The Book of Ruth Revisited E501 - 3 - 6

The Book of Ruth is a very short Book of the Bible and sometimes dismissed as a pretty story of Ruth’s devotion to Naomi and as a love story between Ruth and Boaz. It is so much more!

The Book of Ruth is prophetic of Jesus as the Kinsman-Redeemer and the Church as the Gentile Bride. As Boaz redeemed Ruth as his bride and Naomi her land, Jesus has redeemed the Church and He will redeem Israel.

Names of all have special meaning:

Naomi means pleasantness, delight, however, after the deaths of her husband and sons she calls herself Mara which is bitter.

Naomi’s daughter-in-law Ruth was a Moabitess. Ruth means friend and what a loyal friend/ daughter Ruth was to Naomi. “And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the LORD do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.” Ruth 1:16-17
The lyrics to “Whither Thou Goest” sung by Les Paul and Mary Ford were based on this Old Testament story of Naomi and Ruth.

Boaz is strength.

Plus there was an unnamed servant as an intercessor who introduced Boaz to Ruth, a type of Holy Spirit?

So back to this little book so very important to Jew and Gentile alike.
Due to a famine, Naomi and her family left their home in Bethlehem for Moab. Naomi’s husband and sons died. Later Naomi heard that the famine was over in Bethlehem and decided to return. Her widowed daughter-in-law Ruth, the Moab, went with Naomi to Bethlehem.

Once back in Bethlehem, Naomi and Ruth were destitute and Ruth gleaned in the fields of what turns out to be Naomi’s kinsman Boaz. Naomi realized the possibility of Boaz being a kinsman redeemer, the Go'el. So Naomi set events in motion that resulted in the marriage of Boaz and Ruth. Boaz and Ruth had a son they named Obed who had a son named Jesse and in turn Jesse had a son named David, later known as King David.

Boaz and Ruth were in the line of Jesus. Boaz was the son of Salmon and Rahab who was said to be a prostitute. Boaz and Ruth had a son they named Obed who had a son named Jesse and in turn Jesse had a son named David, later known as King David. So a prostitute and a Gentile were in the line of Jesus, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David; what redemption! What a historical story!

So how does the Book of Ruth relate to the Book of Revelation? Again, the Book of Ruth is a very short book and sometimes dismissed as a rather simple story of Ruth’s devotion to Naomi and the love story between Ruth and Boaz and their Levirate Marriage. It is so much more! The book is prophetic of the coming of Christ, the grafting of the Gentile Church to the olive tree and the re-birth of modern day Israel.