A Deeper Dive Into the Book of Revelation - Part 38
“And after Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heart was cheerful, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain; and she came softly, uncovered his feet, and lay down.
“Now it happened at midnight that the man was startled, and turned himself; and there, a woman was lying at his feet. And he said, ‘Who are you?’
“So she answered, ‘I am Ruth, your maidservant. Take your maidservant under your wing, for you are a close relative.’”—Ruth 3:7-9 (NKJV)
When Ruth replied, “I am Ruth, your maidservant,” she signaled a change in relationship. She had not been Boaz’s maidservant before this declaration. She had been serving herself and her own needs. Until this time, Ruth had been in the fields gleaning grain that would provide bread for herself and Naomi.
Symbolically, until this point, Ruth had been in the Outer Court of the Tabernacle. People in the Outer Court primarily serve themselves. The Outer Court contained the bronze altar, symbolizing Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross to pay for our sins; and it contained the bronze laver, symbolizing water baptism. Many, many Christians don’t go any further than that in their relationships with the Lord. They receive salvation to save themselves from eternal hell. They are baptized, and then they go on to living their lives as they choose, never intending to go any further in their relationships with the Lord.
The Holy Place is different. Entering the Holy Place of the Tabernacle marked a change in relationship to the Lord. Only the priests entered the Holy Place. The priests demonstrated a higher degree of dedication to God. The entire duty of the priests was the serve the Lord. Self-serving behavior ended when the priests entered into the Holy Place.
To enter the Holy Place, a priest had to go beyond the curtain that separated the Outer Court from the Holy Place. Naomi advised Ruth to uncover the feet of Boaz when she presented herself to him at the threshing floor. When Ruth lifted up the skirt of Boaz, it was symbolic of the priest lifting up the curtain that separated the Outer Court from the Holy Place of the Tabernacle.
“When he lies down, notice the place where he is lying, and go and uncover his feet and lie down. Then he will tell you what to do.” Ruth answered her, “I will do everything that you say.”
“So she went down to the threshing floor and did just as her mother-in-law had told her. When Boaz had eaten and drunk and his heart was happy, he went to lie down at the end of the stack of grain. Then Ruth came secretly, and uncovered his feet and lay down.”—Ruth 3:4-7 (AMP)
Christians who are self-serving have an “Outer Court” mindset, but those Christians who are motivated to serve the Lord have progressed into the “Holy Place” mindset of priests and servants unto God.
When Ruth was only gleaning in the fields and gathering grain to feed herself, she was living the “Outer Court” experience. But once she laid her life down at the feet of her redeemer and declared herself to be his maidservant, she moved beyond the Outer Court and into the “Holy Place” experience. She submitted herself to be a servant to her redeemer.
This is the journey of the Overcomer.
And Ruth did not stop there. Soon, she would symbolically enter into the Holy of Holies, going beyond the relationship of a servant to experience an intimate marriage relationship with her Redeemer.
Going All In
Ruth took a big risk when she ventured onto the threshing floor at night and laid her life down at the feet of Boaz. In many ways, this was similar to the risk that Esther took when she ventured into the inner court of the palace to present herself before King Ahasuerus without being summoned.
As Dan Cummins points out in his book, I am Ruth Thy Handmaid, both Ruth and Esther came to a critical point of decision. They could either stay where they were and be content with what they had, or they could throw caution to the wind and risk it all for something much greater.
“Like Esther before the king, Ruth was laying down her life, her reputation. It was the point of no return. If Boaz does not accept her request how could she ever return to the field with the other workers?” (Cummins, p. 96)
Both women were highly favored by men of great wealth and influence. Both women were in good positions in life. Both had a lot to lose.
Esther knew that if she presented herself to the king, it could cost her everything. And yet, after counting the cost, she decided that it was worth laying down her life in order to gain something of much greater value.
“I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I die, I die.”—Esther 4:16 (ICB)
Ruth had finally reached a position of relative security and stability in life after losing her husband in Moab and starting a new life as a stranger in a new country. Now she was going to risk it all, laying her life down at the feet of her redeemer, placing her future completely in his hands.
This is the decision that every Overcomer will face. This is what separates the Overcomers from the rest of the Church.
This is the decision that confronts every servant of the Lord Jesus Christ. Do I continue on with business as usual and only do what is expected of me, or do I go all in and give everything to the Lord, holding nothing back?
Those who take this risk, saying goodbye to all of their rights—all of their personal goals and ambitions—and lay their lives down at the feet of the Lord Jesus Christ, offering Him everything they are and everything they have, qualify for the highest rewards in the Kingdom of God.
These are the Bond Servants of Jesus Christ.
These are the Overcomers.
These are ones who are “called, and chosen, and faithful” who are trusted by the Lord with the most sacred responsibilities of His House.
This is how God described his relationship with Moses in Numbers 12:6-8:
“Now hear My words: If there is a prophet among you, I, the Lord, will make Myself known to him in a vision. I will speak with him in a dream. It is not this way for My servant Moses; He is faithful in all My household; With him I speak mouth to mouth, That is, openly, and not using mysterious language, And he beholds the form of the Lord.” (NASB)
Before Joseph was placed over all the land of Egypt, he proved himself to be a faithful servant in the house of Potiphar.
“So Potiphar left all that he owned in Joseph’s charge; and with Joseph there he did not [need to] pay attention to anything except the food he ate.”—Genesis 39:6 (AMP)
God is looking for faithful disciples whom He can entrust with great responsibilities in His household.
“The Lord said, ‘Who then is the faithful and wise steward [of the estate], whom his master will put in charge over his household, to give his servants their portion of food at the proper time?’”—Luke 12:42 (AMP)
But before we can be entrusted with great responsibilities in the House of our Redeemer, we must count the cost, as Esther and Ruth did, and present ourselves to the Lord, laying down our lives at the feet of our redeemer, forever turning our backs on our former self-serving lives, dedicating the rest of our lives to serving the Lord Jesus Christ. As Jesus said:
“Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”—Matthew 10:37-39 (ESV)
**Reference: **
Cummins, D. (2021). I Am Ruth Thy Handmaid. Capitol Worship.
