Ruth was the Moabitess daughter-in law of Naomi, who was from Judah.

Ruth 1:1-5

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“Now it came to pass, in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem, Judah, went to reside in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. The name of the man was Elimelech, the name of his wife was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion—Ephrathites of Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to the country of Moab and remained there. Then Elimelech, Naomi’s husband, died; and she was left, and her two sons. Now they took wives of the women of Moab: the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth. And they resided there about ten years. Then both Mahlon and Chilion also died; so the woman survived her two sons and her husband.” Ruth 1:15

To know the relationship between the Moabites and the Jewish people is helpful. Moab was a person given birth by Lot’s oldest daughter. However, she slept with her father Lot, after conniving to get him drunk, in order to become pregnant, this is spoken about in Genesis 19:30-38. “Thus both the daughters of Lot were with child by their father. The firstborn bore a son and called his name Moab; he is the father of the Moabites to this day.” Genesis 19:36-37 Moab went off on his own to form the country of Moab and was a frequent enemy and neighbor of Israel. The Moabites served the god of Chemosh.

Ruth was a Moabite, not part of the God-fearing Jewish culture at all. So, how did Ruth become important in the lineage of Jesus Christ? That is what the book of Ruth describes to us, which is a description of how all non-Jewish people have become part of the family of God through Jesus Christ, “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8

How did a Jewish family come to adopt a Moabite woman, Ruth, into their family? There was a famine in the land that the Jewish people occupied, so a man named Elimelech [from Bethlehem, Judah] moved to Moab. Our Lord Jesus Christ is from the Tribe of Judah, born in Bethlehem, and came to us when there was a famine of the true worshippers of God. Elimelech brought with him from Judah his wife and two sons. His wife’s name was Naomi. After Naomi’s husband died, her sons married Moabite women. One of those women was Ruth whom Naomi developed a loving relationship with. Ruth was married into the Jewish family like all non-Jewish people are married into the family of God through Jesus Christ, who calls us His bride.

Naomi, Ruth, and Naomi’s two sons lived in Moab for ten years. The sons of Naomi were Ephrathites, which are people associated with Bethlehem, part of the Tribe of Judah. While in Moab, Naomi’s two sons passed away, just like their father who had also died there, leaving Naomi alone with Ruth and her other daughter-in-law.

From here, begins the story of Ruth, Naomi, and Boaz, which is the story of non-Jewish people being born-again into the family of God through Jesus Christ. “...as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” John 1:12-13

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“….to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets,“
‘I will not impose any other burden on you, except to hold on to what you have until I come.’”
“I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”
Revelation 2:24-25, 3:1