Welcome and thank you for taking a bible break to test your knowledge of God's word.
This week's question:

We begin our search in the Old Testament about one of the most tender love stories preserved. A great famine was in the land of Israel and Naomi, her husband and their two sons leave Judah and travel into the land of Moab to make a living there. Soon Naomi's husband dies and the two sons marry and continue to live their about ten years. When the two sons also die, Naomi has now lost not only her husband but her two sons as well in a foreign land and she is determined to return to Judah. She then tells her two daughters-in-law to return to their own lands. (Ruth 1:8-9) After some soul searching and much weeping, Oprah decides to return to her people and the idols they worship. However, Ruth tells Naomi that she will travel back with her to be with her people and he buried in her land. (Ruth 1:16-17)

Naomi, seeing the determination of her, said no more and they traveled together to Judah and the town of Bethlehem. Naomi had a kinsman of her husband of great wealth named Boaz. As it was the beginning of the barley harvest, Ruth asked to glean the field after the reapers. This was permitted and she soon caught the eye of Boaz. (Ruth 2:11-12) Boaz commanded his servants to pull some grain out of the bundles and drop them that she may glean more. When Ruth reported to Naomi her days work in the field of Boaz, Naomi was encouraged as Boaz was a close relative and may have first right to redemption of her husband's land and to help provide an heir for him (Leviticus 5-28).

Naomi then instructs Ruth after the harvest to wear her best clothes. Then that evening when Boaz goes to lie down she tells her to uncover his feet and lie down, and then Boaz would tell her what to do. So she did as she was instructed and seeing a woman at his feet, he inquired who she was. She told him she was his maid and that he was a "close relative." (Ruth 3:1-9) Boaz understood the meaning, and blessed her for not searching for a young man either rich or poor but informed her that there was a closer relative to her than he. (Ruth 3:13)

The next day Boaz redeems the land after the closer relative is unwilling to do so. Boaz then tells the close relative that if he redeems the land he must also acquire the Moabite woman; Then Boaz said, "On the day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you must also acquire Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of the deceased, in order to raise up the name of the deceased on his inheritance." (Ruth 4:5). Boaz then tells the elders that he will not only acquire the land but also marry Ruth to fulfill raising up the deceased inheritance (Ruth 4:9-10). And God saw that this great love story is preserved for eternity!

That brings us to our question, "Which Gentile women are in the lineage of Christ?". Amazingly enough, these two people have a son named Obed, and Naomi becomes his nurse. Now Obed is the father of Jesse, the father of David, and who are all in the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah (Matthew 1:1-17)! One would think that Ruth would be the full answer to our question, and it is indeed part of the answer-but there is more!

Joshua sent two spies into the land of Jericho and they lodged in the house of a certain harlot. When word came to the king of Jericho that spies were staying in her house, he sent men there to inquire about them. She hid the men and told the king's men that they had left, and they could catch them if they pursued quickly, which they did. She then told the spies, Now before they lay down, she came up to them on the roof, and said to the men, "I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land have melted away before you. For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed. When we heard it, our hearts melted and no courage remained in any man any longer because of you; for the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath. Now therefore, please swear to me by the Lord, since I have dealt kindly with you, that you also will deal kindly with my father's household, and give me a pledge of truth, and spare my father and my mother and my brothers and my sisters, with all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death." So the men said to her, "Our life for yours if you do not tell this business of ours; and it shall come about when the Lord gives us the land that we will deal kindly and faithfully with you." (Joshua 2:8-14). When the Israelites came into the land they did take it and preserved the household of the harlot (Joshua 6:20-27).

So then, for the answer to our question we turn and read; and to Salmon was born Boaz by Rahab; and to Boaz was born Obed by Ruth, and to Obed, Jesse; (Matthew 1:5).

And so there we have the answers to our question as the Gentile women were Rahab and Ruth! With Rahab, the Lord also magnifies her efforts with the spies when she hid them, By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days. By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish along with those who were disobedient, after she had welcomed the spies in peace. (Hebrews 11:30-31)

May we have the faith that both Rahab and Ruth displayed in the desire to please the Lord before their own people for life!