Ruth 1:22; 2:2, 6, 21; 4:5, 10, 13
I reference a lot of verses from the little book of Ruth for this study, because I want to focus on how the Holy Spirit refers to this young girl. Ruth is a love story about a girl from the land of Moab, who marries a Jewish man while his family is living in her country because of a famine in their native land of Bethlehem. The man dies, along with his father and his brother, leaving his mother Naomi and his wife Ruth, and his sister-in-law Orpah.
When the famine is over in her homeland, the widow Naomi decides to return, leaving the idol-worshipping Moabites behind once and for all. Orpah decides to stay, but Ruth has obviously seen a difference in Naomi, and wishes to return to Judah with her. Naomi tries to talk her out of it because Ruth is a Gentile, from a nation that is well known for its brutality and death, and Naomi fears that Ruth will not be accepted in Judah. Undeterred, young Ruth makes an impassioned speech and follows Naomi home (Ruth 1:16, 17).
When they arrive, Ruth goes to work gleaning among the fields. This was a Jewish tradition that mandated all owners to leave the corners of their fields unharvested so that the stranger and the poor could have something to eat. Being a stranger, Ruth works hard and finds herself gleaning in the field of the wealthiest man in all the land, Boaz.
A near kinsman, Boaz has the right to marry Ruth, which he does. The book of Ruth is the story of their whirlwind romance and it contains so many beautiful references to the grace of God as displayed through the Christ character Boaz. However, it is the subtle reference to how Ruth is referred to that shows the greatest example of the New Covenant.
As long as they were in the land of Moab, the scripture refers to her only as ‘Ruth’ (chapter 1). When they return (1:22), she becomes ‘Ruth the Moabitess’. We see it again in chapter 2, verse 2 and then again as the ‘Moabitish damsel’ in verse 6. As if to remind the reader of her background, the scriptures keep peppering us with her ‘Moabitess’ title.
In the final chapter, when Boaz purchases the right to marry Ruth, he refers to her by her nationality twice (Ruth 4:5, 10). Then something happens upon his purchase of her. When he takes her as his own wife, the text tells us, “So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife” (Ruth 4:13). Suddenly, the Holy Spirit makes no reference to the fact that Ruth was a Moabitess. As Boaz is the Christ figure, and you and I are the idol-worship heathens from the land of the outcasts, the wedding of these two is the union of the sinner to Christ. We go from ‘lost’ to ‘found’ in the marriage ceremony of salvation, and He chooses to remember our sins and our iniquities no more (Hebrews 10:17). Our new husband will never mention where we came from again!
As a child of God, and as the bride of Christ, you should never be reminded of the sins that you have committed. Your heavenly husband will wash you clean with the water of His sweet words, and He will not bring guilt to you from your past. Do not accept the voice of condemnation. You may have been a Moabitess before you met Jesus, but you are one no longer.
I reference a lot of verses from the little book of Ruth for this study, because I want to focus on how the Holy Spirit refers to this young girl. Ruth is a love story about a girl from the land of Moab, who marries a Jewish man while his family is living in her country because of a famine in their native land of Bethlehem. The man dies, along with his father and his brother, leaving his mother Naomi and his wife Ruth, and his sister-in-law Orpah.
When the famine is over in her homeland, the widow Naomi decides to return, leaving the idol-worshipping Moabites behind once and for all. Orpah decides to stay, but Ruth has obviously seen a difference in Naomi, and wishes to return to Judah with her. Naomi tries to talk her out of it because Ruth is a Gentile, from a nation that is well known for its brutality and death, and Naomi fears that Ruth will not be accepted in Judah. Undeterred, young Ruth makes an impassioned speech and follows Naomi home (Ruth 1:16, 17).
When they arrive, Ruth goes to work gleaning among the fields. This was a Jewish tradition that mandated all owners to leave the corners of their fields unharvested so that the stranger and the poor could have something to eat. Being a stranger, Ruth works hard and finds herself gleaning in the field of the wealthiest man in all the land, Boaz.
A near kinsman, Boaz has the right to marry Ruth, which he does. The book of Ruth is the story of their whirlwind romance and it contains so many beautiful references to the grace of God as displayed through the Christ character Boaz. However, it is the subtle reference to how Ruth is referred to that shows the greatest example of the New Covenant.
As long as they were in the land of Moab, the scripture refers to her only as ‘Ruth’ (chapter 1). When they return (1:22), she becomes ‘Ruth the Moabitess’. We see it again in chapter 2, verse 2 and then again as the ‘Moabitish damsel’ in verse 6. As if to remind the reader of her background, the scriptures keep peppering us with her ‘Moabitess’ title.
In the final chapter, when Boaz purchases the right to marry Ruth, he refers to her by her nationality twice (Ruth 4:5, 10). Then something happens upon his purchase of her. When he takes her as his own wife, the text tells us, “So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife” (Ruth 4:13). Suddenly, the Holy Spirit makes no reference to the fact that Ruth was a Moabitess. As Boaz is the Christ figure, and you and I are the idol-worship heathens from the land of the outcasts, the wedding of these two is the union of the sinner to Christ. We go from ‘lost’ to ‘found’ in the marriage ceremony of salvation, and He chooses to remember our sins and our iniquities no more (Hebrews 10:17). Our new husband will never mention where we came from again!
As a child of God, and as the bride of Christ, you should never be reminded of the sins that you have committed. Your heavenly husband will wash you clean with the water of His sweet words, and He will not bring guilt to you from your past. Do not accept the voice of condemnation. You may have been a Moabitess before you met Jesus, but you are one no longer.
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