Typology in the Book of Ruth

[Mary8]

Hopefully the second version (below "updated") will be more interesting.

. Book of Ruth, typology of the Bride and of the grain harvest - 2017
    These notes are a comparison of two types, found in one book of the Scriptures: the typology of the Bride, and the typology of the grain harvest.
    I believe the Book of Ruth lays out a very full typology of the Redeemer, His Bride, the fruit of their union in Heaven, Israel in the end-times and Israel's full restoration to joy and fulfillment.
    I believe that the typology in the Feast of Pentecost may shed encouraging light on the Rapture, the marriage of the church and Christ, and upon the blessings of Israel.   When the fire fell upon the believers, I think it might be compared to God visibly germinating the wheat and that the fire was like the spark of life that only He can give.   Recently in the magazine, Prophecy in the News, I read where Dr. Kevin Clarkson in Kevin's Korner wrote: "Just this year, scientists were amazed to see a human egg fertilized in real time. At the joining of the sperm to the egg, the very moment of conception, a flash of light occurs. It has been photographed."
    I think the grain harvest will be fulfilled, when sometime during the harvest of souls, (and maybe actually during season of harvest months), the Redeemer will be married to his Bride. Another harvest of wheat, during the Tribulation I believe, will compare to the use of the tribulum, a threshing sledge with embedded rough stones which will be dragged over the wheat that is more difficult to harvest.
    The marriage of Ruth and Boaz took place sometime during the months of grain harvest, (well before the later harvest of crushing of grapes). Ruth gathered barley in springtime and she then worked on until the end of the harvest of Boaz's fields.
    The Rapture and the marriage of the Redeemer and His Bride may produce a child, like Obed, who can be compared to the 144,000 Jewish believers upon the earth, servants of God. As in the story of Ruth, this offspring will be given, for nurturing to Israel, and they will be a great blessing to Israel in the end-times, sharing the Gospel, causing those friends who actually see it and understand to marvel at how blessed Israel is because of this child, just as Naomi's friends spoke of how blessed and restored she was. I made a note about this typology in 1988. These 12,000 of the 12 tribes of Israel will bring in a great harvest of souls, and I think they may be fulfilling Jesus's words about the Sower, 'some a hundred fold.'

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Typology in Book of Ruth:  Boaz, Ruth, Naomi
new 19 Feb 2018 from 1988 notes.

I think the story of Ruth and Boaz and Naomi and Obed may parallel the prophesied obtaining of the Bride, the Church, and restoration of the Jews:  their land, then their dispersion, and the offspring of the Church and her Lord, Obed "serving," (given to Naomi to nurse) fulfilled in the 144,000 sealed Jewish male evangelists.

Naomi actually fits the history of Israel in many ways:  blessed in land given by God, then dispersed and living away from the land, suffering great losses in family, blessed by the Christians as portrayed in her daughter-in-law, Naomi returns to Bethlehem, her wisdom is shared, she is preserved, restored and in the end fully blessed and no longer bitter.   Naomi's name means "pleasantness."

The church has learned much from Israel, just as Ruth did from Naomi.  Ruth follows Naomi  to the "house of bread" (Bethlehem) and "praise" (Judah).  Ruth is young and strong and Naomi is old, widowed, her sons dead.

Boaz lives in Bethlehem Ephrath, Ephratha.

Boaz is rich, with land and fields and many workers, (and so is our Lord).  Ruth comes out of a place of famine (Moab, an accursed place in Scripture), just as we believers come out of the world when we come to the Lord.  (Orpah seems to fulfill the type of those who go back into the world).  I believe that the fact that Ruth has come out of a place of famine and suffered deaths of the men in the family hints that the church will go through great difficulties before meeting Jesus -- but this story does not portray the church going through the great tribulation of the outpouring of God's wrath.   The church like Ruth, is chosen, provided for, engaged, married and has a child, and loves and shares with Naomi who is restored.

Boaz notices the way Ruth has behaved in caring for her mother-in-law (as also the church is told to pray for Israel and to treat Jesus' brethren, the Jews, with love).  Boaz sees how she behaves as she works among the men in the field to obtain food (and so does the Lord observe our lifestyle among men).  We see tht Boaz keeps the Law given in Leviticus 23 as he generously allows Ruth to glean the unharvested "corners" in his fields.  When Ruth eats with Boaz in the field, he gives her the parched newly harvested grain to eat (just s the Lord provides for us in His field as we work with Him).  This brings to mind the daily fresh manna which God provides.

First, Ruth gathers and takes home to Naomi "about an ephah of barley" which is about 19.8 pints, enough to last her and Naomi for a number of days.

Boaz tells Ruth to hold out her veil and he measures in "6 measures" (Jamison Faucet Brown says this is "seahs" of 2 1/2 gallons each for a total burden of about 15 gallons -- 128 ounces per gallon x 15 gallons is 1920 ounces or 120 pounds!?) of barley and he "laid it on her" and she went into the city.  Ruth then reports to Naomi that Boaz has told her, "go not empty to thy mother-in-law."  Ruth's vail was probably a large sheet of blue, or blue and white, and was either cotton or linen.

Naomi advises Ruth to go and lie at the feet of Boaz who is sleeping on the threshing floor.  When she goes to lie at his feet as he sleeps, it seems that the grain is mostly all gathered -- another hint that the end times is depicted.  We read that he had been winnowing, had a heap of grain, and was merry.  Boaz asks who is there.  In the dark, he talks to Ruth and swears to see her cared for.  

Boaz then goes and makes the arrangements as soon as it is morning, and publicly says he will marry her.

I think we are being shown a picture of the Lord promising that He will come for His church.  Perhaps the story also shows that the church will leave behind a great provision of Scripture (food) for Israel to be used during the time Israel is still being dealt with.  This grain will be from the Lord's field, from His bounty, for Israel (Naomi) who will be living "in the city" -- perhaps a hint that the Jews would be regathered and living in Israel.  This grain for bread would be the New Testament, and the witness which has been given by the believers who love Israel.  The city Naomi lived in was Jerusalem -- while Boaz lived away from the city, but very close to it.

We then read in chapter 4, verse 13, "So Boaz took Ruth.... and she bore a son."  The elders bless Boaz and say, "make the woman like Leah and Rachel" -- expressing the hope that she will have 12 sons perhaps.  Ruth lives with Boaz (just as the raptured church will be honeymooning in the Lord's house) and I think Naomi stays in the city, in her house, and eats of the 6 measures (120 pounds, seemingly) of barley that Boaz had caused to be sent to her and which Ruth carried to her.

I think that the small amount of grain that Ruth obtained to sustain her when she lived with Naomi is like our spiritual sustenance -- enough.  The very large amount which Boaz had Ruth take to Naomi to sustain her seems to reveal that it is for a long period comparatively.  It causes me to think of the seven year tribulation period when Israel will be dealt with by the Lord and brought to a knowledge of salvation.

I recall that Ezekiel was permitted to eat daily about 1 quart of grains mixed with oil and water during a year.  The 15 gallons would last Naomi quite a while and implies that she wouldn't be living in the home of Boaz but rather remaining in the city for a time.

Since Boaz was still in the threshing floor when he made the arrangement for Ruth, it wasn't day of feast of Pentecost or else he would have been making the 6 miles trip in to Jerusalem as required (Jews were to be in Jerusalem to celebrate the feast day of Pentecost), and also Pentecost lasted for several days.  (Jamison Faucet Brown also indicates that the harvests start about early April and in in June).  The threshing was done in the evening and night breezes and the floor was an area of ground which had been leveled and prepared with chalk so that there would be no weeds or cracks in the soil.  The master himself participated in the winnowing which consisted of throwing the grain which had been trodden up on a shovel and permitting the wind to carry away the chaff, and the master would sleep amidst this harvest and guard it.

Soon, the Bride church will lie at her Lord's feet, washed and fragrant and in clean raiment just as Ruth did, submitted, and He will swear as Boaz did, to fulfill the part of the kinsman-redeemer, and He will then quickly fulfill this.  While we are still here on earth and it seems dark, we, like Ruth, will have a joyous awareness of the promise of the coming of the Lord.  The blessed hope is very like this promise!

In time, if the typology follows through the story, the wedding of the Church and the Redeemer will produce the birth of the endtime Jewish evangelists in Israel.  The picture of Naomi becoming the nurse to Obed and being full of joy (after losing husband and both of her sons, and having no hope) brings us to the time of Israel's full restoration as a people serving God, on the earth.  No doubt there is another story in which many more specific details are shown -- I think the story of Deborah and Barak and Jael may give more details about the final events on the plains of Israel.  The story of Ruth focuses on the Bride, her attributes, her betrothal, marriage, and her fruit.

The name Ruth means "satisfied."  The name Boaz means "in him is strength."  Better names for the Bride of Christ and her Lord could not be found.  The Church is satisfied and submitted, and in the Lord is all strength -- with ability to provide, ability to keep His promises, and all goodness.  A perfect husband.

The name Obed means "serving" and it reminds me of the 144,000 Jewish, male virgin evangelists who will be sealed servants, given mighty protection by God, and who will convert many.  These will be heroic Jewish men who will put the love of the Lord Jesus above all and will serve the Lord as the greatest men in the Scriptures did.  Many believers have been praying for Israel for centuries following the scriptural injunctions.  Old Naomi-Israel will truly be "pleasantness" as her name means, and not "bitterness" as she said she should be called.

Scripture says in Isaiah 61, "Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken, neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate; but thou shalt be called Hephzibah, and thy land Beulah; for the Lord delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married.  For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee."

I believe other books of the Bible will reveal other encouraging promises about these end-times.

I believe that the Feast of Pentecost may have a further fulfillment.  

When the fire fell upon the believers, I think it was God visibly germinating the wheat and that the fire was like the spark of life that only He can give.   In Prophecy in the News newsletter, I read where Dr. Kevin Clarkson in Kevin's Korner wrote:  "Just this year, scientists were amazed to see a human egg fertilized in real time.  At the joining of the sperm to the egg, the very moment of conception, a flash of light occurs.  It has been photographed."

I believe Pentecost will be somehow a part of the time when during the time of the barley harvest, which is hand picked, the Redeemer will be married to his Bride.   

A fuller harvest of wheat will be yet to come, and will compare to the use of the Tribulum, a threshing sledge with embedded rough stones which will be dragged over the wheat that is more difficult to harvest.

The marriage will take place well before the later harvest of crushing of grapes.

The marriage of the Redeemer and His Bride will produce a child, Obed, who can be compared to the 144,000 male Jewish believers upon the earth, servants of God.   As in the story of Ruth, this offspring will be given for nurturing to Israel, and they will be a great blessing to Israel of the end-times, causing those friends of Israel who actually see it and understand to marvel at how blessed Israel is because of the evangelizers, and I made a note about this in 1988.  They will bring in a great harvest, fulfilling Jesus's words about the Sower, some a hundred fold.

Although the time of His coming for us will remain secret, the year will come when the church will be gone from the earth and the Jews who gather in Jerusalem for the fall feasts will know, "The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved."  (Jeremiah 8:20)  I pray they will all earnestly seek the Lord and be guided and protected.

revised June 28, 1988  -  new version, 19Feb 2018.

Regarding interpretation, on February 19, 2018, I ran across an following article about typology in the Book of Ruth, and an encouraging quote from Dr. Mitchell L. Chase, regarding typology and the book of Ruth:
   "The NT authors never claimed to exhaust all that one can see of Christ in the OT, nor did they forbid their readers from imitating their hermeneutics. During his post-resurrection conversations with  his disciples, Jesus taught how the Law, Prophets, and Writings pointed to himself (see Luke 24:44-45; Acts 1:3). In the speeches of Acts and in the twenty-one NT letters, interpreters can see the hermeneutical moves of the biblical authors. By reflecting on and discerning these moves, interpreters will be more equipped to read the OT from the perspective of those authors. "
     Mitchell L. Chase is adjunct professor of Old Testament at Boyce College and Preaching Pastor at Kosmosdale Baptist Church, Louisville, Kentucky. He earned his PhD in Biblical Studies from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and his ThM and MDiv from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

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Edited February 19, 2018 by Mary8
to expand considerably