A Deeper Dive Into the Book of Revelation - Part 41
In the story of Ruth, there are two redeemers. There are two near kinsmen who are both in positions to redeem Ruth. In these two redeemers, we see the contrast between true and false religion.
Ruth first becomes aware of the second redeemer when Boaz tells her about him.
“It is true that I am your close relative and redeemer; however, there is a relative closer [to you] than I. Spend the night [here], and in the morning if he will redeem you, fine; let him do it. But if he does not wish to redeem you, then, as the Lord lives, I will redeem you. Lie down until the morning.”—Ruth 3:12-13 (AMP)
When we see how each of these two redeemers respond to Ruth, then their true colors are revealed, and we see them for what they really are.
Unconditional Acceptance
Boaz represents the pure Love of God. Boaz responded to Ruth in the same way that Jesus responds to us. Boaz saw real worth in Ruth. He was able to look beyond her shameful Moabite past and see her as someone of high value.
“Now, my daughter, do not be afraid. I will do for you whatever you ask, since all my people in the city know that **you are a woman of excellence.”—**Ruth 3:11 (AMP)
The Amplified Classic version puts it this way:
“And now, my daughter, fear not. I will do for you all you require, for all my people in the city know that you are a woman of strength (worth, bravery, capability).”—Ruth 3:11 (AMPC)
When Boaz looked at Ruth, he didn’t see her faults. He didn’t see her shameful past. He only saw the wonderful qualities of a remarkable woman with a good heart.
Boaz looked at Ruth through the eyes of pure love. This is the same way that God looks at you and me when we have accepted Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins. God does not see our faults. He does not see our shameful pasts. When He looks at us, He sees us through the eyes of pure, absolute love.
This is the same way that the King looked at the Shulamite maiden in the Song of Solomon.
“O my love, you are altogether beautiful and fair. There is no flaw nor blemish in you!”—Song of Solomon 4:7 (AMP)
Someone once asked Mother Teresa how she could hug dirty street people in Calcutta who were labeled as “untouchables” under the Indian caste system.
Mother Teresa replied, “I know I am touching the living body of Christ in the broken bodies of the hungry and the suffering.” (Liles)
Mother Teresa did not see the filth and shame of the people she cared for. She looked through the eyes of God’s pure love and saw people of great value and worth. This is how Boaz looked and Ruth, and this is how God looks at you.
Love vs. Religion
In contrast to the pure love that Ruth received from Boaz, the reaction of the other kinsman redeemer came from a place of legalism. This is a man who ate from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, not the Tree of Life. The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil is the basis for all of the world’s false religions.
False religion is never based in love, forgiveness, restoration, and unconditional acceptance through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Religion is always based in legalism. It is always about right and wrong.
In a Church that has been deceived into operating in religion, rather than love, you are always being judged. You cannot escape your shameful past. Everything about you is scrutinized and criticized. Your life feels like it is being observed through a magnifying glass as every tiny flaw is magnified into an unforgivable fault. You can never win. You can never be fully accepted for who you are. God will forgive you and forget that you ever sinned, but Religion will never allow you to rise above your past sins.
Jesus addressed this hypocrisy among his followers in His Sermon on the Mount.
“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”—Matthew 7:1-5 (NKJV)
My late friend, Phil Wyman, placed a sign in the window of the church he pastored in Salem, Massachusetts that made the church’s position crystal clear. It read:
“A Christian church which is short on rules and long on relationships.”
With this one statement, this church declared that they ate from the Tree of Life, rather than the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. They focused on loving people rather than judging them. They put people ahead of the rules, regulations, and laws of religion. People came to this church, bringing with them their faults, their mistakes, and their socially unacceptable behavior, and they were welcomed and accepted with open arms, just as they were. People were never required to change before they were accepted.
Rejected by Religion
In order to deal with Ruth’s nearest kinsman, Boaz had to go up to the city gate, which was where legal matters were settled. This is very symbolic since this unnamed redeemer represents legalism; putting rules, regulations, and laws above love in dealing with people. Sadly, this is how many churches operate today.
“Then Boaz went up to the city gate **[where business and legal matters were settled] **and sat down, and then the close relative (redeemer) of whom Boaz had spoken came by. He said to him, ‘Come over here, friend, and sit down.’ So he came and sat down. Then Boaz took ten men from the elders of the city and said, ‘Sit down here.” And they sat down.’”—Ruth 4:1-2 (AMP)
This nearest kinsman is never named in Scripture. In fact, the word translated as “friend” that Boaz uses here to address this man is actually just a placeholder word that is used to purposely conceal or avoid using the man’s name.
I will call him “Religion,” since that seems to be what he represents.
When Boaz presented the first part of his offer to “Religion,” the man agreed quickly because he could see a way to profit from this agreement.
“He said to the closest relative (redeemer), ‘Naomi, who has returned from the country of Moab, must sell the plot of land which belonged to our brother Elimelech. So I thought to let you hear of it, saying, “Buy it in the presence of those sitting here, and before the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, redeem it; but if not, then tell me, so that I may know; for there is no one besides you to redeem it, and I am [next of kin] after you.”
“And he said, ‘I will redeem it.’”—Ruth 4:3-4 (AMP)
When this arrangement was only about acquiring land, Religion jumped at the chance to enrich himself without hesitation.
But his response changed completely when Ruth was added into the deal.
“Then Boaz said, ‘The day that you buy the field from Naomi, you must also acquire Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of the deceased, to restore the name of the deceased to his inheritance.’
“The closest relative (redeemer) said, ‘I cannot redeem it for myself, because [by marrying a Moabitess] I would jeopardize my own inheritance. Take my right of redemption (purchase) yourself, because I cannot redeem it.”—Ruth 4:5-6 (AMP)
The deal sounded great to Religion when it was only about enriching his land holdings by snatching up Naomi’s land at a cheap price. Everything changed when it came with the responsibility to marry Ruth and father her children.
Religion did not look at Ruth in the same way that Boaz saw her. Boaz saw a woman of excellence. Boaz looked beyond her shameful past to see an outstanding woman with a good heart.
Religion could not get past her faults. Religion never saw Ruth as a person of real value and worth. Religion only saw what was wrong with her.
When Boaz presented the nearest kinsman with the opportunity to marry Ruth, this unnamed man could not see past Ruth’s unclean Moabite past, and so he rejected her, as religious people do, focusing on her faults and passing judgment upon her.
This is always the response of Religion, which rejects people based on the Knowledge of Good and Evil. The response of Religion is always to judge people according to rules, laws, and regulations. Love, on the other hand, accepts people unconditionally, just as they are, without requiring them to change in order to be accepted. Love separates the sinner from his sin. Love understands that you can love and accept a person unconditionally without approving or excusing his sinful lifestyle.
For example, Jesus was aware of the shameful past of the woman at the well, but He looked beyond all of that, offering unconditional acceptance and love that transformed her life and the lives of many others in her city.
In contrast, the religious leaders insisted that the woman caught in the act of adultery be judged and condemned in John chapter 8. But Jesus saw worth in this sinful woman. Jesus saw something of value in her. He looked beyond her shameful past and saw something worth saving—something worth dying for, even though she never said that she was sorry for her actions.
Jesus directed His harshest words of judgment and condemnation at the religious leaders of his day who put laws, rules, and regulations above the people that they were called to love and serve.
Since the whole focus of religion is on judgment and fault-finding, Jesus’ most scathing words of judgment and condemnation were directed at those who had devoted themselves to the service of religion, judgment, and condemnation.
In the book of Revelation, we see that perhaps the most severe and thoroughly devastating judgment of all judgments is meted out against false religion. There it is pictured as a woman called Mystery, Babylon the Great, the Mother of Prostitutes. Its judgment alone begins in chapter 16 and fills the next two chapters of the book of Revelation until every trace of it is completely obliterated.
**References: **
Cummins, D. (2021). I Am Ruth Thy Handmaid. Capitol Worship.
Liles, M. (2023, May 19). Reading These 100 Touching Mother Teresa Quotes Is the Equivalent of Getting a Giant Hug. Parade. https://parade.com/1246359/marynliles/mother-teresa-quotes/
