A Deeper Dive Into the Book of Revelation - Part 27
Naomi’s Family
The book of Ruth in the Old Testament gives us deep insights into the end-time harvest. This little book of Ruth also highlights for us the characteristics of the three groups of believers that Jesus defined in His parable of the Sower.
When the story begins, we are first introduced to Naomi’s immediate family. Naomi is married to Elimelech. She has two sons: Mahlon and Chilion. God gives us insight into this family through the meanings of their names.
Naomi’s name means “pleasant.”
Elimelech’s name means “my God is king.”
Mahlon’s name means “sick.”
Chilion’s name means “pining.”
If you just look at the meanings of their names, you can see that all is not well with this family. The “fruit” of the lives of these two parents is sick and pining, or languishing and wasting away. This is a spiritual condition that God is pointing out to us.
Elimelech’s name is significant because it does not mean “Jehovah is king,” but “my God is king.” In other words, Elimelech is reserving the right to choose whom he will serve. He has not placed Jehovah on the throne of his heart unconditionally.
Symbolically, this introduction also shows us that Naomi is not married in her heart to her “kinsman redeemer,” represented by Boaz. In other words, she has not whole-heartedly given her life to the Lord Jehovah. She gives her heart to the love that she chooses.
The actions of this family seem to bear out their lack of whole-hearted commitment to Jehovah. When there is famine in their land, rather than trusting that God will provide for His people, they jump ship and run off to live with *unbelievers *in the land of Moab!
Their choices did not pay off for them in the long run. Having left the land of God’s covenant and protection, Elimelech died, and Naomi’s two sons also died shortly thereafter.
Before they died, Naomi’s sons married two women named Orpah and Ruth. Just like the other people in this story, the meanings of their names are significant.
Ruth - A Heart of Good Soil
Ruth’s name means “friend” or “someone worth looking at.”
Throughout the story, Ruth represents the true friends of God. Ruth represents the Overcomers. She represents the wise virgins of Matthew 25 who prepare themselves to join the Bridegroom in the wedding celebration. She represents the “Holy of Holies” believers who are not satisfied with just a salvation experience, but they press in to experience the most intimate relationship with the Heavenly Bridegroom, like the Shulamite maiden of the Song of Solomon. In His parable of the Sower, Jesus described this group of believers as “good soil” that took His words to heart and bore good fruit.
In terms of the harvest, Ruth represents the “firstfruits” that are taken directly to the house of their Lord, escaping the Great Tribulation, as Jesus promised in Luke 21:36.
**Naomi - A Heart of Thorny Soil **
Naomi represents the foolish virgins that do not prepare themselves to join the Heavenly Bridegroom, and so they miss out on that intimate relationship. These are the “Holy Place” believers who may get involved in ministry, but they never achieve full consecration to the Lord, and they don’t pursue deep intimacy with the Lord that would bring them into a “Holy of Holies” relationship with Him. They are content to be like the “daughters of Jerusalem” in the Song of Solomon who never experience the marriage relationship with the King. In Jesus’ parable of the Sower, these are the “thorny ground” believers who have one foot in the world and one foot in the Kingdom of God. Jesus described them this way:
“As for the seed that was spread among thorny plants, this refers to those who hear the word, but the worries of this life and the false appeal of wealth choke the word, and it bears no fruit.”—Matthew 13:22 (CEB)
Naomi represents the Main Harvest of believers who will go through the threshing floor of the Tribulation in order to remove the chaff, purify them, and bring them to maturity before the Lord comes to gather them at the end of the Great Tribulation period, as Jesus prophesied in Matthew 24:29-31.
“for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.”— Isaiah 26:9
“Lord, in trouble have they visited thee, they poured out a prayer when thy chastening was upon them.”— Isaiah 26:16
**Orpah - A Heart of Stony Soil **
Orpah’s name means “gazelle” or “turning the back.” A gazelle is an animal that is known for its ability to quickly turn away and run from anything that it perceives as a threat.
Orpah represents the “Outer Court” believers who are satisfied with the salvation experience and really have no desire to pursue God any further than that. Their dedication to God is minimal and very shaky. In His parable of the Sower, Jesus described these “stony ground” believers this way:
“As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, **yet he has no root **in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away.”—Matthew 13:20-21 (ESV)
Orpah represents the “wicked and lazy” servant in the parable of the talents who did nothing with what his Master had given him. Orpah is like the believers in John 6:66 who abandoned Jesus when he said something that offended them.
In terms of the harvest, Orpah represents the gleanings that are left in the field after the Lord comes and gathers His faithful followers to Himself in the Main Harvest that Jesus described in Matthew 24:29-31.
Reference: Cummins, D. (2021). I Am Ruth Thy Handmaid. Capitol Worship.
