A Lamp Unto My Feet Bible Study Website
RUTH
Lesson #11
THE CONCLUSION
- Memory verse: Eph 3:19
- We have seen a marvelous illustration of Jesus Christ, our redeemer, in the beautiful book of Ruth.
- We have looked at the book from this viewpoint.
- However, there are some other things I want you to see in this book.
- =1= Did Jesus Christ give any indication that He was the kinsman-redeemer or did the idea of a redeemer come from other New Testament writers?
- Read Luk 21:27-28
- This is the only place Jesus uses the word “redemption”.
- However, He refers to the role of the kinsman-redeemer when He quotes Isaiah.
- Read Isa 61:1-2 and Luke 4:16-18
- What is the difference between this Old Testament passage and what Jesus quoted?
- Jesus did not mention “the day of vengeance of our God” (Isa 61:2)He cut short the passage.
“The acceptable year of the Lord” is the year of jubilee.
Jubilee occurred every 50 years.
It was in this year that all slaves were set free, all property was returned to its original owner, all debts were canceled.
The year of jubilee was a year of freedom. (Lev 25:25-34)
However, because of greed, the Jews never did celebrate the year of jubilee as God commanded.
The things mentioned in Isa 61 are exactly what the kinsman-redeemer could do in any year. If you had a willing kinsman redeemer, you did not have to wait until the year of jubilee to gain your freedom.
The point of Jesus’ message is that He is the fulfillment of the year of jubilee. In Jesus Christ you do not have to wait until the 50th year on the calendar. You can gain freedom and salvation at any time through faith in Christ.
Notice the part of the passage in Isaiah that Jesus did not read in Luke. “the day of vengeance of our God”.
This part refers to “the avenger of blood”. Remember that in the Old Testament, the avenger of blood was the kinsman-redeemer who was to act as executioner if a family member was murdered.
Why did Jesus not read the part about the avenger of blood in Luke?
The day of vengeance of God is the final judgment after Jesus comes back at the second coming.
When Jesus read Isa 61 in Luke 4, He was saying that He came to fulfill all the other parts of the kinsman-redeemer, at the time of His first coming, but He was not now coming to execute judgment. That part would wait until His second coming.
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- =2= In what ways does Ruth’s actions tell us how to have a close personal relationship with Jesus Christ?
- =a= The believer makes a decision to be part of God’s family. (Ruth 1:16)
- =b= If a believer is willing to work in the fields of God’s kingdom, God will work in your life and supply your needs. (Ruth 2:2,7)
- =c= The leading of the Holy Spirit draws the believer into an intimate relationship with Christ. (Ruth 2:8)
- =d= Humility and submission at the feet of Jesus Christ, is the proper response to the drawing of the Holy Spirit. (Ruth 2:10)
- =e= As a result of a believer’s humility, Christ elevates the believer’s position to one of importance. (Ruth 2:13)
- =f= An intimate relationship with Christ is based on good communication with Him. We feed on His word (the Bible) which is the source of faith and truth. (Ruth 2:14)
- =g= Christ provides more abundantly above what we can ask or think. (Ruth 2:15)
- =h= The believer is to witness to others of the Lord’s goodness. Magnify and glorify the Lord in your life. (Ruth 2:19)
- =3= In our story in Ruth, the young woman becomes the bride of the redeemer. The believer becomes the bride of Christ, our redeemer.
- Read Eph 5:22-33 The parallel between Christ and his bride, and a husband and his wife.
- While Ephesians gives us the principles, the book of Ruth gives us the practical application of the principles and how they work in life.
- For example, in Ephesians we see that the actions and obligations in principle of the kinsman-redeemer are exactly the same as a husband to his wife.
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=a= He is to protect and provide for his wife.
=b= He is to keep her safe and secure.
=c= His actions are to be based on his love for her.
=d= He is to provide as much freedom for her as he can without jeopardizing her safety.
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- If you want to be a good husband to your wife, act like a kinsman-redeemer to her…act like Boaz did with Ruth…act like Jesus Christ.
- In Ephesians we see that the actions and obligations in principle of the bride of Christ are exactly the same as a wife to her husband.
=a= Be submissive to him. (Rut 2:10 Rut 3:8)
=b= Wait on him to lead and guide you. (Rut 3:12,18)
=c= Be responsive to his desires and needs. (Rut 3:10)
=d= Praise him to others and magnify his name. (Rut 3:16)
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- If you want to be a successful believer in the kingdom of God, act like Ruth did with Boaz. If you want to be a good wife to your husband, act like the believer is supposed to act with Jesus Christ…act like Ruth did with Boaz.
- Because of this parallel between Christ and the church, and the husband and his wife, the steps for entering into a love relationship are the same for Christ and the church and between husband and wife.
| Scripture | For a Woman to Her Husband | For the Believer to Christ | Man’s Response | Christ’s Response |
| Rut 3:3 | Preparation of goals, attitudes and desires | Wash = repent of sin, be baptized in water | ||
| Rut 3:4 | Take time in his presence | Spend time with Christ in prayer and study | ||
| Rut 3:5 | Be obedient and in submission | Be obedient to Christ and His word | ||
| Rut 3:7 | Be humble at his feet | Be humble in learning at Christ’s feet | ||
| Rut 3:8 | Recognize her presence | Christ knows exactly where you are at all times | ||
| Learn about her as a person | Christ knows who we are but asks us to witness with our mouths who we are in Him | |||
| Rut 3:9-10 | Show him your potential for loyalty, love, and faithfulness | Express your love, loyalty, and faithfulness to Christ | ||
| Rut 3:10 | Maintain purity from the past, in the present and in the future | Be separate from worldliness | ||
| Rut 3:11 | Reassure her of your protection and provision so she can count on you | Christ reassures us of his promises | ||
| Rut 3:13 | Trust him to fulfill his promises and give him room to fail | Trust Christ to perform according to His Word because He never fails | ||
| Rut 3:14-15 | Be considerate of her physically, emotionally, and spiritually | Christ is aware and meets all your needs, body, soul, and spirit | ||
| Rut 3:18 | Wait upon him. After you have made a need known to him, have patience. | Have patience in waiting upon the Lord to work out His plan in your life |
- The book of Ruth from a broader perspective:
- The book of Judges is the time period when the story of Ruth occurs. It was a time of no king.
- After the book of Ruth comes the book of 1Samuel. It is a time of man’s king (King Saul). The people wanted a king like other nations.
- After the book of 1Samuel is the book of 2Samuel. It is a time of God’s king (King David).
- The world is now in a time when there is no king over all nations.
- Soon the world will enter a time when there is man’s king (the Antichrist who will reign during the tribulation period.)
- After that there will be a time of God’s king (Jesus Christ who will reign as King of kings for 1,000 years on this earth!)
- In the book of 1Kings when Solomon builds the temple, he names one of the pillars of the temple, Boaz, because Boaz means “in him there is strength”. It is in Jesus Christ, our redeemer, who came from the tribe of Judah through Boaz and Ruth that we have the strength or power to worship God, the Father.
- The book of Judges is the time period when the story of Ruth occurs. It was a time of no king.
- Summary: Major lessons to learn in the book of Ruth:
- =1= Remember that the important message in the book of Ruth is that Jesus Christ is our kinsman-redeemer.
- He is our near relative. (Heb 2:14-16)
- He is able to perform the role of our redeemer. (Heb 7:25)
- He is willing to perform the role of redeemer. (Heb 12:2)
- He is completing all the obligations of the kinsman-redeemer as we wait on Him.
- =2= Remember that the important aspect that we want to apply to our own personal lives is to enter into that personal, intimate relationship with Him.
- Many Christians never get beyond Ruth chapter 2 in their relationship with Christ. They want all the blessings and provision, but they won’t surrender themselves to Him.
- I want to challenge you to enter that deeper relationship with Him where you humble yourself at the feet of Jesus.
- =1= Remember that the important message in the book of Ruth is that Jesus Christ is our kinsman-redeemer.
The End
God Bless You!
