Don’t ask me to leave you and turn back. I will go wherever you go and live wherever you live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. I will die where you die and will be buried there. May the LORD punish me severely if I allow anything but death to separate us! ~Ruth 1:16-17
The words "where you go I go" were the very ones that rang repeatedly within my spirit when Holy Spirit began leading me to move to Kansas. For a long time I had resisted but this stirring was final and I could obey or ignore (turn aside) and remain where I was and He would permit it. But by now my heart’s longing and need for Him made it impossible to want anything less than being in His presence. I knew that I could not and cannot live without Him.In the story of Ruth, Naomi’s name actually means “pleasant, pleasing, pleasurable, agreeable,” it was she who asked that she be called Mara which meant bitter. In writing this I have chosen to use the name by which she was known of the LORD and not the one that she called herself. From this point on Naomi will represent Holy Spirit and the humble and loyal, Ruth will represent those who are looked upon as poor, fatherless, sojourners, foreigners, widows, castaways, outcasts, etc.
One of the requirements of a disciple when following Jesus is His command to leave ALL. It necessitates a total abandonment to everything that you rely upon for comfort, strength, and security including family and friends (Matt 19:29). This reality and truth confronts you and causes you to either make the decision to continue on, make excuses, or return back to what is familiar. This I can confirm because I have come to that crossroad several times this past year. Following Christ is no joke; what comes to mind is the story in the Bible of the young man who asked Jesus if he could return and bury his father and Jesus’ reply was let the dead bury their own dead (Matt 8:22). As for Ruth although, she was a gentile, she had learned of God through her relationship with Naomi (Holy Spirit). This relationship had brought about such a love in the heart of Ruth for Naomi (Holy Spirit) that she refused to leave her and return to her own people when encouraged to do so. She was willing to leave ALL in order to remain in the presence of Naomi (Holy Spirit). Her cry was that nothing less than death could separate the two of them.
Ruth would soon learn that this would be no easy journey for she now found herself amongst the chosen people of God. A gentile woman who had worshipped idols, one who did not belong, one who was considered to be less than, a poor widow with no chance at all of finding love amongst this group of people. Nevertheless, her loyalty to Naomi (Holy Spirit) along with her heart’s attitude of a servant gave her the strength to remain faithful in the midst of her circumstances. Unbeknown to Ruth, God was setting her up for something beyond anything that she could have ever imagined. She was being positioned to receive that which God declares in His word to be the exceeding, abundantly, above all that she would ever dare to ask or hope (Eph 3:20).
Ruth did not let her gentile status amongst the chosen ones keep her from obeying and following the instructions of Naomi (Holy Spirit) when she was told to go out and glean in the fields. Gleaning is the practice of gathering leftovers of grain, grapes, or other fruit after the harvesters have harvested the field. It was required by law that leftovers were left behind for the poor, fatherless, widows, sojourners, and foreigners. In spite of Ruth's poverty and status word of her loyalty, love, servant hood, to Naomi and her humility had not gone unnoticed. Holy Spirit was leading her into a spacious place of favor because she was pleasing to God. I’m sure the taunting’s of the other women who were gleaning in the field was not easy to deal with especially when it became obvious that she was being favored by the redeemer as well for he had commanded protection for her and that extra grain be left behind for her to collect.
Unsuspectingly, Ruth’s journey was about to come to a significant change. But before the change occurs it will require a greater death to self-prophetically speaking. The season of gleaning was now leading to the “threshing floor.” Threshing floors were set on hilltops so that they were exposed to the wind that blew away the chaff. The harvested grain was laid out on the threshing floor and was threshed by oxen driven over it, pulling a threshing sledge equipped with sharp teeth dragged over it, or by beating with sticks. Wooden forks were then used to throw the grain into the air so that the wind would blow off the chaff while the heavier grain fell back to the floor. Believe me as I wrote this my insides quaked as I related to the pressures, pain, shame, loss, loneliness, agony, and everything else that the tormentors (tools for sifting and separating) are permitted to do during the process. If the wheat and barley could speak I’m sure that during the threshing process we would hear a tremendous amount of wailing, screaming objections, but when it all settles down that which falls at the feet of the harvester is the valuable wheat freed from the worthless chaff.
Holy Spirit’s (Naomi) next request would be for Ruth to change her appearance by ridding herself of the old clothing, take a bath, anoint herself with perfume (oil), put on her finest clothes, and go to the THRESHING FLOOR. Let me digress here for a moment and say that prophetically what I see here is the same as what took place with Jesus. Before His finest hour (resurrection) His feet were washed, He was anointed with perfumed oil, He was flogged unmercifully, and afterwards they gambled for His clothing. The THRESHING FLOOR would be the final place where Ruth’s total obedience and submission would bring forth God’s divine plan for her life and the fulfillment of historical prophecy. The threshing process would result in this poor, gentile, widowed, second class citizen of the community to be ushered into the genealogy of Jesus, Himself.
Women were not allowed to be at the threshing floor. Her presence there could have easily been misunderstood but her obedience in following the instructions of Naomi (Holy Spirit) was in no way unlawful. According to the social custom of that day a girl could not propose to a man but she was free to indicate that she was interested in being married. One of those ways would be to warm the man’s feet. Holy Spirit (Naomi) instructed Ruth to uncover Boaz’ feet, lie down and wait for him (the Redeemer) to tell her what to do. What happens next is phenomenally prophetic (as far as I’m concerned). The story reveals that at MIDNIGHT (Matt 25:6) Boaz, the redeemer, was startled and awoke to find a woman lying at his feet. Her willingness to lay prostrate, the position of rest, at the feet of this man was a display of her utmost loyalty, humility, and submission. Upon revealing her identity she proceeds to ask that he would now spread his wings over her and the rest of the story is “HIStory.” Her life was forever changed.
This story gives me great hope. As one who chose to follow Holy Spirit (my Naomi) on a journey that required abandoning all that gave comfort, security, and strength, as one who left family and friends to follow Jesus’ leading, as one who now lives a life of gleaning (would that my attitude be more like that of Ruth), as one who has submitted to the threshing I now choose to go beyond sitting at the feet of my REDEEMER-JESUS. I have chosen to lay myself prostrate, in the position of rest, uncover my Lord’s feet, and warm them with my presence and WAIT because it’s almost MIDNIGHT!
Behold the Bridegroom cometh!!!!!!!!
Timbra (Beverly)
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