The Book of Ruth – Rth 1:1–22  The LORD had Visited His People in Giving Them Bread 

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Rth 1:1 –22  The LORD had Visited His People in Giving Them Bread

[Study Aired October 4, 2021]

Rth 1:1  Now it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehemjudah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons. 
Rth 1:2  And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehemjudah. And they came into the country of Moab, and continued there. 
Rth 1:3  And Elimelech Naomi’s husband died; and she was left, and her two sons. 
Rth 1:4  And they took them wives of the women of Moab; the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth: and they dwelled there about ten years. 
Rth 1:5  And Mahlon and Chilion died also both of them; and the woman was left of her two sons and her husband. 
Rth 1:6  Then she arose with her daughters in law, that she might return from the country of Moab: for she had heard in the country of Moab how that the LORD had visited his people in giving them bread. 
Rth 1:7  Wherefore she went forth out of the place where she was, and her two daughters in law with her; and they went on the way to return unto the land of Judah. 
Rth 1:8  And Naomi said unto her two daughters in law, Go, return each to her mother’s house: the LORD deal kindly with you, as ye have dealt with the dead, and with me. 
Rth 1:9  The LORD grant you that ye may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband. Then she kissed them; and they lifted up their voice, and wept. 
Rth 1:10  And they said unto her, Surely we will return with thee unto thy people. 
Rth 1:11  And Naomi said, Turn again, my daughters: why will ye go with me? are there yet any more sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands? 
Rth 1:12  Turn again, my daughters, go your way; for I am too old to have an husband. If I should say, I have hope, if I should have an husband also to night, and should also bear sons; 
Rth 1:13  Would ye tarry for them till they were grown? would ye stay for them from having husbands? nay, my daughters; for it grieveth me much for your sakes that the hand of the LORD is gone out against me. 
Rth 1:14  And they lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed her mother in law; but Ruth clave unto her. 
Rth 1:15  And she said, Behold, thy sister in law is gone back unto her people, and unto her gods: return thou after thy sister in law. 
Rth 1:16  And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: 
Rth 1:17  Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the LORD do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me. 
Rth 1:18  When she saw that she was stedfastly minded to go with her, then she left speaking unto her. 
Rth 1:19  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? 
Rth 1:20  And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me. 
Rth 1:21  I went out full, and the LORD hath brought me home again empty: why then call ye me Naomi, seeing the LORD hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me? 
Rth 1:22  So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter in law, with her, which returned out of the country of Moab: and they came to Bethlehem in the beginning of barley harvest. 

The book of Ruth is named for its central character, a Moabite woman who married an Israelite living in Moab. After the death of her husband, Ruth moved to Judah with her mother-in-law, Naomi, instead of remaining with her own people. Ruth then became the wife of Boaz, a wealthy kinsman of her former husband, and bore Obed, who, according to the final verses of the book, was the grandfather of David.

As we have always stressed, it is the spirit that makes us alive in Christ, the flesh or the letter of the word is unprofitable. Thus, our study of the Book of Ruth will be based on what our Lord is telling us in the spirit about this Book.

Joh 6:63  It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. 

Rth 1:1  Now it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehemjudah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons. 
Rth 1:2  And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehemjudah. And they came into the country of Moab, and continued there. 

The period that this story of Ruth and her mother-in-law Naomi took place was during the days when Israel did not have a king and was therefore ruled by various judges. A key characteristic of this period is that because there was no king, everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

Jdg 21:25  In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.

This verse is to let us know that when Christ has not ascended the throne of our hearts, we are subjected to the dictates of the old man, or the flesh, and therefore do whatever we want, thinking we are serving God. That was what happened to the Israelites during the time of the Judges and in the case of Naomi and her husband, Elimelech. We all, in a certain period of our lives, followed the dictates of our flesh when Christ was not king in our hearts.

As we are aware, one of the Lord’s four sore judgments is famine.

Eze 14:21  For thus saith the Lord GOD; How much more when I send my four sore judgments upon Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the noisome beast, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast?

Although there was a physical famine in the land of Bethlehem of Judea, what we are talking about here is famine of the absence of the word of God.

Amo 8:11  Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD:
Amo 8:12  And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it.

Bethlehem means ‘house of bread’ and therefore represents the house of God where there is bread, which is the word of God. The famine in Bethlehem shows that here Bethlehem signifies the apostate churches of this world or Babylon where there is lack of the word of God. So, we as His elect are starved of the true word of God through famine in Babylon (Bethlehem), and as a result, we move to Moab just as Naomi moved to Moab with her husband and two sons.

The Moabites believed in God but did not give Him the honor He deserves. They believed in physical reward for service rendered to God. This is clearly demonstrated by the Moabites coming to Balaam with gifts for him to curse the people of God.

Num 22:7  And the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the rewards of divination in their hand; and they came unto Balaam, and spake unto him the words of Balak.
Num 22:8  And he said unto them, Lodge here this night, and I will bring you word again, as the LORD shall speak unto me: and the princes of Moab abode with Balaam.

Thus, Moab represents the apostate churches of this world or Babylon who love rewards and are in spiritual adultery by worshipping another Jesus.

Jud 1:11  Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.

2Pe 2:12  But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption;
2Pe 2:13  And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time. Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you; 
2Pe 2:14  Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children:
2Pe 2:15  Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;

2Co 11:3  But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
2Co 11:4  For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.

As shown in Amos 8:12, famine is a tool God uses to make us wander to and fro trying to seek God but not finding Him. In order to understand the significance of moving to Moab, let’s look at the role the land of Moab plays in the life of God’s elect.

It was in the plain of Moab that the Israelites had their last encampment. In other words, Moab represents our last point in our walk in Babylon before we leave Babylon to fight the enemies of the promised land to inhabit our possession, which is our body.

Num 22:1  And the children of Israel set forward, and pitched in the plains of Moab on this side Jordan by Jericho.

It is as we stand in Moab and Mount Nebo, which is in Moab and is opposite Jericho, that we see the promised land. In other words, being in Moab means God is preparing us for our exit from Babylon as our Lord starts to open our eyes to see, but we are not given to go there yet because we are still carnal and ruled by the flesh.

Deu 34:1  And Moses went up from the plains of Moab unto the mountain of Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, that is over against Jericho. And the LORD shewed him all the land of Gilead, unto Dan,
Deu 34:2  And all Naphtali, and the land of Ephraim, and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah, unto the utmost sea,
Deu 34:3  And the south, and the plain of the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, unto Zoar.
Deu 34:4  And the LORD said unto him, This is the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, I will give it unto thy seed: I have caused thee to see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither.

It is in Moab that we come to know what the law of sin and death stands for as we see it complete its work in our lives in the sense that we come to see who we really are. This is signified by Moses proclaiming the law in the land of Moab and finally dying there. Moses means drawing out, so the law draws out of us our beastly nature. As we come to know this, we become dead to the law of sin and death, which is symbolized by the death of Moses in Moab, and we are now ready to start our walk of faith in Christ.

Rom 3:20  Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

Gal 3:24  Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 
Gal 3:25  But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

Deu 1:5  On this side Jordan, in the land of Moab, began Moses to declare this law, saying,

Deu 34:5  So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD.
Deu 34:6  And he buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, over against Bethpeor: but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day.

Rth 1:3  And Elimelech, Naomi’s husband died; and she was left, and her two sons.

The name Elimelech means ‘my God is king’ and that of Naomi means ‘my joy’.

Jer 49:25  How is the city of praise not left, the city of my joy!

So here Naomi signifies the bride of Christ, which is the city of praise, and Elimelech represents our Lord who died so He would pave the way for the Comforter to come and guide Naomi and Ruth or the church of the first born to the truth.

Joh 16:7  Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

Joh 16:13  Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

Rth 1:4  And they took them wives of the women of Moab; the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth: and they dwelled there about ten years.

The two wives here represent the two Jerusalems. One (Orpah) is in bondage with her children, and the other is the New Jerusalem which is the mother of us all. Orpah is a symbol of the existing churches of this world, and Ruth stands for the elect.

Gal 4:24  Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar.
Gal 4:25  For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.
Gal 4:26  But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.
Gal 4:27  For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband.

The number ten stands for the completeness of the flesh, and so ‘dwelling in Moab for ten years’ suggests that the patience of our flesh is exhausted in Babylon and must be ready for judgement.

Rth 1:5  And Mahlon and Chilion died also both of them; and the woman was left of her two sons and her husband.

The death of Mahlon and Chilion are all part of the judgment that the bride of Christ, represented here by Naomi and Ruth, face as the death of our Lord precipitates the coming of the Comforter who comes to reprove us of judgment.

Joh 16:7  Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
Joh 16:8  And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
Joh 16:9  Of sin, because they believe not on me;
Joh 16:10  Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;
Joh 16:11  Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.
Joh 16:12  I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.
Joh 16:13  Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

As we will learn later, Orpah represents the Babylonian system and therefore is not judged but faces suffering which is common to man in this life.

Joh 16:33  These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

Rth 1:6  Then she arose with her daughters in law, that she might return from the country of Moab: for she had heard in the country of Moab how that the LORD had visited his people in giving them bread.
Rth 1:7  Wherefore she went forth out of the place where she was, and her two daughters in law with her; and they went on the way to return unto the land of Judah.

As was indicated earlier, the Bethlehem that Naomi left during the famine represented Babylon, but the Bethlehem to which Naomi was returning with her daughter-in-law had been visited by the Lord with bread, which is the word of God. So the Bethlehem that Naomi was returning to is the Heavenly Jerusalem or the church of the first born.

Heb 12:22  But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,
Heb 12:23  To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,
Heb 12:24  And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.
Heb 12:25  See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven: 
Heb 12:26  Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven.
Heb 12:27  And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.

The leaving of the land of Moab to go to Bethlehem, the house of bread, is therefore the same as leaving Babylon to join the church of the first born.

Rev 18:4  And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

Rth 1:8  And Naomi said unto her two daughters in law, Go, return each to her mother’s house: the LORD deal kindly with you, as ye have dealt with the dead, and with me. 
Rth 1:9  The LORD grant you that ye may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband. Then she kissed them; and they lifted up their voice, and wept. 
Rth 1:10  And they said unto her, Surely we will return with thee unto thy people. 

Naomi’s persuasion for the daughters-in-law to return to the land of Moab is the same as what our Lord said concerning counting the cost to become His disciples.

Luk 14:25  And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them,
Luk 14:26  If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.
Luk 14:27  And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.
Luk 14:28  For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?
Luk 14:29  Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, 
Luk 14:30  Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish.
Luk 14:31  Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand?
Luk 14:32  Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace.
Luk 14:33  So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.

This journey to the New Jerusalem demands our all. In this admonition by the Lord, a great multitude was following Him, but our Lord was not impressed by the crowd as He knows that in this life He is saving only a few. This admonition to count the cost before following Him is not to suggest that we play a part in our salvation. All that is being said here is that those who are destined to be part of the New Jerusalem are able to lose everything to follow Him, and all of this is the work of God. All we must do is to believe in Jesus that what He starts, He is able to finish!!

Joh 6:28  Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?
Joh 6:29  Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

Rth 1:11  And Naomi said, Turn again, my daughters: why will ye go with me? are there yet any more sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands?
Rth 1:12  Turn again, my daughters, go your way; for I am too old to have an husband. If I should say, I have hope, if I should have an husband also to night, and should also bear sons; 
Rth 1:13  Would ye tarry for them till they were grown? would ye stay for them from having husbands? nay, my daughters; for it grieveth me much for your sakes that the hand of the LORD is gone out against me. 

This part of the passage of scripture is to let us know that Naomi had come to a point where she realized she could do nothing in furthering the cause of herself and her daughters-in-law. It is when we come to this point in our walk with Christ that we learn to rest in Christ as He then takes over.

Joh 15:4  Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
Joh 15:5  I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. 

Heb 4:9  There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.
Heb 4:10  For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.

The statement “the hand of the Lord is gone against me” is to let us know that Naomi, who represents the elect, was under judgment from the Lord. The end result of this hand of the Lord against us or Naomi is to make us learn righteousness, which is another way of saying that the old man is dying, and the new man is rising within us.

1Pe 4:16  Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf. 
1Pe 4:17  For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? 
1Pe 4:18  And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?

Isa 26:8  Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O LORD, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee.
Isa 26:9  With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.

Rth 1:14  And they lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed her mother in law; but Ruth clave unto her.

As we can see, Orpah finally departed to stay in Moab. She started the journey, but returned to her vomit as the cost of discipleship was too much for her, thinking it is through her own strength that she can obtain salvation. As we indicated earlier, Orpah signifies the existing apostate churches of this world or Babylon. They are called but are not chosen to leave Moab to go back to Bethlehem, the house of bread, where the Lord is visiting His people. We are called and chosen, like Ruth, to leave the camp of Babylon or Moab to go to the house of God.

Heb 13:13  Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach.
Heb 13:14  For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come.

The return of Orpah to Moab is because she was carried about by divers and strange doctrines, and therefore did not have the right to eat in the New Jerusalem or the house of bread.

Heb 13:9  Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein.
Heb 13:10  We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle.

Rth 1:15  And she said, Behold, thy sister in law is gone back unto her people, and unto her gods: return thou after thy sister in law. 
Rth 1:16  And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: 
Rth 1:17  Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the LORD do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.

These statements by Ruth reflect what Peter told our Lord Jesus when He asked whether the disciples would also want to leave Him.

Joh 6:67  Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?
Joh 6:68  Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.
Joh 6:69  And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.

As God’s elect, we have nowhere to go as we are aware that it is in the church where we hear our Lord speak, as He has the words of eternal life. What Ruth said is the same as losing her whole life for the sake of coming to Bethlehem with her mother-in-law Naomi.

Mat 16:25  For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.

Rev 12:11  And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

Rth 1:18  When she saw that she was stedfastly minded to go with her, then she left speaking unto her.

One of the key qualities that is required of overcomers is that they are steadfast. That is a key characteristic we see in Ruth, who represents the elect. To be steadfast means that one is resolute or unwavering. A steadfast person knows what he believes and cannot be tossed back and forth by the waves and blown here and there by every wind of false teaching.

1Co 15:58  Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

To remain steadfast and unmovable we have to know the Word of God. That means we must be diligent to present ourselves approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.

2Ti 2:15  Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Rth 1:19  So the 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?

Our entering into the New Jerusalem from Babylon does not mean that we are righteous or matured children of God. No. Actually, we had come to know who we were as the law of sin and death had accomplished its work in us by letting us know that we cannot help ourselves to do any good thing and that when we look in the mirror, what we see is us as the greatest sinner!! That was the situation Naomi and Ruth found themselves in as they entered Bethlehem, which in this case is a symbol of the heavenly Jerusalem which is the mother of us all. The gathering of the saints is shown us in the following scripture:

1Sa 22:2  And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became a captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men.

In this verse, David represents our Lord Jesus Christ who operated outside the camp of religion of His days. There are three categories of people representing the elect who went to David:

Those in distress – The dictionary defines being in distress as extreme anxiety, suffering, pain or affliction. Weren’t we all in some form of suffering when we left Babylon and entered the heavenly Jerusalem? Even now, we are still going through all kinds of suffering so that we will learn righteousness.

Those in debt – They are those who recognized that they were sinful. Being sinful means we are indebted to God.

Those who were discontented – They are those who recognized they were sinners but are frustrated that they cannot do anything to change their situation.

Rom 7:14  For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. (ESV)
Rom 7:15  For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. (ESV)
Rom 7:16  Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. (ESV)

Rom 7:24  O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? (KJV)
Rom 7:25  I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin. (KJV)

That was the situation in which we all found ourselves as we left Babylon (Moab) and came to the house of bread (Bethlehem), just like Naomi and Ruth. The next two verses throw more light on the spiritual immaturity of Naomi as she entered Bethlehem:

Rth 1:20  And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me.
Rth 1:21  I went out full, and the LORD hath brought me home again empty: why then call ye me Naomi, seeing the LORD hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me? 

Here we see Naomi not content with God’s judgment. We all in our time had disannulled God’s judgment just like Naomi. What Naomi and we all have said when we went through suffering was that we do not deserve this judgment from God. At that time of our exit from Babylon, we did not know about God’s judgment and what it accomplishes and therefore disannulled our Lord’s judgment.

Job 40:6  Then answered the LORD unto Job out of the whirlwind, and said,
Job 40:7  Gird up thy loins now like a man: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.
Job 40:8  Wilt thou also disannul my judgment? wilt thou condemn me, that thou mayest be righteous?

Rth 1:22  So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter in law, with her, which returned out of the country of Moab: and they came to Bethlehem in the beginning of barley harvest.

The significant point here in this verse is that when Naomi and Ruth came to Bethlehem from Moab, it was the beginning of barley harvest. Barley is a cereal grain that is used in bread and other dishes. Two grain crops are prominent in the Scriptures – barley and wheat. In Bible times, barley was much more widely cultivated than it is now and was the main food of the poor. It was always valued less than wheat (2Ki 7:1, Rev 6:6). Although barley was sometimes used as fodder in Bible days (1Ki 4:28), its main use was as a staple food. It was ground and baked into round cakes (Jdg 7:13).

In Leviticus 23:10, the Israelites were instructed to bring to the priest a sheaf of the first grain to mature.

Lev 23:10  Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest:
Lev 23:11  And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it.

In 1 Corinthian 15:23, Paul applies this to Christ.

1Co 15:23  But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.

Christ being the firstfruits means that we, the elect, represent the harvest. It is in the heavenly Jerusalem, or the church of the first born, that we mature to be harvested by the Lord. So, coming to Bethlehem in the beginning of barley harvest means that we really start or begin our maturity journey in the church of the first born.

Our time in the church, or the New Jerusalem, is the period of the harvest when all the tares in us are dealt with by the Lord as He sends us His angels or messengers through their fiery words to gather out of His kingdom within us all things that offend and our iniquities. These are cast into a furnace of fire to be burnt. The furnace of fire represents the judgment we go through by the Lord to make us ready to be harvested at His own time.

Mat 13:24  Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:
Mat 13:25  But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.
Mat 13:26  But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.
Mat 13:27  So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?
Mat 13:28  He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?
Mat 13:29  But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.
Mat 13:30  Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

Our Lord’s interpretation of this parable is as follows:

Mat 13:36  Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field.
Mat 13:37  He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man;
Mat 13:38  The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;
Mat 13:39  The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.
Mat 13:40  As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.
Mat 13:41  The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;
Mat 13:42  And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Mat 13:43  Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

Our time in Babylon is the period where the enemy comes to sow tares (wrong doctrines through the children of the wicked one) among the wheat (the truth) in our lives as we grow. At that time outwardly, everybody, including ourselves, thinks we are good Christians, and so there is no difference between the called and the called and chosen. However, inwardly, we are the children of the devil. It is therefore only during the period of the harvest, that is our time in Bethlehem or the church of the first born, that we come to clearly see the tares and the wheat through the angels sent by our Lord. That is when all the tares in us are destroyed by our fiery trials, and we are ready to be harvested as mature sons of God.

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