THE BOOK OF RUTH IN PROPHECY

RETURN TO SYLLABUS

RUTH 4:11-22

Lesson #10

THE BOOK OF RUTH IN PROPHECY

• Memory verse: Zechariah 13:1
• The prefigures we have seen so far in our study of the book of Ruth:
  • The book of Ruth is a picture of Jesus Christ, our kinsman-redeemer. We have seen how Boaz represents Jesus Christ, and Ruth represents the New Testament believer or the church.
    • Notice that Boaz is Ruth’s second husband.
    • Jesus Christ is called the “last Adam” in 1Cor 15:45. Believing Gentiles were first married to the world system, now become the bride of Christ.
  • The “nearer kinsman” represented the Mosaic Law that could not redeem.
• We have not discussed Naomi.
  • Naomi represents the Jewish people in history and prophecy.
    • In what ways do the actions of Naomi represent the actions of the Jewish people?
    • Remember in chapter 1 Naomi and her husband, Elimelech left the Promised Land to go to Moab.
      • We talked about how that was outside of the perfect will of God.
      • They did not trust God to supply for them during a difficult time of famine.
        • The Jews through history always had difficulty trusting God to supply for them.
        • They found it easier to leave God and their Promised Land for worldliness and idolatry.
        • Read Eze 16:8-23
    • In chapter 2 Naomi returns to the Promised Land because conditions in the Promised Land have improved.
      • The Jews through history periodically would return to God and the Promised Land when it was beneficial. They always sought the blessings but never remained faithful.
      • After 1900 years of being scattered around the world, the Jews returned to their own land in 1948. But they returned desolate, bitter, and angry against God. Today they are a secular nation.
  • Ruth, chapters 1 and 2: Ruth, a Gentile, finds God through Naomi, a Jew.
    • The Gentile New Testament church was established on a Jewish Messiah, and Gentile believers learned how to come to God through Jewish scriptures and a Jewish Messiah.
    • In chapter 2 God provides for Naomi through Ruth and Boaz.
      • Many evangelical Christians today are a blessing to the Jews who continue to remain distant from God.
      • Notice in the book of Ruth that Naomi never meets Boaz face to face. Now they probably did meet especially when Ruth married Boaz, but the scripture never puts the two face to face. Naomi hears about Boaz through Ruth.
      • Today we have Jews who hear about Jesus Christ, their redeemer, through the Gentile church.
  • In chapter 3 it is Ruth who seeks redemption, not Naomi.
    • In New Testament times, it is the Gentiles who seek redemption through Jesus Christ, not the Jews.
    • The Jews rejected their Messiah, and therefore opened the way for the Gentiles to receive redemption. Therefore, redemption comes to the Gentiles first.
    • Notice that Ruth was not redeemed by the “nearer kinsman” (the Law).
      • The Law shut the Gentiles out, but grace through Jesus Christ accepted the Gentiles.
      • In the same way, Boaz accepted Ruth even though she was a Gentile from Moab. (Rut 2:2,10)
    • In chapter 3 we have the scene at the threshing floor. The harvest and threshing floor are symbolic of judgment, specifically judgment on the Jews.
      • The future tribulation period will be a time of judgment on the Jews for their rejection of Christ. It will put pressure on them to turn to God.
      • Where is Naomi during the time of harvest in the book of Ruth? She is far from Boaz, her redeemer. (Isa 26:19-20) (Jer 30:7)
      • Where is Ruth during the harvest time? She is at the feet of Boaz.
        • The New Testament church will be at the feet of Jesus in heaven during the tribulation period.
        • The New Testament church will experience the rapture before the tribulation begins on earth.
    • At the end of chapter 3 Boaz sends a symbolic message to Naomi that he will not rest until redemption is complete.
      • The message to the Jews is that redemption will not be complete until Jews are also redeemed by Jesus Christ.
      • Read Rom 10:1-3 Zec 12:10 Zec 13:1 Zec 14:9
        • Nationally the Jews still have not come to Christ but wait for Christ’s second coming.
        • Therefore, we see the book of Ruth end in chapter 4 without redemption for Naomi. Notice redemption is available for the Jews waiting for them to accept their kinsman redeemer.
• Read Ruth 4:11-22 A prophetic blessing
  • The people of Bethlehem were witnesses of Boaz’s redemption promise.(11)
    • “The Lord make the woman (Ruth)…like Rachel and Leah…and be famous in Bethlehem.”
    • Rachael and Leah were the two wives of Jacob. It was through these two women and their maids that we have the 12 tribes of Israel. (Gen 29-30)
    • The word “ephrathah” means = “fruitful” and is synonymous with the city of Bethlehem.
      • Therefore, the blessing is that Ruth would have many children and her descendants would be well known.
      • Ruth gave birth to a child who appears in the genealogy of Jesus Christ with David.
  • “May your house be like the house of Pharez, whom Tamar bare unto Judah.” (12)
    • On the surface, this phrase does not seem like a blessing but seems more like a curse.
    • Jesus Christ was supposed to come through the tribe of Judah. Therefore, a child from Judah’s firstborn son, Er, was very important to this genealogy. However, because this son, Er, was evil, God caused his death without giving Tamar that important son.
    • Because of the law of levirate marriage, Tamar married the next son. He would not give Tamar that son, so God caused his death.
    • Judah, her father-in-law told her to wait until his next son was old enough to marry. However Judah would not fulfill his promise.
    • Therefore, Tamar tricked Judah into thinking she was a prostitute and Judah caused her to be pregnant with twins. Her son Pharez appears in the genealogy of Jesus Christ and he settled in Bethlehem (1Chr 2:5, 50-54).
      • Tamar took seriously the purpose of the levirate marriage so that God would have a blood line for Jesus Christ in the lineage of Judah.
      • God was angry with Judah and his sons who did not take seriously their obligations to continue the lineage.
    • The fact that Tamar’s son Pharez was illegitimate caused problems in the blood line.
      • Deu 23:2 says that an illegitimate son causes the blood line to be disinherited for 10 generations.
      • Did you ever wonder why King Saul, Israel’s first king, did not come from the tribe of Judah but from the tribe of Benjamin?
        • King Saul was chosen because the curse on the bloodline of Judah still remained.
        • When David, from the tribe of Judah, became king, he was the first generation clear of the curse.
  • The book of Ruth is a prophecy that David’s house would again be the blood line of Jesus Christ.
    • In fact, the genealogy at the end of this book is the only source that links David to the tribe of Judah.
    • In other words, the prophecy has a subtle warning: Ruth and Boaz are to take seriously their obligations to continue the bloodline that would result in Jesus Christ.
  • The prophetic blessing to Naomi (14-16):
    • After the birth of Ruth’s first child, Obed, there is another prophecy (14) but this one is given to Naomi and is very significant.
    • The prophecy is that Naomi has not been left without a kinsman-redeemer and that the name of this redeemer would be famous in Israel.
      • Of course the fulfillment of this prophecy is Jesus Christ who will be the kinsman-redeemer to the Jews at the second coming of Christ.
      • This kinsman-redeemer will be a restorer of life in your old age. (15)
        • It is Jesus Christ who promises eternal life to all who receive Him as their redeemer.
        • This is especially relevant to the Jews at the end of the age.
  • The child, Obed, and the genealogy (18-22)
    • Obed means = servant or worshiper
      • This child would be a servant to Naomi, and he would worship God. This child would be a restorer of life to Naomi whose family had died in Moab. This child would be the grandfather of King David.
      • The Moabites were not supposed to enter the congregation of the Lord to the tenth generation (Deu 23:3), but the prophecy in the book of Ruth ends this 10 generation curse with David.
      • With the disqualification of a king from the line of Judah because of Tamar for 10 generations, and the disqualification of a Moabite in the congregation of the Lord for 10 generations, we see that God’s timing is perfect when David is made king of Israel.
        • King Saul was God’s permissive will for a king in Israel.
        • King David was God’s perfect will for a king in Israel.
    • Even though we have discussed the whole book of Ruth, we have not finished with it. There are still some very important points to discuss that we will consider in our next lesson.

Homework

Ruth–Conclusion

• Application of Ruth 4:11-22
  • How does the working of the sovereignty of God that we see in the book of Ruth encourage you in your life today?
• Preparation for Ruth—Conclusion
  • Think about the story of Ruth.
    • In what ways does Ruth’s actions tell us how to have a close personal relationship with Jesus Christ?
• Memory verse: Eph 3:19