What significance do Rahab and Ruth hold in Jesus' genealogy in Matthew 1:5? Setting the verse in context “Salmon was the father of Boaz by Rahab, Boaz was the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed was the father of Jesse.” (Matthew 1:5) Meeting Rahab in the genealogy • Background: A Canaanite from Jericho (Joshua 2; 6:22-25) • Past Reputation: “Rahab the prostitute” (James 2:25) • Act of Faith: Hid the spies, confessed, “the LORD your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth below” (Joshua 2:11) • Covenant Inclusion: Marked her house with a scarlet cord—an echo of Passover deliverance • New Beginning: Married Salmon of Judah; her life shifts from judgment to redemption • Testament to Grace: Shows God’s power to transform anyone (Hebrews 11:31) Meeting Ruth in the genealogy • Background: A Moabite widow (Ruth 1:4) • Loyal Commitment: “Where you go I will go… your God will be my God” (Ruth 1:16) • Virtuous Character: Celebrated as “a woman of noble character” (Ruth 3:11) • Kinsman-Redeemer Story: Boaz models sacrificial love, prefiguring Christ (Ruth 4) • Covenant Blessing: Elders prayed, “May your house be like the house of Perez” (Ruth 4:12) • Royal Link: Becomes great-grandmother to King David, anchoring messianic promise (Ruth 4:17) Shared themes in their stories • Gentile outsiders brought inside the covenant community • Bold, active faith in Israel’s God despite pagan origins • Moral transformation: from a life of sin (Rahab) and sorrow (Ruth) to honored matriarchs • Providential timing: Rahab during conquest, Ruth during judges—both eras of national upheaval • Foreshadowing Christ: – Rahab’s scarlet cord → Christ’s atoning blood (1 Peter 1:18-19) – Ruth’s redemption by Boaz → Christ as our Redeemer (Titus 2:14) Why Matthew highlights them • Underscores divine grace: Messiah’s line includes repentant sinners and foreigners • Prepares readers for Jesus’ outreach to Gentiles (Matthew 8:11; 28:19) • Validates God’s promises through unexpected people, affirming Scripture’s reliability • Elevates women in salvation history, contrasting cultural norms of the era • Connects major redemptive events—Exodus conquest and kinsman-redeemer law—to the ultimate redemption in Christ Implications for believers today • No past disqualifies anyone from God’s plan when faith meets His grace • God writes His story through ordinary people who trust Him • The gospel’s reach extends beyond ethnic or moral boundaries (Romans 10:12-13) • Christ, the true Boaz, welcomes all who seek refuge under His wings (Ruth 2:12; Matthew 11:28) |
    |