A LOVE STORY: THE BOOK OF RUTH

Chapter 17

RUTH IS GATHERED UNDER HIS WINGS

10-07-07

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(Ruth 2:8,9)  [Review: an exegesis of these two verses was delivered on 09-09-07 entitled: Ruth “meets” Boaz].  Then said Boaz [a type of Jesus Christ] unto Ruth [a type of all Gentiles], Hearest thou not [Listen to me], my daughter [an expression indicative of ownership, of possession; herein of “positional” salvation, Jesus has taken ownership]? Go not to glean in another field, neither go from hence, but abide here fast by my maidens: Let thine eyes [focus, attention] be on the field [of the Word of God] that they [my good and faithful Hebrew servants] do reap, and go thou after them: have I not charged [commanded] the young men that they shall not touch thee? and when thou art athirst, go unto the vessels, and drink of that [water of the Holy Spirit] which the young men have drawn.

(Ruth 2:10-12)  Then she [Ruth: a type of all Gentiles, heathens, infidels] fell on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, and said unto him, Why have I found grace in thine eyes, that thou shouldest take knowledge of me, seeing I am a stranger [alien, foreigner]? And Boaz [a type of Jesus Christ] answered and said unto her, It hath fully been showed me [Heb: nagad nagad; rehearsed, reported (utterly)] [i.e. both naturally and supernaturally], all that thou hast done unto thy mother in law [Naomi] since the death of thine husband: [A TYPE OF MARRIAGE:] and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people which thou knewest not heretofore. [THE BLESSING AND PROMISE:] The LORD recompense [reciprocate: reward] thy work [i.e. her godly work in His field gleaning the Word of God], and a full [Heb: shalem; complete] reward [shall] be given thee of the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings [of love: “God is love” 1 John 4:8,16] thou art come to trust [for protection; fig. to confide in: have hope, make refuge, (put) trust] [i.e. to believe in, put faith in].

1.       (Ruth 2:2)  And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi, Let me now go to the field, and glean ears of corn after him in whose sight I shall find grace. And she said unto her, Go, my daughter.

a.       grace = Heb: graciousness, i.e. subj. (kindness, favor) or objective (beauty):--favour, pleasant, precious, [well-] favoured /// to bend or stoop in kindness to an inferior; to favor, bestow; to implore (i.e. move to favor by petition):--beseech, X fair, (be, find, shew) favour (-able), be (deal, give, grant (gracious (-ly), intreat, (be) merciful, have (shew) mercy (on, upon), have pity upon, pray, make supplication, X very.

b.       (Luke 11:9)  And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

2.       Commentary: “since the death of thine husband” = We may note significantly that Ruth was previously married to one of Naomi’s two sons. After his death, Ruth began her transformation process “by the renewing of your [her] mind” (Rom 12:2, & Ruth 1:4-4:13 = illustrating the process) which was completed when Ruth married Boaz (Ruth 4:13) who is a type of Jesus Christ. The name of Ruth’s first husband was Mahlon (Ruth 4:10) whose name in Hebrew means “sick.” In this contextual application Mahlon’s name means “sick unto death,” for he died forever separated from God. By this first union, our Lord God is teaching us by symbolism that Ruth was first married to the world (Mahlon), as were we, and that her first union to the world produced no fruit for God, which is clearly evidenced to by the fact that her first husband, the world, died childless. However, Ruth’s second marriage through her union with Boaz produced glorious Messianic fruit for God in the form of a son named “Obed: he is the father of Jesse, the father of David.” (Ruth 4:17).   

3.       (Mat 19:5,6)  And [God] said, For this cause shall a man [or woman] leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife [or husband]: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

a.       (Luke 14:26)  If any man come to me, and hate not [not love less (than me)] his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.

4.     Commentary: “The LORD recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the LORD God of Israel” = Why is the seemingly unnecessary but emphatic “full” employed here in this text? Isn’t every reward “full” in itself? Does not this sentence read properly without the added “full”? However, this “full” in Hebrew means “complete,” and is a reference to Ruth (a type of us) receiving the fullness of the Holy Spirit in the future. [THE BLESSING AND PROMISE:] We are now “engaged” to be married; we have received the engagement ring of the Lord symbolic of bonding by being “sealed” in possession of “the earnest” [Gk: deposit, pledge] of the Holy Spirit (2 Cor 1:22; 5:5, Eph 1:14; compare Rom 12:3 “the measure [Gk: limited portion] of faith”). We await the promised fullness yet to come upon the consummation of our marriage to the Lamb of God. This is the greatest most wonderful reward of all which shall be given thee of the LORD God of Israel.

a.       (2 Cor 1:22)  [God] Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.

b.       (Eph 1:13,14)  [Christ] In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

5.       (Exo 19:4)  Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself.

6.       (Mat 23:37)  O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings [connoting an infinitely grand sense of motherly all encompassing love], and ye would not!

7.       (Isa 40:31)  But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew [Rom 12:2] their strength; they shall mount up [arise up, ascend up, spring up, recover, restore] with wings as [like] eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint [a wonderful end-time word picture of this very activity is illustrated  in Joel 2:1-11].

a.       (Rom 12:1,2)  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice [a type of marriage], holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed [changed, transfigured (an experienced process)] by the renewing [renovation /// restoration (back to Eden, a type of Heaven)] of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Amen

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