The Maid From Moab

Thousands of years ago, Elimelech, his wife, Naomi, and their two sons flee Bethlehem’s famine when they move to Moab. When Elimelech dies, Naomi encourages her sons to marry local women. Unexpectedly, her sons die, too. Now, Naomi and her childless daughters-in-law must fend for themselves. Quickly becoming destitute, Naomi announces her return to Bethlehem—she tells the daughters-in-law to return to their own families and seek new husbands. Orpah leaves. However, Ruth won’t forsake Naomi. Wherever Naomi goes, Ruth will go, too. While gleaning grain, Ruth catches the eye of Boaz, a wealthy landowner. When Naomi realizes who he is, she figures out a way that Ruth may be able to marry him. However, there’s a serious obstacle to the couple’s future—one that could prove to be their undoing. As Ruth falls in love with Boaz, she seeks God’s will, even as her woman’s heart cries out for fulfillment. She also worries about what will become of her beloved mother-in-law. Will Ruth be allowed to marry the man she loves and still keep Naomi by her side? THE MAID FROM MOAB is a novella about love, friendship and faith by acclaimed Christian author Summer Lee. The law regarding taking a brother's wife to raise up children for the deceased is found in Deuteronomy. “If two brothers live together, and one of them dies without a son, the wife of the dead man must not marry a stranger outside the family. Her husband’s brother must take her as his wife and have sexual relations with her. He must do the duty of a husband’s brother for her. Then the first son she has will be considered the dead man’s son in order to keep the dead man’s name alive in Israel. If the man does not want to take his brother’s wife, she must go to the town meeting place and tell the leaders, ‘My husband’s brother refuses to keep his brother’s name alive in Israel. He will not do the duty of a husband’s brother to me.’ Then the leaders of the city must call the man and talk to him. If the man is stubborn and says, ‘I don’t want to take her,’ then his brother’s wife must come to him in front of the leaders. She must take his sandal off his foot and spit in his face. She must say, ‘This is being done to the man who will not give his brother a son!’ From then on, the brother’s family will be known in Israel as, ‘the family of the man whose sandal was removed.’"