Matthew 1

This chapter features two main parts: the genealogy of Jesus and then the abridged story of Jesus' birth. I'll tackle that first. Matthew doesn't go into nearly as much detail here as some of the other Gospels, from what I remember; in particular I think Luke has more in the lead-up to Jesus' birth.

There will likely be more about the events around His birth in the next chapter of Matthew, but the big takeaway here is that Jesus was born to a virgin. His mother, Mary, was impregnated by God - not God physically coming down and sleeping with her, as some claim, but supernaturally without any physical contact from a man. This is the only such event in history, and I've always thought it made perfect sense since Jesus was sinless. It is clearly stated elsewhere in the Bible that all humans have an innate sinful nature, and that it is passed down from father to son (and daughter) - but Jesus had no human father, and so did not inherit that nature! This was the only way that God could be born into our world, really, and it had been prophesied hundreds of years earlier by Isaiah (7:14). This is the first of many prophecies about the coming Messiah which Jesus fulfilled, and I will try to highlight as many of them as I can over the course of reading through the Gospels.

As for the genealogy, it traces Jesus' royal lineage through his adopted human father, Joseph. He was a direct descendant of King David, which was important because that was another prophecy about the Messiah: he would reign on the throne of David forever (Jeremiah 33:14-17). It also interesting to note so many names from the Old Testament which feature in this list - Rahab, Ruth & Boaz, David & Solomon, and of course the patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob). It really goes to show that the Bible is His Story - the story of Jesus, from His hand in creation through to the end of time. May His name be praised forever and ever, amen!

Ruth 4

This chapter finishes off the story of Ruth. Boaz follows tradition, though, and first offers the position to a closer relative; when that man turns it down for seemingly selfish reasons (to the point where history has forgotten his name) Boaz steps in and weds Ruth. This assures that she and Naomi will be taken care of and provided for.

Through Ruth, Boaz ends up fathering a son: Obed - the father in turn of Jesse, father of soon-to-be-king David. This makes for a great story in the lineage of David (and therefore of Christ), and a neat insight into the lives of normal people in Israel during the time of the Judges. It also offers a perfect transition to the books of Samuel, which feature David prominently.

Ruth 3

This chapter contains what I think is the most... whats a good word? Ah, 'unique' marriage proposal I've ever heard of. Apparently laying down next to a man and uncovering some not-well-defined portion of his lower anatomy could be taken to mean that you wanted to marry him. My, how times have changed!

There are some other customs and habits of the time period that are also shown here, though they aren't the focus. Apparently the places where harvests were processed - the threshing floor - doubled as a home away from home. Boaz is described as sleeping 'at the far end of the grain heap' (verse 7, NET). Maybe he had a cot or some blankets to sleep on, but that he would just lay down right there next to his work seems very foreign to me.

On the topic of marriage, it turns out that there was a pecking order of sorts within their culture. Boaz wasn't the closest male relative, so he had to check with the man who was before being able to commit to Ruth in marriage. We also have it implied here that Boaz was not a young man - but just how much older than Ruth he was, or whether he was already married, is not told (multiple marriages seem common at this time - see I Samuel 1).

Ruth 2

I like the glimpse we get in this chapter into life during this era. Ruth heads out to pick what were effectively scraps left behind accidentally while the wheat crop was being harvested. In modern days we would expect someone to just go 'get a job' - but I'm guessing women weren't really allowed to work in shops or other occupations, and doing something in this case was certainly better than begging.

Luckily, or perhaps through God's providence, she ends up working in a field owned by a relative of Naomi's who happens to be present at the field and asks about her. When he finds out who she is he takes measures to ensure she is taken care of without revealing his identity to her - though Naomi fills Ruth in on that point once she returns in the evening.

Boaz, the man in question, allows Ruth to continue working in this fashion throughout the end of the harvest. It sounds like that provides for both women during that season, but I wonder if Naomi also worked in some position in the village. Sometimes I wish the Bible had even more details on things like that.