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Be of the Same Mind in the Lord
... there is only one woman in the Bible who
has both a biblical book named after her and
whose name is also listed in the genealogy of Christ.
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ZION’S FIRE
| NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2014
2/20/15 2:14 PM
MARVIN J. ROSENTHAL
W hat’s in a Genealogy?
es, it was a love affair almost without
equal. Actually, it could be said that
there were three love affairs, and the
woman that was involved was faithful to all
three. First, she had a love for her mother-inlaw that was perhaps without equal. Second,
she was a Gentile, but she had a deep knowledge and passionate love for the God of Israel.
Third, and finally, she had a great love and
respect for the compassionate, tender, and
loving man who married and rescued her from
a hopeless situation and lifted her to the heavenlies. This amazing love story is recorded in
God’s Word. Are you familiar with it? I mean
really familiar with its nuances and deeper
meaning. On a number of occasions I have
preached through the Book of Ruth, read many
commentaries, studied for writing this article,
and still have a great deal to learn about Ruth.
There are 39 books in the Old Testament.
You probably know that.
There are 27 books in the New Testament.
You probably know that.
There are 66 books in the entire Bible. You
probably know that.
There are 40 books in the entire Bible
which bear people’s names. You probably do
not know that. Perhaps you never thought it
was significant.
There are 38 books that bear the names of
men – like Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
There are 2 books that bear the names of
women. They are Ruth and Esther.
However, there is only 1 woman in the
Bible who has both a biblical book named after
her and whose name is also listed in the genealogy of Christ. Her name is Ruth.
Ruth is the only person who has a book of
the Hebrew Old Testament called by her name,
is listed in the genealogy of Christ, was a
Gentile, and is highly esteemed by the Jewish
rabbis. The Book of Ruth is read in the synagogue each year. At the Jewish feast of “first
fruit,” which is the third in line of the four
spring feasts or, literally, “divine appointments.”
Y
• First, Passover, speaks of Christ the
Lamb of God.
• Second, Unleavened Bread, speaks of
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the spotless Lamb of God.
• Third, First Fruit, speaks of the resurrected Lamb of God.
• Fourth, Weeks, speaks of the ascended
Lamb of God.
The Book of Ruth is not only a spectacularly beautiful love story. Preeminently, it is
also a book that contains rich and wonderful
doctrine.
A search of the genealogy of Jesus, which,
of course, includes the Patriarch Abraham and
King David, reveals many surprises. Among
them is the inclusion of four women in the genealogical tree of Jesus.
The first woman is Tamar, a Gentile
Canaanite who manipulated Judah, her sinful
father-in-law, into an incestuous affair by disguising herself as a harlot (Genesis 38). As a
result, as she hoped, she gave birth to a son.
His name is Phares – also called Perez – who
is fifth in the genealogy of Christ, following
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and his father Judah
(Matthew 1:2-3).
The second woman is Rahab. She started
out very badly, but she experienced God’s grace
and became a truly great heroine. However,
when we first met her, Rahab was known as a
harlot (Joshua 2:11) who lived in the wicked
Canaanite city of Jericho (Joshua 6:17).
Sometime along the way, before she encountered the two spies sent to Jericho by
Written by
Marvin J. Rosenthal
Executive Director
Zion’s Hope
Ruth is the only person who
has a book of the Hebrew Old
Testament called by her name,
is listed in the genealogy of Christ,
was a Gentile, and is highly
esteemed by the Jewish rabbis.
Joshua to search out the city, Rahab encountered and put her trust in the God of Israel. At
much personal risk she encountered and then
helped the spies sent by Joshua, both physically and spiritually. It was through her great faith
at a time when the men of Israel were trembling in fear that she convinced Israel’s leaders
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FEATURE
It is fashionable
today for many
people to try to
trace their
ancestral ties,
hoping to
find someone
significant..
The genealogy of Jesus
reveals some shocking
surprises, but one particular discovery was
a spectacular “rose”
that grew in a desert.
That rose is Ruth the
Moabitess.
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A Woman Named Ruth
that God would give them the victory over
Jericho. As a result, she was warmly embraced
by the Jewish people when they entered the
Promised Land. Then, in time, she married
Salmon (not to be confused with Solomon),
who was in the messianic line, and Rahab gave
birth to Boaz (Ruth 4:20-21; Matthew 1:4-5).
The third woman is Ruth. Like the other two
women, she was also a Gentile. She was a
Moabitess from the land of Moab. However,
unlike Tamar who was guilty of a manipulated
incestuous affair with her father-in-law (Genesis
38:13-16) and Rahab who before coming to
faith in God was a harlot (Joshua 2:1), there is
nothing but highly positive commentary regarding Ruth.
The fourth and final woman found in the
genealogy of Jesus is perhaps the more familiar
Bathsheba. Unlike the other three women who
were Gentiles in the lineage of the Jewish
Messiah, Bathsheba was a Jewess, the wife of
the Israeli soldier, Uriah. She committed adultery with King David and was the mother of
King Solomon (2 Samuel, Chapter 11).
It is fashionable today for many people
to try to trace their ancestral ties, hoping to
find someone significant. The genealogy of
Jesus reveals some shocking surprises, but
one particular discovery was a spectacular
“rose” that grew in a desert. That rose is
Ruth the Moabitess. One thing we learn as
we consider these four women found in the
genealogy of God’s Son is that God is sovereign. He chooses whom He chooses to
accomplish His purposes.
God is sovereign.
He chooses whom He chooses
to accomplish His purposes.
I now direct your attention to Naomi, Ruth,
and Boaz. They are the central characters in
the Book of Ruth. To be sure, it is a magnificent
love story. But far more than that, it is a book
of powerful, practical, and critical doctrine. In
reality, as much as you may grow to love Ruth,
I hope you will come to understand, as you
read on, that the ultimate hero of the Book of
Ruth is Boaz. That is not said to diminish Ruth
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in any way (she is truly extraordinary) but to
exalt Boaz to his rightful station.
The Journey to Moab
The Book of Ruth opens like the firing of a
double-barreled shotgun. It was a time of crisis. There was a famine in the land of Israel and
city of Bethlehem. Bethlehem means “house of
bread,” probably given that name because there
were farms along the sides of the steep valleys
that surrounded much of the city. But ironically, when our scene opens, there was no bread
(food) in the “house of bread.”
One family, because of the famine, chose to
leave the land. A question to be asked is:
Should they have stayed in Bethlehem and believed God’s promise of blessing in the land
for those who obeyed His word (Deuteronomy
28:1-14), or was the right action to take things
into their own hands?
Moab was a strange choice for a Hebrew in
which to locate during the famine. During the
destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot’s
wife looked back against the prohibition of
God and became a pillar of salt. Shortly thereafter, while living in a cave, Lot’s two daughters planned that on two successive nights,
beginning with the elder daughter, they would
get their father completely intoxicated. While
in that condition, each would go in unto him
to become impregnated for the highly questionable purpose of keeping their father’s lineage alive (Genesis 19:30-38). Each succeeded
in their evil plan. The elder daughter gave
birth to a son and named him Moab, who became the founder of the city to which
Elimelech and his family were heading. A second reason why Moab seemed like a strange
choice in which to settle was because Moab
was an almost constant enemy of Israel
(Judges 3:12-20). They also opposed Moses
and the children of Israel on their way to the
Promised Land (Numbers 21; 25).
As the crow flies, Moab was about fifty miles
due east of Bethlehem. That does not seem too
far away, even in those days of travel on foot or
donkey. However, it was an exceedingly difficult
fifty miles. First, they had to cross the wilderness of Judea. Second, they had to descend
four thousand feet to the lowest spot on earth,
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The Jordan Valley and the Dead Sea
They had to descend four thousand feet
to the lowest spot on earth.
thirteen hundred feet below sea level. Third,
they had to go around the northern end of
the Dead Sea. Fourth, they had to cross the
Jordan River. Finally, they had to ascend fourthousand-feet-high Mount Nebo from which
vantage point Moses looked over the Promised
Land and then died and was buried by God
(Deuteronomy 34:1-8).
Tragedy Strikes
When the family finally reached Moab,
they began to settle in. Sometime later the
first of a number of tragedies struck. We are
simply told, “And Elimelech [his name
meaning, “My God is King”], Naomi’s husband died; and she was left, and her two
sons” (Ruth 1:3). The text does not indicate
if Elimelech’s death was immediate or sometime after the family arrived at Moab. The
next thing we are told is that the two sons,
Mahlon and Chilion, “took them wives of
the women of Moab; the name of the one
was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth:
and they dwelled there [in Moab] about ten
years” (Ruth 1:4). There is an unknown period of time between the death of Elimelech
and the marriage of his two sons. And,
again, after some unknown period of
time, the two sons also died (Ruth 1:5). We
are not told of the cause of their deaths –
natural or other causes.
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By now Naomi had lost her husband and
her two sons. She found herself in a foreign,
idolatrous land. She also found herself alone
except for two Moabitess daughters-in-law.
She received word that the ten-year famine in
Israel was over. She had no husband or sons to
consult, and she made the decision to return
home. It’s possible that Naomi reflected upon
the seven-year famine in Egypt during the days
of Joseph and that after four hundred years of
captivity God led them home by Moses. What
followed after her decision to return home was
an exceedingly moving encounter between
Naomi and her daughters-in-law. To say it was a
“very moving encounter” is simply not strong
enough; it was also a loving encounter. She encouraged them to return to their parents’ homes
to find happiness, but they insisted to go with
her. Naomi held her ground; she believed the
situation to be hopeless; there was no
reason for her two daughters-in-law to accompany her. This lovely Jewish woman who suffered
such loss and still loved her daughters-in-law
had almost lost faith in her God.
As the crow flies,
Moab was about
fifty miles due east
of Bethlehem. That
does not seem too
far away, even in
those days of travel
on foot or donkey.
However, it was an
exceedingly difficult
fifty miles. First,
they had to cross
the wilderness of
Judea. Second, they
had to descend
four thousand feet
to the lowest spot
on earth, thirteen
hundred feet below
sea level. Third,
they had to go
around the northern
end of the Dead
Sea. Fourth, they
had to cross the
Jordan River.
Finally, they had
to ascend fourthousand-feet-high
Mount Nebo.
And Naomi said, Turn again, my
daughters: why will ye go with me? Are
there yet any more sons in my womb,
that they may be your husbands? Turn
again, my daughters, go your way; for I
am too old to have an husband [perhaps in her early fifties]. If I should say,
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A Woman Named Ruth
they reached Bethlehem, many old friends
who had survived the famine in the land
rushed out to welcome Naomi home. She,
however, was still despondent. She still felt all
was lost. But Ruth held out hope . . . “and they
came to Bethlehem in the beginning of barley
harvest” (Ruth 1:22). The
timing was very significant.
CONDENSED VIEW OF
Barley harvest is the feast
THE JORDAN VALLEY
of first fruit. Barley is the
With the death of her
first crop to come out of the
husband and sons there was
ground in the spring, usually
no heir, and Naomi believed
late March or early April. It
that her husband’s name
was at the time of first fruit
and family inheritance
that the priests in an estabwould perish from the
lished ceremony would walk
earth. She was saying in the
from the Temple Mount to
strongest possible way,
the Mount of Olives to a
“There is no help from any
small field of barley planted
source; all is hopeless.
Ruth
and
Naomi’s
journey
by the priests for this occaDaughters-in-law, it is best
from
Moab
to
Bethlehem
sion. The first shoot to
that you both return to your
mature would be cut, taken
homes.”
aravans were rare and expensive
to the Temple, and offered
With these words, Orpah
to join, and the journey for two
to God. Once presented to
wept, hugged her mother-inwomen would require descending
rugged terrain four thousand feet
God, they knew that the
law, and left; but not Ruth.
from Moab to the Jordan Valley and
entire spring harvest would
She could not be dissuaded
then ascending four thousand feet to
come up out of the ground.
to leave her mother-in-law.
Bethlehem, with nights out in the open
The apostle Paul, in the
And then, from the depths
and with robbers all along the way.
most important chapter in
of her being which conthe Bible on resurrection,
sumed her, Ruth, this lovely
wrote: “But now is Christ risen from the dead,
young woman (perhaps in her mid or late
and become the firstfruits of them that slept” (1
twenties) from an idolatrous and wicked culCorinthians 15:20). There were others like
ture, pled her cause with one of the most
Lazarus who were raised from the dead but, in
courageous, insightful, beautiful, and selfless
time, died again. Jesus was resurrected, never to
statements to be found anywhere in the
die again. He is the first fruit. He conquered
Scriptures or among the writings of men.
death. At His coming all believers will arise,
never to die again.
And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave
Naomi and Ruth arrived at Bethlehem during
thee, or to return from following after
the barley harvest. They could see the farmers out
thee: for whither thou goest, I will go;
in the field, harvesting the crop. When Naomi left
and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy
ten years earlier, it was a time of famine.
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
Divine Encounter:
death part thee and me (Ruth 1:16-17).
band also tonight, and should also bear
sons; Would you tarry for them till they
were grown? Would ye stay for them
from having husbands? Nay, my daughters; for it grieveth me much for your
sakes that the hand of the LORD is
gone out against me
(Ruth 1:11-13).
Naomi was saying
in the strongest
possible way,
“There is no help from
any source; all is hopeless. Daughters-in-law,
it is best that you both
return to your homes.”
With these words,
Orpah wept, hugged
her mother-in-law,
and left; but not
Ruth. She could not
be dissuaded to
leave her motherin-law.
C
A
With those words Naomi “caved in.” Love
had conquered doubt and hopelessness.
Naomi’s resistance was gone and she permitted Ruth to accompany her (Ruth l:18). Who
could resist such devotion and loyalty? When
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Not a Meeting by Chance
As the second chapter of Ruth opens, we
are presented with a new blockbuster piece of
information. That information is this: “And
Naomi had a kinsman of her husband’s, a
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mighty man of wealth, of the family of
Elimelech; and his name was Boaz” (Ruth 2:1).
The source of the information concerning
Boaz does not appear to have originated with
Naomi, although it becomes clear that she was
aware of this wealthy and powerful kinsman to
her late husband and to her through marriage.
Ruth requested of Naomi permission to go
into the field and glean. What respect Ruth always
showed her mother-in-law. The basis for gleaning
a field was a command given by God in the Mosaic
Law to help the needy. When a farmer and his
workers harvested a field, they were not to go
through the field a second time to harvest what
was missed the first time through. The poor,
needy, widows, and fatherless were permitted to
go through the field behind the farmers and glean
what was left. God commanded:
When thou cuttest down thine harvest
in thy field, and hast forgot [missed] a
sheaf in the field, thou shalt not go again
to fetch it: it shall be for the stranger, for
the fatherless, and for the widow: that
the L thy God may bless thee in all
the work of thine hands (Deuteronomy
24:19; Leviticus 19:9-10).
God provided help for the needy, but they
had to work to receive it.
Both Naomi and Ruth were widows and under the law had the right to glean the field. As
Ruth went out to glean, she “chanced upon” the
field belonging unto Boaz who was the kindred
of Elimelech (Ruth 2:3). At first, Ruth did not
know about Boaz, and Boaz did not know of
Ruth. In a short time, however, Boaz discovered
that Ruth was a young woman of great integrity,
what happened in Moab, the deaths of Elimelech,
Mahlon, and Chilion, her wonderful treatment
of Naomi, and her love of the God of Israel.
As a result, in a most caring and manly way,
which is a delight to behold, Boaz protected
and made provision for Ruth and Naomi (Ruth
2:8-23). Ruth, however, was still a Moabitess in a
foreign land without a husband.
tion of the old adage, “Strike while the iron is
hot.” Naomi, always looking out for Ruth like a
mother hen, knew that the time was right. For
ten long years Israel had experienced famine.
And now, after all of those years, the farmers
had just completed the harvesting of the barley.
The crop looked great. The winnowing of the
barley would occur that evening. After many
weeks of hard work, the process would start late
afternoon when the Mediterranean wind was
strongest to separate the grain from the chaff as
the barley was thrown into the air. Because it
was an especially large harvest, the process
could go into the early evening. When the work
was done, food and drink was provided, and
there would be celebration and a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction. When all work was finished, the workers would be dismissed to return
to their homes with their pockets full. Boaz
would stay the night, sleeping on the floor, to
protect the harvest from possible thieves.
Yes, Naomi chose her time well. It was not
contrived, artificial, or selfish. She loved Ruth
and wanted the very best for her Gentile
daughter-in-law.
Naomi told Ruth how to personally prepare
for the evening and gave her a brief lesson on
Israel’s culture.
GLEANING
The basis for gleaning
a field was a command given by God
in the Mosaic Law to
help the needy. When
a farmer and his
workers harvested a
field, they were not
to go through the
field a second time
to harvest what
was missed the
first time through.
Wash thyself therefore, and anoint
thee, and put thy raiment upon thee,
and get thee down to the floor: but
make not thyself known unto the man,
until he shall have done eating and
drinking. And it shall be, when he lieth
down, that thou shalt mark the place
where he shall lie, and thou shalt go in,
and uncover his feet, and lay thee down;
and he will tell thee what thou shalt do.
And she said unto her, All that thou
sayest unto me I will do (Ruth 3:3-5).
Ruth did all that Naomi instructed her to
do. She uncovered his feet and laid down be-
Naomi at Her Best:
The Matchmaker
The third chapter of Ruth is a classic illustra-
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A Woman Named Ruth
side him. About midnight Boaz awakened,
stunned at someone lying at his feet, and in the
dark, cried out, “Who art thou?” She responded, “I am Ruth thine handmaid: spread therefore thy skirt over thine handmaid; for thou art
a near kinsman” (Ruth 3:9).
At that time and in that culture with the
words, “spread therefore thy skirt [the long gown
that men wore] over thine handmaid,” in clear
terms, Ruth was proposing unto Boaz. And then
she added, “for thou art a near kinsman.”
One should not think that in this situation
and culture Ruth was being inappropriately
forward. She was a young woman, and Boaz
was significantly older, perhaps twice her age.
It may have been inappropriate for him to
make advances toward her, but once she proposed, Boaz could move the process forward if
he was so inclined.
Boaz Accepted
Ruth’s Proposal
Boaz accepted
Ruth’s request for
marriage and to
be the kinsman
redeemer.
He said, “And now, my
daughter, fear not; I
will do to thee all that
thou requirest: for all
the city of my people
doth know that thou
art a virtuous woman”
(Ruth 3:11).
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Perhaps the simplest definition of a kinsman
redeemer comes to us from a conflict
between the Sadducees and the Lord Jesus as
they tried to entrap Him in His speech before the
crowds. They asked Him this question: “. . . Moses
said [Deuteronomy 25:5], If a man die, having no
children, his brother shall marry his wife, and
raise up seed unto his brother” (Matthew 22:24).
Boaz accepted Ruth’s request for marriage
and to be the kinsman redeemer. He said, “And
now, my daughter, fear not; I will do to thee all
that thou requirest: for all the city of my people
doth know that thou art a virtuous woman”
(Ruth 3:11).
There was one problem to be dealt with.
Boaz was a kinsman to Naomi’s deceased husband Elimelech, perhaps a brother or more
likely a cousin. However, there was a nearer
kinsman than Boaz, and under the law he had
the first choice to redeem or not to redeem.
Boaz told Ruth, “And now it is true that I am
thy near kinsman: howbeit there is a kinsman
nearer than I” (Ruth 3:12).
Boaz and the nearer kinsman met with the
elders to settle the matter. The nearer kinsman
refused to redeem, lest he mar his own inheritance (Ruth 4:6).
And Boaz said unto the elders, and
unto all the people, Ye are witnesses
this day, that I have bought all that was
Elimelech’s, and all that was Chilion’s
and Mahlon’s, of the hand of Naomi
(Ruth 4:9).
Three things were required of Boaz if he
was going to redeem. First, he had to be a kinsman. Second, he had to be willing to redeem.
Third, he had to have the redemption price.
That depended upon how much obligation the
deceased kinsman left behind.
... a kinsman redeemer
had to be a kinsman,
be willing to redeem,
and have the price
to redeem.
What a wedding it must have been in
Bethlehem! The evidence suggests that
Boaz was respected and popular, and apparently Naomi had many friends. “So Boaz
took Ruth, and she was his wife: and when
he went in unto her, the L gave her conception, and she bare a son” (Ruth 4:13).
And what of wonderful Naomi who
thought that all was lost and hopeless. She
“took the child, and laid it in her bosom,
and became nurse unto it” (Ruth 4:16). The
child’s name was Obed; and Obed begat
Jesse, and Jesse begat David. Ruth, this
Moabitess who came to love the God of
Israel, became the great-grandmother of
King David and thereby in the physical lineage of the Son of God.
In the New Testament, in the first book
and chapter, the genealogy of Christ starting with Abraham is given. When it reaches
the fifth verse, it says that Salmon begat
Boaz of Rahab and Boaz begat Obed of
Ruth, and the genealogy continues to Jesus
(Matthew 1).
I remind you, a kinsman redeemer had to
be a kinsman, be willing to redeem, and have
the price to redeem.
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Boaz Is a Type of Christ
At the moment of His birth, Jesus became
flesh for the express purpose of being our
Kinsman Redeemer. He could not remain in
heaven and provide us redemption. Man, who
was created to become king of the earth and
give names to the animals, lost his inheritance
of the earth in the Garden of Eden when Satan
caused man to sin. He usurped man’s right to
rule. Only a kinsman (a human such as we)
could recapture it.
Jesus was willing to redeem.
He came not to be ministered unto, but
to minister, and to give his life a ransom
for many (Matthew 20:28); to seek and
to save that which was lost (Luke 19:10).
Jesus had the redemption price.
Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not
redeemed with corruptible things, as
silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your
fathers; But with the precious blood of
Christ, as of a lamb without blemish
and without spot (1 Peter 1:18-19).
Postscript
When I set out to write this article for this
issue of Zion’s Fire magazine, I little understood how wonderfully simple and, at the same
time, how deeply complex the Book of Ruth is.
It is only four chapters long, but its relevance
and significance span from Genesis to
Revelation. I quickly came to realize that
“Ruth” would be well-served to be a book, not
only a brief article. As I studied and preached
on Ruth this month, in preparation for writing
this article, I travailed over how much I had to
omit, and technical issues I chose not to raise
because they distracted from the basic purpose of the article which was to open a window to glimpse the greatness of our Kinsman
Redeemer. Permit me to briefly share a few additional thoughts with you now.
The Book of Ruth ends with five verses that
present a royal genealogy (Ruth 4:18-22). It be-
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gins with Pharez and ends with King David. It
seems strange that the genealogy omits four
prominent personalities, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob,
and Judah. The tribe of Judah is the royal tribe
through which the Messiah was to come. We
are told that “the scepter [of royalty] shall not
depart from [the tribe of ] Judah” (Genesis
49:10). His omission from the genealogy at first
glance is strange. It also seems strange that the
genealogy ends with King David and omits his
son King Solomon. It is obvious that the inspired penman carefully intended that the genealogy stretch between Pharez and David.
Pharez is the son of Judah and Tamar (Judah’s
daughter-in-law). Tragically, Pharez was the
fruit of an incestuous relationship. The entire
thirty-eighth chapter of Genesis is given over to
describe this wicked event because it had
far-reaching implications. That meant that
Pharez is an illegitimate son.
The Word of God makes a clear pronouncement on such an event. Moses the
Lawgiver wrote: “A bastard shall not enter
into the congregation of the L; even to
his tenth generation shall he not enter into the
congregation of the L” (Deuteronomy
23:2). The first definition of bastard is “an illegitimate child.” That means that no descendant of Judah could be legitimate or prosper,
sitting upon the throne of Israel until the
tenth generation. Please count the generations with me: (1) Pharez begat (2) Hezron;
Hezron begat (3) Ram; Ram begat (4)
Amminadab; Amminadab begat (5) Nahshon;
Nahshon begat (6) Salmon; Salmon begat (7)
Boaz; Boaz begat (8) Obed; Obed begat (9)
Jesse; and Jesse begat (10) David.
Because David was the tenth generation
from Pharez, he was not under the judgment
God pronounced on the first nine generations.
Ruth, the wife of Boaz, gave birth to
Obed. That means that Ruth was the greatgrandmother of King David, and that means
she was in the royal lineage of Christ.
Many Bible teachers believe the prophet
Samuel wrote the Book of Ruth. And it is Samuel
who anointed David as the king of Israel.
Jesus
At the moment of
His birth, Jesus
became flesh for the
express purpose of
being our Kinsman
Redeemer.
Jesus was willing
to redeem.
Jesus had the
redemption price.
Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and
anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the L came
upon David from that day forward. So
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A Woman Named Ruth
Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah (1
Samuel 16:13).
It would be important for Samuel, especially if he authored the Book of Ruth, to show that
David was the tenth generation from Pharez
and not under judgment placed on Judah.
The Earth’s
Kinsman Redeemer
REVELATION
The fourth and fifth
chapters of the
Book of Revelation
provide the foundation for everything that occurs
throughout the rest
of the book as our
Kinsman Redeemer
brings the earth
and all therein to
an unconditional
triumphant victory.
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I suggested to you that the Book of Ruth
has great relevance and significance that
reach as far back as Genesis and as far forward as Revelation. Permit me to now move
on to Revelation.
The fourth and fifth chapters of the Book of
Revelation provide the foundation for everything that occurs throughout the rest of the
book as our Kinsman Redeemer brings the
earth and all therein to an unconditional triumphant victory.
In Chapter 4, the apostle John is caught up
to heaven, whether in spirit or body we do not
know. But there, he sees the throne and the
One who is seated upon it. John describes for
us the throne and the magnificent sights and
angelic beings that surround it. There is no
word known to man that can fully describe
what John beholds. Four angelic beings are
heard crying out day and night concerning the
One seated on the throne. They proclaim,
“Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which
was, and is, and is to come” (Revelation 4:8).
The threefold proclamation of God’s holiness
is for the strongest possible emphasis.
Then the chapter ends with these words of
praise: “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive
glory and honour and power: for thou hast
created all things, and for thy pleasure they
are and were created” (Revelation 4:11). All
things are of God, through God, and to God.
Because of Satan’s intervention, how far away
the human race has strayed from God’s intention for mankind. God should be given glory
and honor from all of humanity because He
created all things.
In Chapter 5, John saw in the right hand of
the One seated upon the throne a scroll sealed
with seven seals. The sealed scroll in most basic terms is the title deed to the planet Earth.
The seals must be broken and the scroll opened
to reclaim the earth. A universal search is
made in heaven, earth, and beneath the earth
for a man who is worthy to break the seals and
bring to fruition the events prescribed in the
scroll. Man was created to be king of the earth,
and only a man can reclaim man’s lost possession. However, no man was found throughout
the universe who was worthy. That is, there
was no one with the authority and power to
redeem the earth. The beloved, aged apostle
John confessed that he wept much (the issue
was so vital that he literally could not stop crying) because no man was found worthy to
break the seals and open the scroll and bring
history to a triumphant consummation. John,
the beloved apostle of the Lord, rightly understood that if no one could open the scroll, then
righteousness and justice would be mortally
wounded and never able to arise, and all would
be eternally lost.
The second coming of Christ is powerless
without the death, burial, and resurrection of
the first coming, and the first coming of Christ
is incomplete without the second coming and
opening of the scroll that contains the title
deed to earth.
Believers in Christ are secure. What we
have today is the “earnest” (down payment)
of our salvation. At Christ’s second coming
as our Kinsman Redeemer, He will complete
the transaction.
Then suddenly an angelic being commanded John to stop weeping. The reason for this
was given: the Lion of the Tribe of Judah
(Jesus) had the authority to break the seals and
open the scroll (which is the title deed to
earth). John looked again at the throne and he
saw something that he had missed before. He
saw a standing Lamb as though it had been
slain. It was a strong Lamb having seven horns,
indicating omnipotence, and seven eyes, indicating omniscience.
And then one of the most solemn and awesome events ever revealed occurs when the
Lamb (God the Son) takes the scroll out of the
hand of Him (God the Father) that sat on the
throne (Revelation 5:7). See the occasion when
the Son of Man comes to the Ancient of Days
(Daniel 7:13-14).
At that time, believers will sing a new
song, saying, “Thou art worthy to take the
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book, and to open the seals thereof ”
(Revelation 5:9a). And then the reason was
given: “for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed
us to God by thy blood out of every kindred,
and tongue, and people, and nation” (9b). The
Kinsman Redeemer paid a price that cost
Him everything and was infinite in worth –
His own blood! And because of what He
achieved as King and Priest, believers will
reign with Him on the earth for a thousand
years (Revelation 20:1-6).
We then see the largest choir to ever be assembled: “ten thousand times ten thousand,
and thousands of thousands” (Revelation 5:11).
And this is what they sang:
Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to
receive power, and riches, and wisdom,
and strength, and honour, and glory,
and blessing. And every creature which
is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea,
and all that are in them, heard I saying,
Blessing, and honour, and glory, and
power, be unto him that sitteth upon
the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever
and ever (Revelation 5:12-13).
We are to praise and glorify the Father seated upon the throne because He created all
things (Revelation 4). And we have to praise
the Lamb, the Son of God, because He
redeemed that creation which Satan had
usurped (Revelation 5). The entire Book of
Revelation rests on these two chapters.
However, there is one more thing the Kinsman
Redeemer had to do. Sometimes there were
squatters who illegally occupied the redeemed
land. The Kinsman Redeemer must drive off
the squatters. When in the Book of Revelation
Jesus breaks the seals and then blows the trumpets and pours out the bowls, these are the
judgments with which He drives squatters off
the land. The squatters include Satan, the
Antichrist, the false prophet, false religion,
corrupt government, paganism, atheism, and
all those who refused God’s grace and spurned
His love. And when the earth is purged of all
that has defiled it through sin, which began in
the Garden of Eden, we shall reign with Christ
for a thousand years in the new heaven and
earth (new, qualitatively; not new in origin).
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The earth is new in the same way that a believer is a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians
5:17). He is the same person but redeemed
from sin and therefore a new creation.
The new earth will be like the Garden of
Eden before the entrance of sin – no death, no
disease, no famine, no natural calamities, no
war, no hatred, and no sorrow. All of this will
be achieved by our Kinsman Redeemer.
What a glorious tapestry of redemption
God has woven for us to behold through the
beautiful love story of Ruth – the godly Moabite
woman, and Boaz – the heroic kinsman redeemer. It was through their union and lineage
that our great Kinsman Redeemer Jesus Christ
would one day be born to bring us
salvation. Just when it seemed
that all hope was lost for a sincursed humanity to reclaim its
lost inheritance, He lovingly
and willingly stepped forward to
pay sin’s ultimate price for our redemption – His very own death
on a cross. ◆
In the person of
Jesus, God became
a man, became a
servant, and died a
criminal’s death on
the cross. He did it
for one overriding
reason: He esteemed
others above
Himself.
E
xplore the love
story of Ruth and
Boaz further with these
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available through
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I Am Ruth
Full-color
I am Ruth
Hardback
Full-Color
Hardcover,
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83 pp
Jesus’ Family Tree
Full-color with foldout genealogy
Jesus’ Family Tree
Hardback
Full-Color with fold-out Geneology
188
pp 183 pp
Hardcover,
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