The Book of Ruth: Parts 13 and 14 by S. Jones

THE BOOK OF RUTH: PARTS 13 AND 14

BY DR. STEPHEN JONES

POST DATE 6-19-2019

THE BOOK OF RUTH, Part 13, Words Of Comfort

In Ruth 2:8 and 9, Boaz told Ruth to glean only from his field so that he could guarantee her safety. He also gave her equal access to the water jars being used by his servants. Perhaps we might interpret his words to indicate “love at first sight,” as some have done. That certainly would add spice to the story, but it also shows prophetically the love of Christ for His bride.

It also shows how Christ welcomes foreigners and treats them as equals. The rabbinical culture in later centuries, which treated foreigner proselytes as second-class citizens, is fully absent from the actions of Boaz. Though he implies that others in Bethlehem might not be so kind and generous toward her, he himself reflected the love of Christ.

Ruth was not expecting such generosity and kindness. We read in Ruth 2:10,

¹⁰ Then she fell on her face, bowing to the ground and said to him, “Why have I found favor [chen] in your sight that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner [nokriy]?”

The Hebrew word for “favor” is chen (pronounced Kane). It means “grace, favor, charm, beauty.” The range of meaning adds to the charm of this love story, because it implies also that Boaz recognized her beauty. This too adds subtle flavor to the theme of “love at first sight.”

Here also it is clear that Ruth identifies herself as a foreigner and not as an Israelite who was living in Moab. If she had been an Israelite, her acceptance would not have been questioned.

Ruth the Nokriy

Years earlier, while Israel was in the plains of Moab before crossing the Jordan River, God had told Moses, “Do not harass Moab nor provoke them to war, for I will not give you any of their land as a possession, because I have given Ar to the sons of Lot as a possession” (Deuteronomy 2:9). So the Moabites still remained in that land. In fact, within a century of Moses’ death, the Moabites were numerous enough to put Israel into captivity (Judges 3:12).

The term nokriy is used in Genesis 17:12 when God spoke of “any nokriy who is not of your descendants.” Likewise, in Exodus 12:43, a nokriy was not to participate in the feast of Passover. Nonetheless, in Exodus 12:19 God commanded that both aliens and native Israelites were supposed to keep the feast of Passover. So it is clear that a foreigner was ineligible only if he remained a foreigner and had not joined the house of Israel to serve Israel’s God.

Ruth confessed that she was a nokriy but we know that she had already declared, “Your people will be my people, and your God, my God” (Ruth 1:16). Her faith had qualified her to keep the feasts and to be an Israelite by nationality. Her faith also cancelled the curse upon Moab from its incestuous beginning (Genesis 19:36, 37). As I have already shown, Ruth was most likely the tenth generation from Lot, satisfying the law in Deuteronomy 23:3.

Boaz knew the law and understood the intent of its Author. Ruth 2:11, 12 says,

¹¹ Boaz answered and said to her, “All that you have done for your mother-in-law after the death of your husband has been fully reported to me, and how you left your father and your mother and the land of your birth, and came to a people that you did not previously know. ¹² May the Lord reward your work, and your wages be full from the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to seek refuge.”

In any small community, local news travels fast. Boaz had already heard of Naomi’s return from Moab after being gone ten years. He had heard that she was accompanied by Ruth, her daughter-in-law from Moab. He had heard of Ruth’s devotion to Naomi, her confession of faith, and her determination to become an Israelite. Boaz did not object to any of this but congratulated her and blessed her for it. He did not even call her a nokriy.

Thus, Boaz prophesies of Christ’s work in destroying the dividing wall in the temple that had left Jews and non-Jews (and all women, too) in a state of permanent division. So Paul tells us that this dividing wall had been torn down (spiritually) by Christ Himself (Ephesians 2:14, 15, 16). Christ’s work did not destroy the law of God but corrected the unjust traditions of men that had misinterpreted the law.

Ruth’s Spirit-Filled Response

Ruth 2:13 says,

¹³ Then she said, “I have found favor in your sight, my lord, for you have comforted [nacham] me and indeed have spoken kindly [leb, “heart”] to your maidservant [shifkha], though I am not like one of your maidservants.”

The Hebrew word nacham means “comfort,” which, in a legal sense, describes the work of the kinsman redeemer (often mistranslated as “avenger of blood”). Hence, Jesus spoke later of the “Comforter” (John 15:26 KJV). The Holy Spirit functions as “another Comforter” (John 14:16 KJV) along with Jesus Himself, as Advocates to give us legal counsel in the divine court.

Ruth’s words prophesy on behalf of the bride of Christ, suggesting the coming of the Holy Spirit.

In addition, Ruth says that Boaz had “spoken kindly” to her. The word she used was leb, which is the Hebrew word for “heart,” or inner man—the source of one’s true feelings. Prophetically speaking, this indicates that the Holy Spirit was to be sent as our legal counsel to reveal the heart of God, that we may know the intent of the law and have it written on our hearts (Hebrews 8:10). In other words, the law that is an expression of the heart of God is also to become part of our own nature as we come fully into the image of Christ.

Ruth also refers to herself as a shifkha, “maidservant” (or handmaid, KJV). Because this comes in the context of a prophecy about the coming of the Holy Spirit, we may link this to the prophecy in Joel 2:28, 29,

²⁸ It will come about after this that I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; and your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. ²⁹ And even on the male and female servants [shifkha] I will pour out My Spirit in those days.

This prophecy shows that the Holy Spirit was intended for “all mankind,” not just Jews or Israelites. Peter had to learn that lesson when he was surprised to discover that the Holy Spirit fell upon the Roman believers (Acts 10:45). Peter confessed, “I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality, but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him” (Acts 10:34, 35).

Apparently, Peter had not understood the law in Deuteronomy 16:10, 11, which commands both Israelites and non-Israelites to observe the Feast of Weeks (i.e., Pentecost). Apparently, the rabbis had ignored this law, so Peter was unfamiliar with it until God revealed it to him.

Likewise, we find that “your sons and daughters will prophesy.” Not only the men but also the women—equally. We read in Acts 21:8, 9 that Philip had four daughters who were prophetesses. Where did they prophesy? Were they to keep silent in the church, as so many would say? If they received a word of prophesy, did they have to give it to their husbands at home later? Did they have to go out into the street to prophesy?

I covered this topic in my commentary on 1 Corinthians, the Epistle of Sanctification, Book 4, chapter 6. There I show that Paul was quoting from a letter he had received from Chloe, who was reporting to him what others were teaching about the role of women in the church. Paul’s opponents wanted to keep women silent in the church in accordance with Jewish tradition, but Paul responded to that restriction in 1 Corinthians 14:36 KJV,

³⁶ What???? Came the word of God out from you [men]? Or came it unto you [men] only?

In other words, the word of God comes to both men and women. Both men and women may prophesy the word of God equally, as Joel 2:28 says. This is why Paul says in Galatians 3:28,

²⁸ There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

He was not speaking of erasing gender distinctions but was telling us that the law of God gives equal rights to all, and that the Kingdom of God will reflect that principle when it is fully manifested on the earth.

This principle is suggested in Ruth’s depiction of herself as a “maidservant” in the context of nacham (comfort). Though she expressed humility, Boaz elevated her to her rightful position under God.

THE BOOK OF RUTH, Part 14, The Generosity Of God

Boaz treated Ruth with respect and love as she gleaned in his field of barley, speaking to her kindly and with comforting words. More than that, after their initial conversation, Boaz even allowed her to eat meals with the reapers, giving her a place of honor at the table. Ruth 2:14 says,

¹⁴ And at mealtime Boaz said to her, “Come here, that you may eat of the bread and dip your piece of bread in the vinegar.” So she sat beside the reapers; and he served her roasted grain [qaliy], and she ate and was satisfied and had some left.

It was customary, both then and even in modern times, to roast or parch the barley grains. Of course, the very fact that they were allowed to eat of this new crop of barley showed that they were harvesting the field after the wave-sheaf offering had been offered in the tabernacle at Shiloh. Leviticus 23:14 forbade anyone to eat of it prior to the wave-sheaf offering, saying,

¹⁴ Until this same day, until you have brought in the offering of your God, you shall eat neither bread nor roasted grain [qaliy] nor new growth. It is to be a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwelling places.

This was the standard protocol for all of the first-fruits offerings: barley at Passover, wheat at Pentecost, and grapes at Tabernacles.

The prophetic significance of Ruth eating roasted barley and bread at Boaz’ table is in the fact that Jesus rose from the dead and ascended at the third hour of the day to be presented to the Father as alive from the dead. That was the signal for the harvest to begin, allowing all to partake of the new roasted barley.

Roasted Barley and the Sacrifices

Even the fact that the barley was roasted speaks into this prophecy, for it relates directly to Christ’s death on the cross, by which He could then feed the world with Truth and Life. The roasted barley prophesied in the same manner as the burnt offerings, sin offerings, and trespass offerings, all of which were place on the fire.

We know that Christ was crucified—not burnt in a literal fire—so the fulfillment of the laws of sacrifice was about satisfying the “fiery law” (Deuteronomy 33:2 KJV). Hence, Jesus took upon Himself the full penalty of the law for sin, not by being burnt in a physical fire but by the judgment of this “fiery law.” In other words, one cannot claim that the penalty for sin is to be burned in a literal fire, for if that were the case, Jesus Himself would have had to undergo such a penalty as well.

Furthermore, if the penalty for sin were eternal fire, as many teach, then Jesus would still be burning in the fire to this day! But such is not true biblical teaching. Paul says that “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23), and no one ought to redefine death to mean torture in fire, nor should anyone extend one’s time of death beyond the resurrection into eternity.

The law of God does not permit unending penalties, for all must be set free in the year of Jubilee, regardless of how much debt they still may owe.

Eating Roasted Barley

The first-fruits of the barley represented Christ Himself, and the harvest afterward prophesied of those who would “eat the flesh of the Son of Man” (John 6:53). Hence, we see in this story how God has made provision for all people, regardless of their ethnicity, to be part of the body of Christ by faith in Him and in His work.

The idea of eating Christ’s flesh was a major stumbling block to those who heard Jesus speak these words (John 6:66). Apparently, they did not understand that Jesus was not speaking of literally cannibalizing His flesh but of hearing and assimilating the truth that He spoke. They did not understand that whoever ate roasted barley after the wave-sheaf offering were prophesying a truth that few actually believed. The same was true of the sacrifices in the temple, for unless they believed that Christ was the true Sacrifice for sin, their rituals were not yet applicable to their own sin.

Ruth ate of the roasted barley, and her faith (expressed earlier in Ruth 1:16) meant that she ate the flesh of the Son of Man. The story of Ruth thus establishes the fact that foreigners (Ruth) had an equal right with Judahites (Boaz) to be part of the body of Christ. That is one of the foremost themes of this book, along with the actual law of sonship described later.

Boaz’ Generosity

Ruth 2:15, 16 continues,

¹⁵ When she rose to glean, Boaz commanded his servants, saying, “Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not insult [kalam, “insult, shame, humiliate”] her. ¹⁶ And also you shall purposely pull out for her some grain from the bundles and leave it that she may glean, and do not rebuke [ga’ar, “rebuke, reprove”] her.”

Boaz was not required by law to give her grain or to “purposely pull out for her some grain.” The law of gleanings only required the servants to leave the corners of the field for the poor and to leave for them any sheaf that had been accidentally overlooked during harvest. The spirit of the law, however, goes beyond the basic minimum requirement. The law of gleanings was a manifestation of God’s benevolence and care for the poor, and in similar manner it gave men opportunity to show their love and to express the heart of God.

Boaz certainly was a type of Christ in his generosity toward Ruth. The fact that he had to tell his servants not to insult or rebuke her shows that he was going beyond the requirement of the law. Ruth would not have had the right to “glean even among the sheaves,” except that Boaz gave her this right.

Divine Measures in Prophecy

Ruth was able to glean more than usual. Ruth 2:17, 18 says,

¹⁷ So she gleaned in the field until evening. Then she beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley. ¹⁸ And she took it up and went into the city [Bethlehem], and her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. She also took it out and gave Naomi what she had left after she was satisfied.

Ruth beat out the stalks of barley and took home an ephah of grain (.63 bushels, or 5.9 gallons, or 22 liters). This was quite a lot of grain, and unless she had a cart to haul it, it is doubtful that she could have carried it all by herself.

There were three dry measures in Scripture that are related prophetically to the three feast days: an omer, an ephah, and a homer (or chomer). An ephah was 10 omers, and a homer was 10 ephahs or 100 omers.

At the time of the wave-sheaf offering, the people were required to take an omer of barley, divide it into 50 small piles, and then count the grains each day until the day of Pentecost. This was called “counting the omer.” It prophesied of the seven-week period in which men were supposed to prepare for Pentecost and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

The Hebrew word omer was spelled with three letters: ayin (eye), mem (water), and resh (head). Prophetically speaking, counting the omer signified watching for water on the head—that is, watching for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit (Joel 2:23, 29), fulfilled in Acts 2:1-3.

The omer was counted daily during the days of barley harvest until the wheat harvest began at Pentecost. Then a greater harvest took place, which is prophesied by the ephah (10 omers). At the end of the year, the grapes were harvested and trodden out, signified by the Day of Atonement, so that the priest could pour out a drink offering of new wine for seven days during the feast of Tabernacles. This greater harvest is pictured by the homer (10 ephahs or 100 omers).

All of this speaks into the prophetic significance of the first-fruits offerings at each of the three occasions where all the men were supposed to appear before God at the Sanctuary (Exodus 34:22, 23, 24).

These prophesy of three occasions where groups of people will be presented to God as first-fruits. The barley company are the overcomers who will be presented to God at the time of the first resurrection (Revelation 20:6) after being winnowed. The wheat company are the believers (church in general), who will be presented to God at the general resurrection (Revelation 20:11, 12) after being threshed (Luke 12:45-48). The grape harvest will be presented to God at the Creation Jubilee after being trodden under foot (1 Corinthians 15:27, 28).

Ruth Gleans an Ephah

An ephah overlays with Pentecost. When Boaz made it possible for her to glean an ephah of barley, it teaches us that Ruth was fully prepared for Pentecost and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit during the time of counting the barley. More than that, she had more than enough, and so she was able to give to Naomi as well.

The kindness and generosity of Boaz was at least partly due to his recognition that Ruth was assisting Naomi in her time of loss and poverty (Ruth 2:11). Both Ruth and Boaz were generous, manifesting the benevolence of Christ Himself in His provision for the whole world. As I stated earlier, this was why Jesus was born in Bethlehem, the “house of bread,” and was placed in a manger as if He were sent to feed all who would eat His flesh.

God’s generosity is seen in His treatment of the three harvests, which in turn relate to the law of first-fruits. God was to be given the first-fruits of each harvest, but He never intended to leave the rest of the harvest to rot in the field or to burn the field. The first-fruits sanctified the harvest, allowing men to harvest their fields. Likewise, the first-fruits are presented to God with the expectation of a greater harvest yet to come. In the end, the result is “the reconciliation of the world” (Romans 11:15) and all things under His feet (1 Corinthians 15:25-28).

So let us reflect the generosity and benevolence of God’s own love. We can best do this by teaching the Restoration of All Things, whereby the entire harvest is brought to God, so that He may have both bread (barley and wheat) and wine for His Communion Table.