Abraham Rescued Lot and Boaz Married Ruth
(A Foreshadowing of Christ and His Church)
The Foreshadowing
The story of Abraham rescuing Lot can be seen as a prophetic picture — a foreshadowing of Christ (represented by Abraham) rescuing His church (symbolized by Lot).
This rescue forever changed the course of both men’s destinies and introduced the mysterious figure of Melchizedek, who blessed Abraham and shared bread and wine with him.
Through Abraham’s lineage would come Boaz, and through Lot’s lineage would come Ruth.
Their union produced King David around 1000 BC, and ultimately Jesus Christ around 3 BC.
Adam and Eve’s Seed — c. 4000 BC
Genesis 3:15 (KJV) “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.”
From the very beginning, God promised a Redeemer — “the seed of the woman” Genesis 3:15 who would defeat the serpent.
Abraham’s seed and Lot — c. 2000 BC
It’s striking how Abraham and Lot are mentioned together when God first calls Abram.
Genesis 11:31 “And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram’s wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there.”
Genesis 12:4–5, 7 “So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him…
And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land.”
Here, the covenant promise begins — Abraham and Lot journey together toward the land that God would give to Abraham’s descendants.
Abraham Rescues Lot – foreshadowing Jesus’ rescue of the church
Genesis 14:8–16 When Lot was taken captive during the battle of the kings, Abraham armed 318 trained servants, pursued the captors, and rescued Lot along with all the people and goods. “And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people.”
Just as Christ would later rescue His church.
The Appearance of Melchizedek
Genesis 14:18–20 “And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God… And he gave him tithes of all.”
John 6:53 “Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.”
Melchizedek’s blessing marks a divine encounter — a priesthood not of man but of heaven.
The New Testament confirms this connection to Christ:
Hebrews 7:11–17 “If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood… what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchisedec…? …For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Judah… Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.”
Through this priesthood of bread and wine, we see a prophetic image of communion and redemption.
John 6:54 “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”
Lot and the Birth of the Moabites
Genesis 19:35–38 After the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot’s daughters bore sons by their father: “The firstborn bare a son, and called his name Moab: the same is the father of the Moabites unto this day.”
Thus began the Moabite nation, from which Ruth would one day come.
Ruth the Moabitess — c. 1300 BC
About 700 years after Abraham, the story of redemption continues in the fields of Bethlehem.
Ruth 1:22 “So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law, with her… and they came to Bethlehem in the beginning of barley harvest.”
Ruth 3:2–7 So Ruth went down to the threshing floor. When Boaz had finished eating and drinking and was in good spirits, he went over to lie down at the far end of the grain pile – the seed of the future church. Ruth approached quietly, uncovered his feet and lay down.
Ruth 4:11–13, 17 “And all the people that were in the gate, and the elders, said, We are witnesses. The LORD make the woman that is come into thine house like Rachel and Leah…So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife… and she bare a son.… They called his name Obed: he is the father of Jesse, the father of David.”
Through Boaz and Ruth came Obed, then Jesse, then David — the royal lineage of Christ.
The Fulfillment in Christ
Matthew 1:1 “The book of the generation of Jesus Christ (3 BC), the son of David (1000 BC), the son of Abraham (2000 BC).”
From Adam and Eve came the promise of the Seed. From Abraham and Lot came the rescue that united two family lines — Abraham’s through Boaz, Lot’s through Ruth — converging in David, and ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ, the eternal King and High Priest after the order of Melchizedek.