Ruth – Your people shall be my people.
During Pentecost it is customary to read the book of Ruth.
The following blog article is a meditation on the meaning of Pentecost and the story of the book of Ruth.
The basic synopses of this meditation is that when Israel is in judgement God moves in blessing to the gentiles. This is alluded to in Genesis chapter one verse two and is connected to the book of Ruth as we shall see shortly.
The book of Ruth is about the grafting in of gentiles into Israel. Through her devotion Ruth became the great grandmother of King David.
The story of the book of Ruth occurs during the period of the judges at a time when there was a famine in the land.
The story centres on a Jewish family from Bethlehem Judah headed by a man named Elimelech that leaves Israel goes to the adjacent nation of Moab to live. Elimelech has a wife named Naomi, and two sons, Mahlon and Chillon who marry Moabite wives named Orpah and Ruth.
Sadly all three males die leaving all the women without husbands. Naomi decides to return to Bethlehem in Israel, Orpah decides to stay in Moab and return to her gods while Ruth clings to Naomi.
Although a Moabites, Ruth became a gentile convert from the pagan religion of her nation. Ruth returned with her mother in law to Bethlehem in Judah in the land of Israel.
Let’s look at the key verse in Ruth that brings this meditation together.
So they two went until they came to Bethlehem. And it came to pass, when they were come to Bethlehem, that all the city was moved about them, and they said, Is this Naomi?
Ruth 1:19
וַתֵּלַכְנָה שְׁתֵּיהֶם עַד־בֹּאָנָה בֵּית לָחֶם וַיְהִי כְּבֹאָנָה בֵּית לֶחֶם וַתֵּהֹם כָּל־הָעִיר עֲלֵיהֶן וַתֹּאמַרְנָה הֲזֹאת נָעֳמִֽי׃
Obviously the scripture here in context plainly tell us that everyone was glad that Naomi had returned, as it says ‘that all the city was moved‘. We later read that the villages were impressed that Ruth not only showed such loyalty to her mother in law, Naomi, but also to the God of Israel.
Later Ruth would find a new husband in Boaz who became her kinsman redeemer. This shows that not only is God gracious to gentiles but that the Torah applies to gentile converts, especially when Israel is in the land!
But here is the interesting part…
‘Tohom’ – The Deep
The Hebrew word translated ‘moved’ is ‘tahom‘ which literally means ‘she was/is moved’ and comes from the root ‘hom’. (The reason it says ‘she’ is that the word for ‘city’ עיר, is a feminine noun).
H1949 הוּם
hûm hoom
A primitive root (compare H2000); to make an uproar, or agitate greatly: - destroy, move, make a noise, put, ring again.
So the idea is that a great commotion was stirred up – but in a good way since the villages were pleased that Naomi had returned.
But the very way the phrase was written in Hebrew, ‘tahom’, תֵּהֹם, ‘she was moved’ reminded me of another similar sounding word that actually ties some ideas together concerning the gentiles. This word is ‘tahom’ which means the ‘deep‘.
H8415 תּהם תּהום
tehôm tehôm
teh-home', teh-home'
(Usually feminine) from H1949; an abyss (as a surging mass of water), especially the deep (the main sea or the subterranean water supply): - deep (place), depth.
This word is used in Genesis 1:2,
And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
Genesis 1:2
וְהָאָרֶץ הָיְתָה תֹהוּ וָבֹהוּ וְחֹשֶׁךְ עַל־פְּנֵי תְהֹום וְרוּחַ אֱלֹהִים מְרַחֶפֶת עַל־פְּנֵי הַמָּֽיִם׃
Now this sets off a whole new train of thinking about the judgement of Israel with God moving instead amongst the nations because the earth represents the land of Israel and ‘the waters‘ represent the nations (Isaiah 17:12,13).
The earth here in verse two of Genesis is in a state of judgement, it is ‘formless and void‘ (in Hebrew tohu v’bohu, תֹהוּ וָבֹהוּ) and darkness is upon the face of the ‘deep‘ (‘tahom’, תְהֹום). God will deal with this darkness by saying ‘Let there be light’. Until then the earth is in a chaotic state and the nations are in pagan darkness.
This picture of the judgement of the earth is also related to the judgement of the land, the land of Israel. The word translated ‘the earth‘, HaAretz, הָאָרֶץ, is also the same word for ‘land’, as in land of Israel, eretz Israel.
The land comes into judgement due to the wickedness of the inhabitants. This is true for the Canaanites and also for the Israelites (Lev 18:28). There was a famine in the land after Joseph was betrayed by his brethren (Gen 41:56), and during the apostasy of Jezebel and Ahab in the days of Elijah (1 Kings 18:2, 2 Kings 6:25). And so it is in the time of the judges when people are doing what is right in their own eyes (Judges 17:6) which we are not to do (Deut 12:8 ).
And when the inhabitants of the land are in apostasy the land is in judgement and it becomes desolate and there is famine.
During this period of judgement where Israel is out of the land the good news has gone forth to the nations. The Spirit of God is not moving on the land (Israel) it is moving upon the waters (the gentile nations). Then gentiles like Ruth can hear the truth of יהוה via the dispersed of Israel. They then have the opportunity to choose the God of Israel to be their God and forsake their pagan Gods. This has been exactly what has happened over the past 2000 years while the land of Israel has been in judgement through dispersion.
The unbelieving Jews were scattered by the Romans so in this way they are in darkness, the ‘darkness’ that ‘was upon the face of the deep’.
Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway.
Romans 11:10
But there were Jews that believed of course also. They were of the light. The early church started with the Jews. Now God is gathering in the remnant of the gentiles, and many of them are from the ten lost tribes of the House of Israel but many others are not. When this period of grace draws to a close Israel shall be regathered, both Jews and lost tribes.
For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
Romans 11:25
This term ‘fulness of the gentiles‘ has a double meaning, see the article titled the ‘Regathering of the 10 lost tribes‘ for details. This period of grace that we are in while Israel is in Judgement and dispersion is signified by Shavuot (Pentecost) and the harvest of souls it represents.
In order for there to be a Pentecostal Harvest of souls there must be a kinsman redeemer, which is another theme in the book of Ruth.
Pentecost, barley in, wheat coming
This is where the theme of the barley harvest fits in. It represents a harvest of souls. But it is more to do with Judah in particular.
During the barley harvest Ruth is brought in, and she becomes the great grandmother of King David.
In the book of Ruth Boaz, the kinsman redeemer gives Ruth the Barley in a very special way.
Also he said, Bring the vail that thou hast upon thee, and hold it. And when she held it, he measured six measures of barley, and laid it on her: and she went into the city.
Ruth 3:15
וַיֹּאמֶר הָבִי הַמִּטְפַּחַת אֲשֶׁר־עָלַיִךְ וְאֶֽחֳזִי־בָהּ וַתֹּאחֶז בָּהּ וַיָּמָד שֵׁשׁ־שְׂעֹרִים וַיָּשֶׁת עָלֶיהָ וַיָּבֹא הָעִֽיר׃
There are six measures of barley. The number six points to the six days of creation and mankind (Adam/Israel) in particular who were created on the sixth day. In the article ‘God’s Image‘ we saw that Israel is Adam. And Adam was made outside the garden and placed there later by the Lord.
The dumping of the barley into her vail has a sexual connotation in the sense that the seed of Boaz, the kinsman redeemer, is going to go through Ruth who became his wife. That seed would become the line of David.
And it is through King David that Messiah Yeshua is born who reaches out to the lost tribes and the Gentiles. Soon Yeshua will gather back the lost sheep of the House of Israel to join with the Jews. So we can see a sort of circle of blessing going from Israel to the nations and back to Israel again.
In the time between Unleavened bread and Pentecost, the fifty days of the counting of the Omer is completed and the barley harvest is brought in. The wheat Harvest then begins. The wheat harvest is more to do with the nations and the lost tribes.
We can see that God works for good even when we are in judgement if we are called according to his purposes. And God has a way of preserving his elect amongst Israel and the nations even in a time of judgement and famine.
And now we are at the cusp of not only World War but the regathering of the lost tribes of the House of Israel. They shall join with the House of Judah in the land of Israel under the Torah of Israel and in faith in the Messiah of Israel, Yeshua the son of David.
For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?
Romans 11:15
So we can see God working amongst the nations even when darkness is upon Israel. But though ‘darkness be upon the face of the deep‘ it is God himself that says, ‘let there be light‘.
Soon it shall be Menorah lighting time in Israel but first we have some painful things to endure as judgement comes upon the nations and Israel through World War 3. We must be patient and keep the commandments of יהוה and the testimony of Yeshua. If God brought Ruth the Moabitess back to the land he will bring back the remnant of the seed of Jacob that calls upon Him and walks in His ways. And He will also bring back those from the nations that humble themselves as Ruth did and obeyed God and showed reverence for her husband and redeemer.
The harvest is drawing to a close as is the darkness, soon Israel shall be regathered. The spirit of the Lord is moving upon the waters and God shall say ‘Let there be light‘. And God shall separate the light from the darkness. After this the dry land appears and soon Adam/Israel shall be placed back in that land in the garden of Eden!
