Why were the Moabites considered taboo to the Jews?
The Moabites were considered taboo to the Jews because of their ancestral origin: they descended from Lot and his daughter. This made them a forbidden people, and the Jews were to have nothing to do with them, as they were also Gentiles.
Les teaches that the Moabites were taboo to the Jews because of their ancestral origin: they began with the relationship of Lot and his daughter. This made them a forbidden people, and God had mandated that the Jews have nothing to do with the Gentiles. Yet Ruth, a Moabitess, is included in the genealogy. Les connects this to Romans 5:20, noting that even though this is the Jewish economy under the Law, it is the same unchanging God, whose responsibilities to the human race change.