah²⁵ that spread in and consumed them²⁶ resulted in their total destruction by God. Lot, his wife, and his two virgin daughters²⁷ who were still residing in his house were the sole survivors.²⁸ Sadly, Lot’s wife looked back and died.²⁹ I have always wondered what was in her heart when she looked back. Was it curiosity? Was it that one last look before I never see it again? Was it a look due to sadness and grief having to abandon the place she knew as home? It is really a moot but important issue. The Most High God had given a command, and she disobeyed! It should be always remembered: When God says, "Do not," we really need to heed and to obey! The words in the B’rit Chadashah³⁰ (New Testament) James 1:14 aptly sum up this matter.

But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

Fearing that the destruction was a total annihilation,³¹ the two daughters agreed to seduce their father, giving him wine to drink. The eldest daughter became pregnant by her father Lot, and she gave birth to a son who was given the name Moab. This son of Lot is the patriarch of the Moabites. Thus, Lot the nephew of Abram (Abraham), Lot the progenitor of the Moabites and all of Abram’s (Abraham’s) descendants—his son Ishmael by Hagar the Egyptian, his son Yitzak (Isaac) by Sarah and his six sons by Keturah are related. So too are the descendants of Yacov (Ya’acob) and Esau.

Contacts between Moabites and the children of Yacov

Let us now take a brief look at the contacts between the Moabites and the children of Israel.

Dan, the son of Yacov and Bilhah, the maid of Rachel (Genesis 30:1–6), sometime after Yosef had been sold in slavery and taken to Egypt, "went to the land of Moab and took for a wife, Aphlaleth, the daughter of Chamudan the Moabite and he brought her to the land of Canaan."³² This adds another level to the relationship between the children of Israel and the Moabites.

The kingdom of the Moabites ran north and south of the Arnon River, on the eastern side of the Dead Sea. Sometime before the children of Israel left Egypt, the Amorites came into the territory of the Moabites and drove them out of the region between the Arnon River Valley and the Jabbok River. The Moabites were then forced to settle in the territory to the south of the Arnon Valley (Numbers 21:26–30).They did not worship the God of Abraham but instead worshipped a pagan deity, Chemosh,³³ and the very popular god in that area, Baal-peor.

The exodus from Egypt brought the children of Israel into the area populated by the Amorites who had seized the land from the Moabites. Sihon, king of the Amorites, attacked but was destroyed by Israel. See also the book of Yasher (Jasher) chapter 34.

During their trek from Egypt to the promised land, the children of Israel "pitched their tents" near the Jordan from Beth-Yesimoth unto Abel-shittim.³⁴ And "the children of Israel began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab."³⁵Remember, Dan had married a daughter of Moab! The children of Israel also began to worship and sacrifice to the god of the Moabites. This debauchery led to the death of twenty-four thousand Israelite men as punishment from the Lord.³⁶

In Deuteronomy 2:9, the Most High instructs Moshe: "Distress not the Moabites neither contend with them in battle: for I will not give thee of their land for a possession; because I have given Ar unto the children of Lot for a possession."

Moshe (Moses) was buried in Moab. In the book of Yasher, chapter 87 verses 10 and 11, we read:

And Moses went up as the Lord had commanded him, and he died there in the land of Moab by the order of the Lord, in the fortieth year from the Israelites going forth from the land of Egypt. And the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab for thirty days, and the days of weeping and mourning for Moses were completed.

See also Deuteronomy 34:5–6: "So Moses the servant of God died there in the land of Moab, as was from the mouth of God. Then He buried him in the valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth-peor—but no one knows of his burial place to this day."

In 1 Chronicles 4:22, we are told that descendants of Judah had dominion in Moab "and Jokim, and the men of Cozeba, and Joash, and Saraph, who had dominion in Moab."³⁷ We are not told the degree of interaction and the kinds of relationship that occurred during this time, but the practice of occupying armies usually included physical relationships.

In 1 Chronicles 11:22, we see the record of another contact with Moab: Benaiah son of Jehoiada was a valiant man of Kabzeel, who had done mighty deeds. He slew the two sons of Ariel of Moab.

In the book of Ezra 9:1, we read that the people of Israel, the kohanimכֹּהֲנִים (priests), and the other Levites did not separate themselves from the peoples of the lands, who practice detestable things. These people are the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. According to Ezra, the כֹּהֲנִים kohanim (priests) and Levites have married and mingled seed with the women of these peoples. We remember from Genesis (בראשית Bereshit) 19:31–38 that Lot, Abraham’s nephew, fathered the Ammonites and the Moabites through his two daughters.

During the time of the Judges, the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and He sent Eglon, the king of the Moabites, to attack Israel. And along with the aid of the Ammonites and Malekites, King Eglon the Moabite smote Israel, who were in servitude to him for eighteen years.³⁸

At the end of the eighteen years, Ehud, a Benjamite, and one of the Judges of Israel assassinated Eglon and led an uprising against Moab. Israel defeated the Moabites and the land had rest for eighty years (four score).³⁹

Part 2

In this second phase of the Introduction, we will approach the personage of Ruth and Boaz within the context of ethnicity and race. We are going to time travel back to the time of Noah’s family and descendants subsequent to the flood as we contemporaneously lay aside the influences of Baroque, Renaissance, and even Medieval art and step away from the art of Greece and Rome. This art reflects in reality, and in totality, a European model/influence. The intent of Part 2 is simply to explore certain possibilities of the racial/ethnic identity of the characters in Ruth and perhaps cause the reader to ask questions. We emphasize that this section is intended to take a look at the background of the persons in the book of Ruth.

First let us clear up the misleading and incorrect term that came into existence in 1902. This term is Middle East—two words which have convoluted the geography of the continent of Africa and created a different mindset, which in turn, can lead to confusion and labyrinths of false conclusions. According to Encyclopedia Britannica and other schools of geography, there are seven continents, namely Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, South America. There is no continent of Middle East. In a not-as-yet published manuscript, author Cassandra Blaine points out that Egypt is located in Africa not the Middle East. In a section of her manuscript entitled The Egyptians (Mizraim, Son of Ham), she explains that "‘Middle East’ is a term that was first used in the 1850s by the British and widely accepted in and after 1902, when an American naval strategist—Alfred Mahan—used it to describe the area between Arabia and India—the area surrounding the Persian Gulf. He actually first used this term in his article—‘The Persian Gulf and International Relations,’ which was published in the National Review (a British Journal), September 1902." Thus, all those lands and peoples in present-day Middle East are Africans. The nations and