22 – Ruth Qualifies To Be A Bride

AUDIO TEACHING

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FULL RECORDED MEETING WITH MIDRASH. The Midrash has a lot of good information contributed by the audience.

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NOTE: THE TRANSCRIPT IS NOT EXACTLY LIKE THE RECORDING.

Samuel was a prophet. At times is seems he deliberately used words and phrases for the common understanding and for prophecy. Whether he realized or not, Samuel’s writing style shows Ruth’s life to be instruction on how believers become Yeshua’s Bride.

Ruth 2:1  Naomi had a relative of her husband’s, a mighty man of wealth, of the family of Elimelech, and his name was Boaz.

Samuel is introducing Boaz now. We need to know that Boaz was a wealthy politically powerful man, a leader in the community and possibly a warrior of great valor. Samuel simply wants us to understand Boaz’s character he is a type and shadow of our God, our kinsman redeemer, Yeshua. This is one of those places where we can take Samuel’s word only at face value or understand that it has far-reaching and prophetic implications.

Boaz was a man of all kinds of wealth. The word for “wealth” is:

H2428
חיל
chayil
khah’-yil

From H2342; probably a force, whether of men, means or other resources; an army, wealth, virtue, valor, strength: – able, activity, (+) army, band of men (soldiers), company, (great) forces, goods, host, might, power, riches, strength, strong, substance, train, (+) valiant (-ly), valour, virtuous (-ly), war, worthy (-ily).

‘Chayil’ can mean one who has an army. Boaz did have an army of warriors. We will read about them toward the end of this chapter. He was an older man with material wealth and was wealthy in virtue, valor on the battlefields of war and life and physical strength, and he was well respected in Bethlehem, a leader of the community with great influence. Most importantly, he was a righteous man who walked in YHVH’s ways like his father, Salman. Boaz was faithful to YHVH. No greater wealth is there than that!

Boaz was of the family of Elimelech, according to verse 1. What was the relationship of Elimelech to Boaz? Brother. Elimelech was the firstborn of Salman and Rahab. I gave the reasons for this in the teaching titled, “In The Days When The Judges Judged”. It is probable that Elimelech was there first son of Salman because Elimelech was named as Boaz’s brother in Ruth 4:3. But we will find that there is another brother between Elimelech and Boaz which makes Boaz the third born son when we get to Ruth chapter 4. Notice how Samuel keeps as many other names out of the story as possible. It could be he wanted to keep the lineage simple by not complicating the account with names that had nothing to do with David’s lineage.  

We have seen this situation before in Noah’s sons where the 3^rd born becomes the family spiritual leader, the spiritual firstborn. In that account, Japheth was the natural firstborn of Noah but Shem was listed first in the short genealogies. However, Japheth is listed first the chapter 10 genealogy because he was the actual physical firstborn, but the birthright and blessing of being the succeeding Melchizedek went to Shem because of his spiritual qualities and relationship with the Most High God which the Melchizedek represents on the earth. Thus, Shem was designated as firstborn by Noah.

Boaz’s name is:

H1162
בעז
bô‛az
bo’-az

From an unused root of uncertain meaning; Boaz, the ancestor of David; also the name of a pillar in front of the temple: – Boaz.

Strong does not provide the meaning of Boaz’s name but it is commonly said to mean “strength is in him”, but I think there is a better translation. Here is my thought on his name based on the Hebrew letters.

The letter ‘bet’ means “house”. The other 2 letters are from the word ‘az’ meaning strength. The name ‘Boaz’ then means “house of strength”.

One of the Temple pillars would later be named Boaz, and of course, this is YHVH’s house which is a “house of strength”. 

1 Kings 7:21  He [Solomon] set up the pillars at the porch of the temple. He set up the right pillar, and called its name Jachin; and he set up the left pillar, and called its name Boaz.

‘Jachin’ means “He will establish”, thus YHVH established a house of strength with those 2 pillars.

Ruth, at this point, does not know who Boaz is. Samuel introducing Boaz this way served the purpose of continuing to explain King David’s lineage. Did Samuel know he was writing about Boaz as a type and shadow of Yeshua, Israel’s kinsman redeemer, who would come 1,000 years later? We can speculate but, ultimately, will have to wait to meet him in the Kingdom to find out. For now, Samuel will continue the account of Ruth meeting Boaz because of the necessity of life – food for Naomi and herself.

Ruth 2:2  Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, “Let me now go to the field, and glean among the ears of grain after him in whose sight I find favor.” She said to her, “Go, my daughter.”

There was no gap between Naomi and Ruth entering Bethlehem-Judah yesterday and this morning’s need for food. We know there was no gap because, if you have ever lived on a farm, you know the harvest does not take time off to lollygag. No. Naomi and Ruth entered Bethlehem on one day and their life continued in accord with harvest on the very next day. They had come home yesterday and were probably greeted with food but now it was already time for Ruth and Naomi to fend for themselves. The most convenient place to get food, when you don’t have money, is to work for it. The next morning after arriving in Bethlehem, Ruth was eager to start providing for Naomi and herself.

Ruth wanted to go where she would find favor. She expressed concern that she might not find favor among the gleaners. She was apprehensive about what might happen when she went among the Israelite gleaners but she knew she had to go.

In verse 2, comes a new label for Ruth – “my daughter”. Naomi called Ruth “my daughter” for the first time. It was “daughter-in-law” in chapter 1. Samuel will now vacillate between “daughter-in-law” and “my daughter” in chapter 2. Samuel will use “daughter-in-law” in his own description to continue showing Ruth’s legal status until she is married and “my daughter” when Naomi and others, such as Boaz, speak to Ruth. Naomi was showing affection along with something which I will explain in a minute when we get to Boaz calling Ruth “my daughter”.

Ruth 2:3  She went, and came and gleaned in the field after the reapers; and she happened to come to the portion of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the family of Elimelech.

Ruth “happened to come” to Boaz’s field. Until now, she knows nothing of him. This is a divine appointment. It was no happenstance, no accident, that Ruth found Boaz’s field among all the fields. She did not ask for that particular field, yet she found it. She did not know Boaz. Naomi wisely did not mention his name. There had been no introduction to Boaz so that she could ask people where to find him. No. This was YHVH in action! YHVH knows where we need to go to fulfill His plans that we know nothing about!

Notice, also, that no one said anything, neither good nor bad, to her as she joined the harvest. The whole city of Bethlehem-Judah is showing itself to be righteous in allowing Ruth, the foreigner, to glean from their barley fields. This is because:

Leviticus19:33  “‘If a stranger lives as a foreigner with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong.

Also:

Deuteronomy 24:17  You shall not deprive the foreigner or the fatherless of justice, nor take a widow’s clothing in pledge;
Deuteronomy 24:18  but you shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and Yahweh your God redeemed you there. Therefore I command you to do this thing.

YHVH intends to redeem foreigners who live among us so we must treat them well so they see the light of His Kingdom, His ways, through us.Deuteronomy 24:19  When you reap your harvest in your field, and have forgotten a sheaf in the field, you shall not go again to get it. It shall be for the foreigner, for the fatherless, and for the widow; that Yahweh your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.

All over Israel, fields of barley were being reaped and gleaned. But in one small town in the tribe of Judah, a situation was happening which would change the whole of history of Israel through King David and eventually the whole world through David’s descendant, Yeshua.

Ruth 2:4  Behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem, and said to the reapers, “May Yahweh be with you.” They answered him, “May Yahweh bless you.”

Ruth 2:5  Then Boaz said to his servant who was set over the reapers, “Whose young lady is this?”

Boaz noticed Ruth right away. As a prominent figure in Bethlehem, he would have known all the young women but here is one he did not know.

Ruth 2:6  The servant who was set over the reapers answered, “It is the Moabite lady who came back with Naomi out of the country of Moab.
Ruth 2:7  She said, ‘Please let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves.’ So she came, and has continued even from the morning until now, except that she rested a little in the house.”

This young man has been watching Ruth’s behavior. That was his job so he could report to Boaz about gleaners’ conduct.

Ruth 2:8  Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Listen, my daughter. Don’t go to glean in another field, and don’t go from here, but stay here close to my maidens.

Like our Heavenly Father who keeps us close to Him for our own protection, Boaz has now stepped into the protector role for Ruth. Boaz also addresses Ruth as “my daughter”. Ruth was already a “daughter” of Elimelech’s family through marriage to his son Machlon but Boaz was not the family firstborn. It was not his place to welcome her as “daughter”. There is another explanation for Naomi and Boaz calling Ruth “my daughter” at this point. She was grafted in, adopted, as it were. Adoption is a gift of YHVH to those who accept Him in their heart, who do His will and live by His ways. The first adoption in scripture is when Jacob adopted Joseph’s sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. Now, Ruth is a daughter of YHVH’s Kingdom and Naomi and Boaz recognize this by calling her “my daughter”.

Ruth 2:9  Let your eyes be on the field that they reap, and go after them. Haven’t I commanded the young men not to touch you? When you are thirsty, go to the vessels, and drink from that which the young men have drawn.”

Nowhere do we read about Boaz commanding the men not to touch Ruth but that is what the Hebrew says. He assures Ruth of her favored position in Bethlehem through his personal influence.

Biblical Israel’s culture was one of gender separation. However, a young woman from Moab would have been fair game for all kinds of horse play. Boaz was protecting her integrity by keeping her from being violated.

Ruth 2:10  Then she fell on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, and said to him, “Why have I found favor in your sight, that you should take knowledge of me, since I am a foreigner?” 
Ruth 2:11  Boaz answered her, “I have been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband, and how you have left your father and your mother, and the land of your birth, and have come to a people that you didn’t know before.

Now Boaz will tell Ruth everything she needed to know about what he saw in her just from being in Bethlehem overnight, the first night she ever spent in Bethlehem. Her actions showed the light of YHVH’s Kingdom in Bethlehem from the start. Her actions were her testimony about Who she belonged to. Yeshua would later tell us in person, about 1,000 years later, to be a light to the world for His Kingdom. Ruth was already this light. 

Matthew 5:14  You are the light of the world. A city located on a hill can’t be hidden.
Matthew 5:15  Neither do you light a lamp, and put it under a measuring basket, but on a stand; and it shines to all who are in the house.
Matthew 5:16  Even so, let your light shine before men; that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

Lights shine. They don’t talk!

Furthermore in verse 11, Boaz understood the importance of Ruth’s move away from Moab. Yeshua would address this in about 1,000 years or so, too.

Matthew 19:29  Everyone who has left houses, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive one hundred times, and will inherit eternal life. 

Ruth’s reward, according to YHVH, would be to receive 100 times what was left behind and eternal life!

Ruth 2:12  May Yahweh repay your work, and a full reward be given to you from Yahweh, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.”

Boaz puts on Ruth the blessing of Israel from Deuteronomy 28. All of those blessings are inside the words, “May Yahweh repay your work, and a full reward be given to you from Yahweh, the God of Israel”.

Deuteronomy 28:2  All these blessings will come upon you, and overtake you, if you listen to Yahweh your God’s voice. 

These blessings are for Israel. Who is Israel? The native born and the adopted in one, the one who was not born of an Israelite father and mother, but who chose to be Israelite!

Boaz said Ruth had taken refuge under YHVH’s wings by coming to Israel with Naomi. Ruth’s great grandson, King David, would later write songs about how YHVH was his refuge. Four of David’s 86 Psalms use the words “wings” and “refuge” together (Psalms 57:1, Psalms 61:4, Psalms 91:4). Twenty three Psalms of David are about taking refuge. It was a family trait to talk about taking refuge in YHVH. It is likely Salman taught his sons about taking refuge in YHVH because Boaz is the first to speak of it.

Ruth 2:13  Then she said, “Let me find favor in your sight, my lord, because you have comforted me, and because you have spoken kindly to your servant, though I am not as one of your servants.”

The word for favor, “chen” (Strong’s H2580) is used also for asking favor of both God and humans, but I am showing Ruth’s heart connection to YHVH through Israel. Her call for favor from Boaz identifies her with the Kingdom of YHVH.

Finding favor is the cry of all of YHVH’s people from Noah (Genesis 6:8) all the way through history. Abraham (Genesis 18:3) asked for favor of YHVH. Jacob, too, in Genesis 33:10. Joseph found favor in YHVH’s sight in Genesis 39:21. In fact, YHVH gave favor to the Israelites, 12 tribes, in the sight of the Egyptians in Exodus 11:3 and 12:36. Ruth is showing that she belongs in the family of Abraham, not through Moab, but through Israel. Her identity is now with Israel.

Here we see Ruth call to YHVH for favor even though she is speaking to Boaz.  “Let me find favor in your sight, my lord, because you have comforted me”, she asks. “…And because you have spoken kindly to your servant, though I am not as one of your servants.”

Because Ruth has found comfort in Boaz’s words, he now becomes a type and shadow of Yeshua YHVH’s Holy Spirit. She recognizes she is getting special favor from Boaz even though she is a stranger among his servants.

Ruth 2:14  At mealtime Boaz said to her, “Come here, and eat some bread, and dip your morsel in the vinegar.” She sat beside the reapers, and they passed her parched grain, and she ate, and was satisfied, and left some of it.

Ruth was given vinegar to drink because it is very hydrating but this is not why I am mentioning it here. Her descendant, Yeshua was offered vinegar while He hung on the cross.

Ruth left some food behind to show that she is not greedy or gluttonous.

Ruth 2:15  When she had risen up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, “Let her glean even among the sheaves, and don’t reproach her.

He is telling his “young men”, his own small army, to give Ruth equal rights and protection. Boaz is a type and shadow of our God, YHVH, who protects us, His betrothed.

Ruth 2:16  Also pull out some for her from the bundles, and leave it. Let her glean, and don’t rebuke her.”

Give her extra. Bless her beyond her expectations. Isn’t that what YHVH does for us?

Ruth 2:17  So she gleaned in the field until evening; and she beat out that which she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley.

An ephah of barley is a bushel or about 35 liters. Both Naomi and Ruth were already being cared for by Boaz. YHVH always helps us in our time of need. Ruth and Naomi are already receiving the blessings promised by YHVH in Deuteronomy. The blessings have chased them down and overtaken them.

Ruth 2:18  She took it up, and went into the city. Then her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned; and she brought out and gave to her that which she had left after she had enough.
Ruth 2:19  Her mother-in-law said to her, “Where have you gleaned today? Where have you worked? Blessed be he who noticed you.” She told her mother-in-law with whom she had worked, “The man’s name with whom I worked today is Boaz.”
Ruth 2:20  Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “May he be blessed by Yahweh, who has not abandoned his kindness to the living and to the dead.” Naomi said to her, “The man is a close relative to us, one of our near kinsmen.”

Now, Ruth understands who Boaz is! But there is a double entendre here, a double intention. It wasn’t only Boaz Naomi was speaking of who had not abandoned His kindness to the living and to the dead. For Naomi, this was confirmation that she was forgiven for any part she took in Elimelech’s actions for which YHVH had afflicted her. The fact that Ruth had found Boaz’s field was confirmation to Naomi that she had been welcomed back into YHVH’s fold. She was one of His sheep and she knew and had followed His voice.

Here is where we learn that Boaz is a kinsman of Elimelech. Levirate marriage is between the dead husband’s brother and his widow. Ruth was one generation removed from Levirate marriage but, because both of Elimelech’s sons were dead, another kinsman can take Machlon’s place.

There is no other choice. This is why Yeshua is the only possibility to be our kinsman redeemer. All of the other brethren are dead. Only Yeshua remains.

Ruth 2:21  Ruth the Moabitess said, “Yes, he said to me, ‘You shall stay close to my young men, until they have finished all my harvest.’”

Immediately, I think of the 144,000. For this reason, I believe YHVH will use them to guard His people during the time of trouble. They will go to war with Yeshua but He will also send His messengers to ingather His people.

Matthew 24:31  He will send out his angels [messengers] with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together his chosen ones from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.

These are chosen warriors from among the 144,000. Stay close to them during the time of the harvest.

Ruth 2:22  Naomi said to Ruth her daughter-in-law, “It is good, my daughter, that you go out with his maidens, and that they not meet you in any other field.”

The field is the world. Boaz’s field was not the world.

Ruth 2:23  So she stayed close to the maidens of Boaz, to glean to the end of barley harvest and of wheat harvest; and she lived with her mother-in-law.

Ruth lived with Naomi for the entire Spring Feasts from Passover to Shavuot. It will be during the Barley harvest, though, that she will become Boaz’s betrothed. That Ruth was with Naomi through the wheat harvest is prophetic of a betrothal in the Spring with the marriage during the Fall Feasts, namely Sukkot. Scripture does not say Ruth married Boaz during Sukkot but their lives are now type and shadow of Yeshua whose prophecies for His Bride in the end of days has to do with the Fall Feasts. It may be they were married prior to the Fall Feasts and that Obed was conceived during the Fall Feasts. We do not know but we should not shy away from the unnamed Fall Feasts here.

What does it take to qualify as Yeshua’s Bride? Don’t go to any other field but to YHVH’s because His field is not of this world.

Matthew 25:1  “Then the Kingdom of Heaven will be like ten virgins, who took their lamps, and went out to meet the bridegroom.
Matthew 25:2  Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.

Ruth was wise. She took Boaz’s advice to stay close to his maidens under the guard of his army just as we must stay close to Yeshua’s maidens and under His protection. What do I mean? How can we know we are doing this?

There are many foolish virgins in the world who say they believe Yeshua but they do whatever it is they want to do, go they go wherever they want to go, they listen to whoever tickles their ears. This does not fill our vessel with YHVHs precious oil. Stay close to those who do what YHVH says, who teach only what He says, and listen only to teachers who refuse to tickle your ears so your heart can be turned by His Word and you get His precious oil in your vessel.

How can you judge correct doctrine when there are so many out there? All doctrines from the beginning to the end of the bible will always agree with the Torah. The Word will never change from the beginning to the end. If there are doctrines that defy the Torah, saying even one small jot or tittle has been changed or removed, they are false doctrines. Get away from them. Always go back to the Torah to find the origin of a doctrine. If it’s not in there, don’t listen to the teacher anymore.

Ruth exemplifies YHVH’s Kingdom and His plans for His people. She is the proper example for us if we hope to find and marry our kinsman redeemer.