The Case of Miriam and Ruth

"For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision. Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision? And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law?" Romans 2:25-27

In our continued study of Romans Chapter 2, one such lesson that comes up is that of the circumcision, and their ability to remain God's special people and channel of blessings to the Gentile nations around them.

Their status could only profit them "if thou (Israel) keep the law". BUT, if thou (Israel) be a breaker of the law (the law that Moses brought down from God to them) thy circumcision is made uncircumsion. That's not something most people know about Israel.

Take for example Moses's own sister. Some may say "God wouldn't do anything to her...after all, not only is she a Jew, she's the sister of Moses! God dare not touch her! She's the sister to a legend in Israel! She should have it made in the shade!" Not quite.

As we see in the book of Numbers, Chapter 12: "And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman." - Numbers 12:1, and by the time you get to verse 10... "And the cloud departed from off the tabernacle; and, behold, Miriam became leprous, white as snow: and Aaron looked upon Miriam, and, behold, she was leprous. And Aaron said unto Moses, Alas, my lord, I beseech thee, lay not the sin upon us, wherein we have done foolishly, and wherein we have sinned. Let her not be as one dead, of whom the flesh is half consumed when he cometh out of his mother’s womb. And Moses cried unto the Lord, saying, Heal her now, O God, I beseech thee. And the Lord said unto Moses, If her father had but spit in her face, should she not be ashamed seven days? let her be shut out from the camp seven days, and after that let her be received in again. And Miriam was shut out from the camp seven days: and the people journeyed not till Miriam was brought in again. And afterward the people removed from Hazeroth, and pitched in the wilderness of Paran." Numbers 12:10-16

Her "status" was getting worse and worse. Though she's not declared to be uncircumcised in heart and ears by any means, this, over time does happen to the nation Israel, as Stephen declares this to them as he is stoned.

"Ye (Stephen talking to Israel) stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye." Acts 7:51

So we see a case where even the "very elite" in Israel can stumble downward, as Israel eventually completely does, to the point where they fall.

Now lets look at another part of Romans 2:25-27, where "if the uncircumsion keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision?" Instead of seeing someone stumbling downwards from "the very elite" in Israel, we'll see someone climbing upwards from the uncircumcised nation of Moab.

We see from the book of Ruth, that she starts out from Moab (a nation having NOT the law, no covenants with God, no promises, no prophets, etc), and comes into the nation of Israel, into Bethlehem. "So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter in law, with her, which returned out of the country of Moab: and they came to Beth-lehem in the beginning of barley harvest." - Ruth 1:22

As Ruth obeys what she can, following "the righteousness of the law" as much as possible, we find by the time Ruth chapter 4 comes along that she is a part of Israel, having blessing galore ("blessings" concerning the prophetic program) as stated "So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife: and when he went in unto her, the Lord gave her conception, and she bare a son. And the women said unto Naomi, Blessed be the Lord, which hath not left thee this day without a kinsman, that his name may be famous in Israel. And he shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life, and a nourisher of thine old age: for thy daughter in law, which loveth thee, which is better to thee than seven sons, hath born him. And Naomi took the child, and laid it in her bosom, and became nurse unto it. And the women her neighbours gave it a name, saying, There is a son born to Naomi; and they called his name Obed: he is the father of Jesse, the father of David." Ruth 4:13-17

While nobody except the Lord Jesus Christ himself obeyed all 613 statutes of the law, we see two cases where even an elite woman in Israel can fall, and a Gentile woman from Moab can rise.

Which brings up the question, if the letter of the old testament doesn't save God's earthly people Israel, nor does it save the Gentiles (who are already lost as seen in Romans chapter 1), what does? And for Israel, how to do they go about fulfilling the law regarding their new testament?

THAT...is the Apostle Paul's point in Romans 2. If you have read the book of Romans before, you know Paul is leading up to the gospel of Christ.

"Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; by which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: " 1 Corinthians 15:1-4