Nephi taught that “as many of the Gentiles as will repent are the covenant people of the Lord” (2 Nephi 30:2). He also declared that God invites all of His children to come unto Him, “black and white, bond and free, male and female … Jew and Gentile” (2 Nephi 26:33).
From the chaos described at the end of the book of Judges emerged two extraordinary women: Ruth and Hannah. One was a Moabitess, the other an Israelite. Both had reasons to feel marginalized and rejected: Ruth because she was a foreigner and a widow, Hannah because she had been unable to bear a child. Both women exercised faith in God on behalf of their immediate families. When Ruth’s Israelite mother-in-law advised her to return to her home after losing her husband, Ruth responded:
Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God:
Ruth 1:16
And Hannah’s prayer for a son included an extraordinary pledge:
O Lord of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the Lord all the days of his life.
1 Samuel 1:11
These family-centric efforts bore societal fruit. Ruth’s grandson, David, was consecrated king of Israel by Hannah’s son, Samuel.
It’s unclear whether Nephi had access to these specific stories, but his teachings about the heritability of God’s covenants provide a useful interpretive lens for reading them. In light of the principles he taught, Ruth’s conversion is not an exception to the rule but an example of God’s universal love for His children. Both Ruth and Hannah inherited Abraham’s covenant in the same way: by choosing to embrace it.
This week, as we study Ruth and 1 Samuel 1-7, let’s consider how the agency of Ruth and Hannah enabled them and their descendants to inherit the covenant and use it to serve God’s purposes in Israel.
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