Thoughts on the Book of Ruth

Prophetically, I believe we are entering into a time pictured in the Book of Ruth. 

Because there was famine in the land of Israel, Elimelech, who was from the area around Bethlehem, (the House of Bread), and Naomi traveled to Moab to live.  While in Moab, their two sons married Moabite women.  After a time, Elimelech and both of Naomi’s sons died.  Naomi decided to move back to Israel because she heard that the famine had ended.  As she was on the way, she encouraged her daughters-in-law to return to their father’s houses and marry again.  Ruth, who is a picture of the Gentile Church today, refused to take the easy route.  She loved Naomi and said, “Where you go, I will go.  Where you stay, I will stay.  Your people shall be my people and your God shall be my God.  Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried.  May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me.”

Ruth, a Gentile, was binding herself in covenantal love to Naomi and her people.  She was a comfort to Naomi who was grieving, and now wanted to be called “Mara,” which means “bitter.” The circumstances of Naomi’s life, losing her husband and two sons, had become devastating to her.  Ruth and Naomi returned to the same area in Israel where Naomi had formerly resided.  They returned at the time of the barley harvest.  They returned because they heard the famine was over.  The “House of Bread” was beginning to have life again. 

There are beginning to be signs of life again in Israel.  The remnant has returned from the nations. The native born Messianic believers, which numbered in handfuls in the early seventies, is growing quickly.  This is the first time in since the early days of the movement, that young, native born Israelis are being positioned for leadership in the Messianic community.  Formerly, leaders were individuals who had been born in another nation and had made Aliya to Israel and set up or oversaw congregations.  There are now Sabras, native born Israelis, who will step into leadership within the next 5 years.  They have served in the military, speak Hebrew, and are Israeli in every way.  This is the time to align with what God is doing in Israel, just like Ruth did for Naomi.

You are probably familiar with the story.  Ruth gleaned in the fields so that she and Naomi would have provision.  As she was faithful to support and diligently worked in the fields, the owner, Boaz, noticed her.  She gained his favor and he said, “I’ve been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law, how you left your father and mother and your homeland and came to live with a people you did not know before.  May the Lord repay you for what you have done.  May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.” Boaz then invited her to eat with him and instructed his workers to leave even more grain for her on purpose, as she was gleaning in the fields. 

As we selflessly serve the Jewish people, God notices.  The favor of the Lord begins to come on our lives and His provision begins to manifest in wondrous ways for what He has called us to do.  It is nothing short of a miracle that I have been able to go to Israel 5 times in the last 5 years to pray and encourage God’s people.  Most of those times, we did not have the money ourselves.  I have come to believe that it is God who ordains and values my time there, and the contribution I want to make in the spirit.

The last phase of this prophetic story involves Ruth being instructed by Naomi to wash herself and put on her best clothes and go to the threshing floor when she knows Boaz will be sleeping there, guarding his harvest from thieves.  She obeys, and lies down at his feet.  In the middle of the night, Boaz wakes up and notices her.  Her act is a request for marriage or redemption, and the restoration of the name of her husband.  Boaz is a kinsman redeemer.  He puts his cloak over her to signify that he has taken responsibility for covering her, and will work out all the details the next day. 

This prophetic act of lying at the feet of Yeshua, is what Yeshua is awaiting from His Church.  When the Gentile Church is willing to come to the place of identification with the longings of His heart, He will cover her and pledge himself to her.  Just as Ruth became a crucial link in the lineage of King David, the Church will then be positioned, along with the Messianic community, to bring forth the desire of his heart, the Maschiach Nagid; Messiah, the King.

As Ruth brought forth a son so that the name of Elimelech would not disappear from among his family or the town records, so the Gentile Church must make sure that we do everything we can to ensure that there is a Jewish remnant on the earth.  In a sense, we must give birth through intercession and loving acts led by the Spirit, so that the ones  like Obed, Ruth’s son, will grow into servants of the Lord.  Then Israel, just like it was said of Naomi, will be renewed in life and be sustained in her old age.

There is so much more symbolism to the story.  It can be taken in many ways, but for now, this is the portion that I believe we need to connect with as a prophetic people.   If we begin to sow into the Messianic community sacrificially, and stand together with them, offering ourselves as vessels for His prophetic purpose to be birthed through us, He will put His protective covering over us and provide all that we need to help His people come into the fullness of their inheritance.  We will then also have the privilege and joy of being the beneficiaries of that fulfillment of promise.