The book of Ruth is perhaps one of the most beautiful stories in the Bible. (Read it. It’s short and well-worth it.) There is an aspect of Ruth’s story, however, that is often overlooked. That is, Ruth’s story prefigures the story of the Church and her members. The parallels are numerous. Here are a few:
Ruth was a Moabite. Therefore, she once worshiped false gods. Insofar as we are former worshipers of false gods, we too were once “Moabites.” Ruth was made a member of Israel through no doing of her own. The family of Elimelech (which means “my God is king”) traveled from Israel to Moab, and the son of Elimelech took Ruth as his bride. Likewise, we have been made a member of God’s People through no doing of our own. Just as the son of Elimelech came from Israel to Moab, so the Son of God has come down from heaven to earth to take us as His bride.
Ruth’s husband died, leaving her desolate and barren. The Church’s husband, Jesus Christ, was crucified, leaving us desolate and barren. After her husband died, Ruth was told to turn back from Israel, to return to Moab, and to resume her worship of a false god. The Church, in the face of her Husband’s crucifixion, is tempted continuously to turn back to her former way of life and to resume her worship of false gods.
Ruth responded to this temptation thusly: “Where you go, I will go; where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die, I will die – there will I be buried. May the Lord do thus and so to me, and more as well, if even death parts me from you!” (Ruth 1:16-17) Let Ruth’s steadfast faith and love be the steadfast faith and love of the Church.
As a result of her faithfulness, Ruth was taken out of Moab and into Israel’s Promised Land. It is there that she met Boaz, who was said to be “one with the right to redeem.” (Ruth 3:9) Though a foreigner, Ruth was allowed to glean the wheat from the fields of Boaz. Members of the Church who remain steadfastly committed to our Lord will be brought into the true Promised Land, where we (though foreigners) will be invited to glean the wheat from the fields. In the Promised Land, we will meet our Boaz: the risen Christ. Ruth was redeemed by Boaz, who took her to be his wife. The Church will be redeemed by the risen Christ, who will take us to be his wife.
Before the book of Ruth is the book of Judges, which concludes thusly: ““In those days there was no king in Israel; all the people did what was right in their own eyes.” (Judges 21:25) After the book of Ruth is the book of 1 Samuel, which tells of God using David to establish His reign in Israel. Ruth was the transitional piece between everyone doing what was right in their own eyes and God reigning through David. Likewise, the Church is the transitional piece between everyone doing what is right in their own eyes and God reigning through the One whom David foreshadowed: Jesus Christ.
Ruth refused to abandon what had taken place in her marriage. Her steadfast commitment, by God’s weaving of her story, ultimately brought about her redemption. Just so, even though we’ll face loss in this life, even though the Church’s Husband has been crucified, God will weave the stories of his faithful people in such a way that we will be redeemed and wedded to the risen Jesus, just like Ruth was redeemed and wedded to Boaz.
This beautiful little story provides a type of the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Ruth was a Gentile who married the man who was in the lineage of Christ. She was therefore a type of the Gentile Church and Boaz was a type of the Lord. Boaz was owner of the field where Ruth gleaned wheat. As owner of the field, Boaz provided hired servants to harvest the grain with harvesting tools. This is like the powerful gifts of the Spirit that the Lord has provided missionary evangelists with which to evangelize multitudes of people. But Ruth, as a type of the Church, has only her hands with which to gather the stalks of grain one-by-one. This is like believers who must win the lost one-by-one with prayer and testimony and acts of kindness. But the grain that Ruth gathers are her own, just like the souls we manage to save will be our fruit in Heaven.
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