Prophetically, 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 there, 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 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,” because
the circumstances of her life had become devastating to her. Ruth and Naomi return to the same area in
Israel where Naomi had formerly resided.
They return at the time of the barley harvest. They return because they have heard the
famine is over. The “house of bread” is
beginning to have life again.
There are beginning to be signs of life again in
Israel. 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 Israeli’s 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 Israeli’s 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 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.”
He 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 7 times in the last 7 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
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 where she knows Boaz will be sleeping, guarding his
harvest from thieves. She obeys and lies
down at the feet of Boaz. In the middle
of the night Boaz wakes up and notices her.
Her act is a request for marriage or redemption and 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 is what Yeshua is waiting for 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 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, to
ones who, like Obed, Ruth’s son, will be 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. You can take it in many ways, but for now,
this is the portion that we must connect with as a prophetic people.
I hope I have made the case for Israel. I hope you have come away with a better
understanding and have been inspired to pray for the Peace of Jerusalem. I hope I have given you a foundation for a
new framework from which to view scripture.
I will encourage you to pray so that you will receive a heart
connection. Fast while asking, sow money
into Israel and the Messianic community there, as the Spirit leads. Those are the best ways I know to open the
way for the Spirit of God to begin to give revelation. You can have all the head knowledge of
scripture, but there is still something of revelation that has to come about
this subject in order to have the heart.
I had an agreement with scripture, but it didn’t affect me at the heart
level until God moved upon me as a result of seeking Him. When revelation came, it was like volumes
downloaded from heaven. It made
everything make sense and gave definition to my life. To me, it truly is something worth living for and something worth dying for. That's why I am beginning to add my voice, to the ongoing conversation.
Thank you to all who have read and commented. Shalom!
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