A Deeper Dive Into the Book of Revelation - Part 32
Ruth represents the Overcomers that Jesus addressed in the letters to the seven churches in Revelation chapters 2 and 3. She represents those wise virgins who will enter in through the open door to become the Bride of the Lord Jesus Christ. Ruth is highly favored by Boaz. She has captured his attention. Because of this, she is singled out to receive special blessings and privileges. Boaz declares these blessings over her in Ruth 2:12:
“May the Lord repay you for your kindness, and may your reward be full from the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.” (AMP)
The last part of that verse corresponds with Psalm 91, which promises incredible blessings of protection for those who abide in the secret place of Almighty God:
“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty [Whose power no foe can withstand]. I will say of the Lord, He is my Refuge and my Fortress, my God; on Him I lean and rely, and in Him I [confidently] trust! For [then] He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. [Then] He will cover you with His pinions, and **under His wings shall you trust and find refuge; **His truth and His faithfulness are a shield and a buckler.”—Psalm 91:1-4 (AMPC)
These amazing promises are only given to “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High,” and that will be the reality for Ruth soon. Soon, she will enter into the intimacy of marriage with her bridegroom. She will abide with Boaz in His inner chambers and share the secrets of His heart, just as the Overcomers press on past the “Outer Court” experiences to enter into the intimacy of the Holy of Holies, abiding in the secret place of the Most High God.
This is the heart’s cry of the Shulamite maiden in the Song of Solomon:
“Take me with you! Let’s run away! Let the king bring me into his private chambers.”—Song of Solomon 1:4 (ISV)
This separates the Overcomers from the rest of the Church. The Overcomers will be satisfied with nothing less than an intimate bridal relationship with their Lord Jesus Christ.
Overcoming Feelings of Unworthiness
Ruth seeks the favor of Boaz even though it seems that she doesn’t see herself as worthy of it. She is keenly aware that she is different. Maybe, because of her Moabite background, she feels “less than” the Jewish women around her.
“Then she said, ‘Let me find favor in your sight, my lord, for you have comforted me and have spoken kindly to your maidservant, though I am not as one of your maidservants.’—Ruth 2:13 (AMP)
This parallels the feelings expressed by the Shulamite maiden in Song of Solomon, who is also keenly aware that she is different:
“I am dark but beautiful, O women of Jerusalem— dark as the tents of Kedar, dark as the curtains of Solomon’s tents. Don’t stare at me because I am dark— the sun has darkened my skin. My brothers were angry with me; they forced me to care for their vineyards, so I couldn’t care for myself—my own vineyard.” —Song of Solomon 1:5-6 (NLT)
The highest and most glorious relationship that we can ever achieve is to become the Bride of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, but some people may miss out on this most wonderful of all relationships because they do not see themselves worthy of it. Even as Jesus draws them closer to Himself and promises them that if they will draw near to Him, He will draw near to them (James 4:8), they turn away because of feelings of shame and unworthiness.
In doing this, even though Jesus offers them complete love and acceptance, they disqualify themselves from this most wonderful relationship because of their unbelief. They do not believe that God is big enough to cleanse them and make them worthy of everything He offers them, and that unbelief robs them of the most wonderful destiny of all.
Ruth had these feelings of unworthiness, but she overcame them. She accepted the favor that her redeemer offered her and pursued an intimate relationship with Him.
The Shulamite maiden also refused to allow her own insecurities, or anything that anyone else thought of her, to hold her back from pursuing a closer relationship with her king.
Dining with Her Redeemer
The Shulamite maiden was brought in to dine with the king at His personal table.
“He has brought me to his banqueting place, And his banner over me is love [waving overhead to protect and comfort me].”—Song of Solomon 2:4 (AMP)
“While the king was sitting at his table, my perfume sent forth its fragrance.”—Song of Solomon 1:12 (ISV)
Ruth also was brought in to dine with her redeemer. Boaz personally served her from his own food source at his personal table.
“At mealtime Boaz said to her, ‘Come over here and eat some bread and dip your bread in the vinegar.’ So she sat beside the reapers; and he served her roasted grain, and she ate until she was satisfied and she had some left [for Naomi].”—Ruth 2:14 (AMP)
In Revelation 3:20, Jesus extends the same open invitation to anyone willing to share this same experience of dining with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. This is a priceless invitation to a deeply personal interaction with the Lord Jesus in which He personally feeds us the Bread of Life with secret insights into the Word of God like He did with the disciples on the road to Emmaus in Luke 24:27.
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.”—Revelation 3:20 (NKJV)
This is an experience that you can personally share with the Lord Jesus Christ Himself every single day, if you choose to. The invitation is open to you. The Lord Jesus is standing at the door, knocking, waiting for you to respond.
**A Personal Note of Confirmation: **
Just minutes after I finished the rough draft of this article with the reference for Revelation 3:20, I continued an online conversation with a friend in Swaziland. She had told me previously that she’d had a near-death experience, but she hadn’t shared the details. I wrote, “I would like to know more about your near death experience, if you feel comfortable to share more with me about it.”
This is her reply. (I added the bold highlight.):
“It’s okay, I had just finished college been a few days at home, one morning after taking a shower was drying my hair Infront of the mirror, suddenly I felt like my eyes were getting blury, in a few seconds I went blind, my eyes were fully open but couldn’t see a thing, I shouted calling my mom, I felt my heart stop. The last i remember of that was me falling in my big sisters arms, when I woke up a doctor was checking me, he was stunned kept asking what they did to me, he said it wasn’t possible for a heart to stop for such a time without explanation. Then i recalled that when i collapsed I saw many people wearing all white different nationalities, a man was talking in a language I couldn’t understand, I asked one of the people wearing white who he was and what he was saying because he was talking to me, the man answered saying **“this is John one of Christ’s deciples, he is telling you to read Revelation 3:20” .**That’s when I opened my eyes to find the doctor examining me.
“Thats why I treasure every moment I have in this world because I know I’m here for a purpose, I don’t fear sharing God’s word even at work, or any place where people are gathered, the Christ within me is a very powerful force when it’s time to speak, I just deliver that message that moment.”
Reference: Cummins, D. (2021). I Am Ruth Thy Handmaid. Capitol Worship.
