GOD’S ECONOMY
SERIES THIRTEEN
GOD’S ECONOMY IN ALL THE BOOKS OF THE BIBLE
God’s Economy as Revealed in the Old Testament
Message Nine
God’s Economy as Revealed in Ruth
Scripture Reading: Deut. 23:3, Ruth. 1:15-17, 2:11-12, 3:12-13, 4:1-22, John 3:29, Eph. 1:23, Rom. 7:4, Matt. 1:5-16
I. The book of Ruth, being a record of a couple’s excellent story, bright and aromatic, is a complete prefigure of the Gentile sinners’ being bought, with Israel, God’s elect, into the divine inheritance through the redemption of Christ in their union with Him—Eph. 2:12-14: (2010 FTTA-Spring, msg. 11)
A. As an appendix to the book of Judges, the book of ruth is an excellent, bright, and aromatic story against a background of miserable, dark, and stinking history—Ruth. 1:1, 6-7. (2010 FTTA-Spring, msg. 11)
B. The book of Ruth is an important part of the genealogy of Christ—Mat. 1:5, footnote 3. (2010 FTTA-Spring, msg. 11)
II. The central thought of the book of Ruth is that a Gentile, even a Moabitess, could be joined to God’s holy elect and become an heir to partake of the holy inheritance through her union with the one of the holy elect who redeemed her—Deut. 23:3, Ruth 1:15-17, 2:11-12: (Life-study of Ruth, msg. 1)
A. This is not merely a type but a complete prefigure of the Gentile sinners’ being brought, with Israel, God’s elect, into the divine inheritance through the redemption of Christ in their union with Him—Eph. 2:1, 21. (Life-study of Ruth, msg. 1)
B. Ruth became an important ancestor to bring Christ into humanity; this ushered in the marvelous incarnation, which made God one with man; this is the intrinsic significance of the content of the book of Ruth—Ruth 4:13b-22. (Life-study of Ruth, msg. 1)
C. The book of Ruth has six sections—1:1-2, 3-7, 19-22, 8-18, ch. 2, 3, 4: (Life-study of Ruth, msg. 1)
1. The first section shows us that Elimelech, one of God’s elect, swerved from the rest in God’s economy—1:1-2. (Life-study of Ruth, msg. 1)
2. The second section concerns Naomi’s returning to the rest in God’s economy. Whereas Elimelech swerved from this rest, Naomi returned to it—1:3-7, 19-22. (Life-study of Ruth, msg. 1)
3. What we see in Ruth, however, is not just her resolution or her determination but her choosing for her goal. This is described in the third section of the book—1:8-18. (Life-study of Ruth, msg. 1)
4. The next section of this book (ch. 2) covers Ruth’s exercising of her right. After she made a choice regarding her goal, she exercised her right. (Life-study of Ruth, msg. 1)
5. The fifth section of this book (ch. 3) covers Ruth’s seeking for her rest. Once she exercised the right that came to her through her choosing for her goal, Ruth, in wisdom, sought for her rest. (Life-study of Ruth, msg. 1)
6. Because Ruth was absolute for God’s economy, she received a reward from God. Ruth’s reward for God’s economy is covered in chapter four, the last section of this book. (Life-study of Ruth, msg. 1)
III. Boaz and Ruth typifying Christ and the church; Boaz typifies Christ in redeeming the church and making the church His counterpart for His increase—John 3:29, Eph. 1:23: (Life-study of Ruth, msg. 6)
A. Boaz typifies Christ in two aspects—Ruth 2:1, 14-16: (Life-study of Ruth, msg. 6)
1. As a man of noble birth—1:1, 14-16, 3:15: (Truth Lessons, Level 3, vol. 2, ch. 34)
a. In Luke 19:12 the Lord Jesus likened Himself to a man of noble birth; this signifies that the Lord Jesus, who is of the highest status, is the God-man, both honorable in His deity and noble in His humanity. (Truth Lessons, Level 3, vol. 2, ch. 34)
b. As a man rich in wealth and generous in giving, Boaz typifies Christ, whose divine riches are unsearchable and who takes care of God’s needy people with His bountiful supply—Eph. 3:8, 2 Cor. 12:9. (Life-study of Ruth, msg. 6)
2. As a kinsman of Mahlon—Ruth 4:9-10, 13: (Life-study of Ruth, msg. 6)
a. The first kinsman of Ruth’s deceased husband, Mahlon, typifies our natural man, who cannot and will not redeem us from the indebtedness (sin) of our old man—v. 6. (Truth Lessons, Level 3, vol. 2, ch. 34)
b. As a kinsman of Mahlon, the dead husband of Ruth, who redeemed the lost right of Mahlon’s property and took Mahlon’s widow, Ruth, as his wife for producing of the needed heirs, Boaz typifies Christ in redeeming the church and making the church His counterpart for His increase—v. 9-10, 13, John 3:29-30, Eph. 1:23, 5:23-32. (Life-study of Ruth, msg. 6)
B. Ruth typifies the church, as the counterpart of Christ, being redeemed—Rom. 7:4, Gen. 2:18: (2012 ST, msg. 1)
1. Ruth, being a woman in Adam in God’s creation and a Moabitess in man’s fall, thus becoming an old man with these two aspects, typifies the church, before her salvation, as men in God’s creation and sinners in man’s fall being “our old man”—Rom. 6:6. (Life-study of Ruth, msg. 6)
2. Ruth, being the widow of the dead husband, redeemed by Boaz, who cleared the indebtedness of her dead husband for the recovery of the lost right of her dead husband’s property, typifies the church with her old man as her crucified husband redeemed by Christ, who cleared away her old man’s sin for the recovery of the lost right of her fallen natural man created by God—7:4a. (Life-study of Ruth, msg. 6)
3. Ruth, after being redeemed by Boaz, becoming a new wife to him typifies the church, after being saved, through the regeneration of the church’s natural man, becoming the counterpart of Christ—7:4b. (Life-study of Ruth, msg. 6)
4. Ruth being united to Boaz typifies the Gentile sinners being attached to Christ that they may partake of the inheritance of God’s promise—Eph. 3:6. (Life-study of Ruth, msg. 6)
IV. Ruth 1:8-18 shows that Ruth made a choice for her goal and that she exercised her right to enjoy the rich land; under the prodding of Naomi, Ruth sought for a resting place, and finally she received a reward, a gain, for God’s economy—4:1-22: (Life-study of Ruth, msg. 5)
A. According to chapter four, there are four aspects of Ruth’s reward. First, in verses 10 through 13 she gained a redeeming husband (typifying Christ as the redeeming Husband to the believers)—Rom. 7:4. (Life-study of Ruth, msg. 5)
B. In addition to gaining a redeeming husband, Ruth was redeemed from the indebtedness of the dead husband—Ruth 4:1-9. (Life-study of Ruth, msg. 5)
C. Another aspect of Ruth’s reward is that she became a crucial ancestor in the genealogy to bring in the royal house of David for the producing of Christ. This indicates that she had an all-inclusive and all-extensive gain with the position and capacity to bring Christ into the human race.—Ruth 4:13b-22, Matt. 1:5-16. (Life-study of Ruth, msg. 5)
D. Ruth not only became a crucial ancestor in the genealogy for the producing of Christ, but she also continued the line of the God-created humanity for the incarnation of Christ—Matt. 1:5-16. (Life-study of Ruth, msg. 5)
1. The incarnation of Christ was a matter of His being brought out of eternity into time with His divinity; every day of our Christian life should be a continuation of Christ’s incarnation, with Christ being brought forth in order to be born into others through our ministering Christ to them—1 John 5:16. (Life-study of Ruth, msg. 5)
2. First Samuel to Malachi is a long record of the generations for the prolonged line of humanity for Christ’s incarnation—Matt. 1:17. (Life-study of Ruth, msg. 5)
V. The books of Joshua, Judges, Ruth show us one picture with two sides; one side concerns God’s move in His economical Spirit, the Spirit of power; the other side concerns God’s move in His essential Spirit, the Spirit of life—Judg. 3:10, Ruth 1:16-17: (Life-study of Ruth, msg. 8)
A. With all the judges, and even with Joshua and Caleb, we can see only the work, the move, of God in power—Judg. 3:10, Josh. 1:2,6. (Life-study of Ruth, msg. 8)
B. In the books of Joshua and Judges it is hard to find even a hint of God’s move in His life—Judg. 16:28-30: (Life-study of Ruth, msg. 8)
1. Samson is a typical illustration of one who moves in the Spirit of power but not in the Spirit of life; Samson was very powerful, even at the time of his death, yet with him we cannot see anything of life—Judg. 16:28-30. (Life-study of Ruth, msg. 8)
2. Furthermore, the account of Samson, as the last judge, the conclusion of the judges, indicates that the entire situation of the judges consummated in the exercising of power without anything of life—Judg. 16:28-30. (Life-study of Ruth, msg. 8)
3. Jehovah’s Spirit came upon Samson; there is no doubt that he had the real power of God; nevertheless, he and so many of the judges had no control over their indulgence in lust—13:25, 14:6, 19. (Life-study of Ruth, msg. 8)
C. The book of Ruth is a book not of power but of life—1:16-17, 3:12-13: (Life-study of Ruth, msg. 8)
1. Ruth moved in life in her clinging to Naomi, obeying Naomi, and in her approaching Boaz—1:16-17. (2010 FTTA-Spring, msg. 12)
2. Boaz moved in life in his contact with Ruth—3:12-13: (2010 FTTA-Spring, msg. 12)
a. Boaz was absolutely restrained, not moved, in his lust—v. 7-15. (2010 FTTA-Spring, msg. 12)
b. He was willing to bear his responsibility according to God’s ordinance to redeem Elimelech’s inheritance, yet he would not overstep the one who was ahead of him in this matter—1:12-13. (2010 FTTA-Spring, msg. 12)
c. He was lawful in every way, and his being lawful was no based on power but on life—4:2. (2010 FTTA-Spring, msg. 12)
D. Only life can bring Christ forth; only life can keep the lineage, maintaining the thin line to bring God into humanity, to produce Christ and to minister Christ and to supply the entire human race with Christ—Matt. 1:23, 1 John 5:12. (2010 FTTA-Spring, msg. 12)