A LOVE STORY: THE BOOK OF RUTH

Chapter 9

AND WHEN I CALLED YOU,
YE DELIVERED ME NOT OUT OF THEIR HANDS

08-12-07

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(Ruth 2:1)  And Naomi [pleasant] had a kinsman [first mention in the Book of Ruth] of her husband's, a mighty man of wealth [valour], of the family of Elimelech [my God is King]; and his name was Boaz [a type of Jesus Christ]. (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 [Ruth was seeking Grace – she didn’t have it yet. Why not?]. And she said unto her, Go, my daughter.

1.       And Ruth the Moabitess = A type of Gentile unbelievers.

2.       said unto Naomi, = A type of Hebrew evangelists. Naomi brought Ruth to Bethlehem (house of bread)  to feed on the bread of life; Naomi brought Ruth to feed on Jesus. “I am the bread of life:” (John 6:35). Hebrew evangelists are still bringing the Gentiles (Gk: heathens, infidels, unbelievers) living in the world to Jesus Christ every day through the Bible which was written exclusively by Jews (Hebrews).

3.       Let me now go into the field, and glean ears of corn = This is Ruth’s ultimate destiny.

a.       (Mat 13:38)  The field is the world [kosmos; universe];

b.       (Mark 16:15)  And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world [kosmos; universe], and preach the gospel [of love (Mat 22:36-40)] to every creature.

4.       and glean = Heb: to pick up [Gk: harpazo; “caught up” 1 Thess 4:17], i.e. (gen.) to gather [Gk: sunago; assemble: Mat 13:30]; spec. to glean.

5.       ears of corn = Heb: shibboleth, shib-bo'-leth; a stream (as flowing); also an ear of grain (as growing out); by anal. a branch:--branch, channel, ear (of corn), ([water-]) flood, Shibboleth.

6.       Commentary: gleaning = seizing souls for Christ. Shibboleth contains the meaning of movement, i.e. a flowing stream vs. a stagnant pond. Movement denotes life, whereas the absence of movement denotes death. Whom do you suppose the ears of corn that are plucked up, harvested, by Ruth at maturity symbolize? These ears of corn have growing (movement) life in them representing the Holy Spirit.

7.       Sibboleth = Heb: cibboleth, sib-bo-leth; an ear of grain [no connotation of movement, i.e. dead].

ILLUSTRATION: OF SHIBBOLETH (LIFE) AND SIBBOLETH (DEATH) BY EXAMPLE

(Judg 12:1-3)  And the men of Ephraim gathered themselves together [Heb: tsa'aq, tsaw-ak'; to shriek; (comparable to the Gk: sullego; collected themselves into a bundle of tares: Mat 13:30)], and went northward, and said unto Jephthah [he will open], Wherefore passedst thou over [Jordan] to fight against the children of Ammon [a incestuous unsaved son of Lot who dwelt in the wilderness to the west of Jordan], and didst not call us to go with thee? [Gideon had a similar problem with the Ephraimites previously in Judges 8:1-3 when he fought against the Midianites. The Ephraimites were placated by Gideon that first time, but not by Jephthah the second time] we will burn thine house upon thee with fire. And Jephthah said unto them, I and my people were at great strife with the children of Ammon; and when I called you, ye delivered me not out of their hands. And when I saw that ye delivered me not, I put my life in my hands, and passed over [Jordan] against the children of Ammon, and the LORD delivered them into my hand: wherefore then are ye come up unto me this day, to fight against me?

1.       Commentary: Ephraim = The relatively large tribe, at this time, that manifested themselves as the seeds of the “root of bitterness.” Ehpraim later grew into becoming the Northern Kingdom first generally called “Ephraim,” then consisting of the ten tribes (including Ephraim) that upon the death of Solomon rebelled against the Southern Kingdom called “Judah” (Benjamin allied itself with Judah). The evil seeds of Ephraim later matured into “Israel” and complete apostasy under Ahab.

2.       Jordan = Heb: descender; the principal river of Pal.:--Jordan /// to descend (lit. to go downwards; or conventionally to a lower region); to bring down (in all the above applications). [a type of the Holy Spirit separating the Promised Land (a type of Heaven) from the wilderness (a type of Hell)]

(Judg 12:4)  Then Jephthah gathered together [Heb: qabats, kaw-bats'; to grasp (comparable to the Gk: sunago; assembled: Mat 13:30)] all the men of Gilead [a type of the cross], and fought with Ephraim [in the wilderness west of Jordan]: and the men of Gilead smote Ephraim, because they said, Ye Gileadites are fugitives of Ephraim among the Ephraimites, and among the Manassites.

1.       Gilead = Heb: heap of testimony; heap of witness: rolling forever; the mass of testimony; mound of stones; rocky region; strong. [Six different meaning sources. A type of the cross].

(Judg 12:5,6)  And the Gileadites took [occupied: “Occupy till I come” Luke 19:13] the passages of Jordan [the way into the Promised Land, the way into Heaven] before the Ephraimites: and it was so that when those Ephraimites which were escaped said, Let me go over [into the Promised Land, a type of Heaven, a type of the Garden of Eden]; that the men of Gilead said unto him, Art thou an Ephraimite? If he said, Nay; Then said they unto him, Say now Shibboleth [i.e. life, movement]: and he said Sibboleth [an ear of grain, i.e. death, stillness]: for he could not frame to pronounce it right. Then they took him, and slew him at the passages of Jordan: and there fell at that time of the Ephraimites forty and two thousand.

ILLUSTRATION: OF SHIBBOLETH (LIFE) AND SIBBOLETH (DEATH) BY PARABLE

THE OLD TESTAMENT
(THE FIRST CALLING - TO THE JEWS)

(Mat 22:1-7)  And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said, The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son, And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come. Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage. But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise: And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them. But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city [Jerusalem in 70 A.D.].

THE NEW TESTAMENT
(THE SECOND CALLING - TO THE GENTILES)

(Mat 22:8-10)  Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. Go ye therefore into the highways [to the Gentiles: not in the city of Jerusalem, not Jews], and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together [Gk: sunago; assembled: Mat 13:30] all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.

1.       (Mat 13:47,48)  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea [biblical symbol of humanity], and gathered of every kind: Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away.

THE JUDGMENT - UPON BOTH TESTAMENTS

(Mat 22:11-14)  And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment [the covering blood of Jesus Christ]: And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless [“for he could not frame to pronounce it right” Judg 12:6; this man was not able to either understand or respond in the tongue of the Lord].  Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot [Why?], and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are called [like the Ephraimites], but few are chosen.

1.       (Mat 13:49,50)  So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

2.       (Judg 12:2)  And Jephthah said unto them [the Ephraimites], I and my people were at great strife with the children of Ammon; and when I called you, ye delivered me not out of their hands.

Amen

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