Friday, March 11, 2011
END TIMES READING PLAN: Isaiah 32-33
SCRIPTURE READING
Ruth 3:11 Now, my daughter, don’t be afraid. I will do for you all you ask. All the people of my town know that you are a woman of noble character. (NIV)
The story of Ruth and Boaz is a prophetic illustration of the heart of God towards His people. It’s a powerful story that center’s around God’s embrace of the Gentile people in His plan to find a Bride. This is one of the first pictures of a God who establishes relationships with people based on faith and not based on their ethnicity. Whether you are a Jew or a Gentile, a Mennonite or non-Mennonite, whether you speak English, French, German, Russian or Spanish…God desires to have a relationship with you. In the story, Ruth and her mother-in-law are both widows. Ruth ends up going back to her mother-in-law’s homeland with her. As she gleans wheat from the fields, she meets Boaz who is the owner of the field and who represents the God-figure in the story. Ruth represents the Bride. Eventually Boaz and Ruth marry and out of their union Obed is born, the grandfather of King David. There are a couple of things to note about Ruth and Boaz’s relationship. First, Boaz’s first posture towards Ruth was that of a father and Ruth submitted to his care as a maidservant, making no claim to bridal intimacy. As the story emerges, Boaz experiences the emerging love of a bridegroom for this girl, and he takes initiative towards that end. This is an example of the dual role of Father and Bridegroom that characterizes God’s love for His people. He loves us first as a Father, to establish in our fundamental identity as His children. Then He establishes the bridal identity.
PRAYER and MEDITATION
1. Ask God to show you if He is more like a Father to you or more like a Bridegroom? Are there any other “roles’ that describe God’s relationship with you?
2. Thank God for desiring to establish all ethnicities in His family.
