The Book of Ruth — Walking, Working, Waking
During the weekend and the strong appeals to Stay Home because of Covid 19, I’ve been listening to some messages on YouTube.
One speaker whom I’d not heard much before, Bobby Conner, said he was greatly inspired by the Book of Ruth as he believed it was a picture for the Church today. I did a one week series on Ruth, only four chapters long and it’s one of my favourite Bible stories.
Walking; Naomi and Ruth had a long journey through very arid and difficult country to get from Moab to Bethlehem. They arrived at the time of the barley harvest.
Working; Ruth (type of the Church) immediately began to glean in the fields to get some food for herself and her mother in law, Naomi (type of the Holy Spirit, guiding Ruth). She worked in the field of their kinsman redeemer, Boaz (type of the Lord) and only his field where she was safe and provided for. Ruth met her Boaz in the harvest field, not in the synagogue.
Waking; Naomi spoke to Ruth about finding a home for her, in the house of Boaz. Naomi gave her specific instructions, to wash and perfume herself and wear her best clothes and go to the threshing floor (final stage of the harvest, separating the grain and chaff). When Boaz lay down at the end of the grain pile Ruth lay ‘at his feet’. He wakened in the night and Ruth asked him to ‘spread the corner of his garment over her’, take her as his wife.
The picture of Ruth lying at the feet of Boaz(the Lord) is a picture for our day. The initiative was then with Boaz, to take the situation in hand and acquire Ruth and the land of her late husband for himself. He settled the matter in good form with the elders at the city gate. Ruth gave birth to a son Obed, the father of Jesse, the father of David, king of Israel. Ruth had to leave her land and her people and live in Bethlehem of Judah to fulfill her calling and God’s plan for His Messiah.
Ruth could never have determined her own calling, she bound herself to Naomi and walked step by step into her destiny. She only had a heart to serve and obey. Lying at the Lord’s feet and waiting for His direction may be the only path open for us in uncertain times.
Mini series on Book of Ruth is available on webpage;
fathersloveministry.co.uk
God bless and keep you in these uncertain days.