Upheld by the Lord - July 30

Read Ruth 4:10-12

“Also Ruth the Moabite, the widow of Mahlon, I have bought to be my wife, to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance, that the name of the dead many not be cut off from among his brothers and from the gate of his native place. You are witnesses this day.” Then all the people who were at the gate and the elders said, “We are witnesses. May the LORD make the woman, who is coming into your house, like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel. May you act worthily in Ephrathah and be renowned in Bethlehem, and may your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, because of the offspring that the LORD will give you by this young woman.”

Reflect

What was the lowest point in your life? How has the Lord raised you up from there?

As we’ve been studying the book of Ruth together, we read of how Naomi and Ruth had both become widowed. Because they had lost the men in their immediate family, they had lost their providers. And yet, in the law of Moses, we see that God ordained a system that was meant to ensure that widows were not cast aside and forgotten. They were meant to be cared for by their family and community. God instituted kinsman-redeemers and levirate marriages for this purpose. God cared about the weakest and most vulnerable in that society—children without parents and widows.

This is evidenced in Exodus 22:22: “You shall not mistreat the widow and the fatherless child.” In Deuteronomy 27:19, those who pervert justice for widows, orphans, and sojourners are declared to be cursed. Additionally, in Psalm 146:9, the psalmist praised God saying, “The LORD watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.”

In Ruth and Naomi’s story, the Lord provided for them through Boaz. When Boaz declared that he would be the redeemer, the people at the city gate expressed their approval by blessing Boaz and Ruth’s household. Essentially, they were praying for Ruth to be fertile and for their union to be fruitful because they wanted the family line to continue. They prayed that God would make Ruth like Rachel and Leah who were Jacob’s wives and two of the matriarchs of the Jewish people. They also prayed that their house would be like the house of Perez, the son of Tamar and Judah.

Now, if you read Tamar’s story in Genesis 38, you’ll see that Judah and Tamar weren’t exactly what we’d consider to be a couple to emulate. Tamar was married to one of Judah’s wicked sons but the Lord put him to death for his wickedness. She was left a widow. But, we see the first mention of a levirate marriage when Judah told his other son, Onan, to marry Tamar. But he was also put to death by the Lord because he deceptively refused to father children with her. Then Judah promised Tamar that when his last son had grown up, she could marry him. But Judah didn’t keep his promise out of fear that his youngest son would die like his brothers. Tamar resorted to pretending to be a prostitute and stationed herself on the road where she knew Judah would be traveling so that she could preserve her dead husband’s family line through her father-in-law. Tamar was at an extremely low point. She had been mistreated and put in a desperate situation by the very men who were commanded to protect her.

Now, I want to be clear that the Bible condemns, not condones, deceit, incest, and prostitution. But if you read the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1, you will see that Tamar’s name is listed there. Jewish genealogies didn’t usually mention women and the only four listed in Matthew are Tamar, Rahab, Bathsheba, and Mary. The fact is, Tamar’s actions ensured that the family line of Judah would continue which was extremely important. In Genesis 49:10, Jacob prophesied over his sons that the scepter would not depart from Judah. His line would be the royal line. From it would come King David and ultimately, King Jesus!

In Ruth 4:18-22, we’ll see that Ruth, while not mentioned by Matthew’s genealogical account, is also afforded the honor of being a mother in King David’s and thus, also King Jesus’ lineage. Tamar and Ruth are just two examples of lowly ones who were blessed by God. They were not forgotten or abandoned but were graciously upheld by the Lord.

Respond

Lord, thank You for being a God who cares about those who are vulnerable. Thank You for upholding the lowly regardless of their gender, their race, or their age. Yes, there is oppression and injustice in the world. But You are not a God of oppression. You are a God of true justice, mercy, compassion, and love. Amen.

Reveal

What can you do to honor the women in your life?