Part One: Ruth's Choice And The Lineage Of Messiah

During traditional Jewish Shavuot celebrations, the book of Ruth is read during synagogue services. Ruth gives us a beautiful picture of the preparatory work of the Holy Spirit in the corporate Body of Christ in relation to the coming harvest. The Holy Spirit is more than just an experience - HE IS GOD. He is at work in the Earth today getting the Church ready to be a conduit of power that will bring millions into the Kingdom before judgment. If we will hear what the Spirit is saying through the story of Ruth we will be shaken to allow Him to do the work He needs to do in our hearts and lives and we will see the urgency of the hour. Time is short and our Heavenly Boaz is getting ready to return as our KINSMAN REDEEMER! It's getting late and the fields are white unto harvest!

By Chris McDonald

Ruth 1:14-18  - And they lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed her mother in law; but Ruth clave unto her. [15] And she said, Behold, thy sister in law is gone back unto her people, and unto her gods: return thou after thy sister in law. [16] And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: [17] Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the Lord do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me. [18] When she saw that she was stedfastly minded to go with her, then she left speaking unto her.
 

        The story of Ruth I believe is one of the most precious in all of scripture. I love seeing how the Holy Spirit paints pictures for us in the Old Covenant through the stories of the patriarchs, the prophets and the nation of Israel to leave us examples and admonitions today under the New Covenant. Ruth is one such story. I believe in this little narrative we see a blueprint for what the Holy Spirit is about to do on Planet Earth as it relates to the end-time harvest.  It is no coincidence that Ruth is one of the books that is read in synagogues every year during the celebration of Shavuot. Shavuot of course is the Hebrew name for the Feast we refer to as "Pentecost." "Pentecost" is a Greek word meaning "50th." 50 days after Passover Israel celebrates the end of the barley harvest and begins her wheat harvest.

        Just as the Feast of Pentecost speaks to us of harvest, so does this powerful story of Ruth. We know that according to Israel's traditional teachings that two things happened on Shavuot. One, the Torah was given to Moses by God upon Mt. Sinai and two, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit occurred simultaneously on this precious feast day for 120 waiting believers in Jerusalem.

        Pentecost marked the end of Israel's "spring" feasts. She would not celebrate another feast for several months until the fall when the "Feast of Trumpets" or "Rosh Hashanah" would usher in her civil new year. Passover ushers in her religious new year, Trumpets ushers in her civil new year. Like all other feasts, Pentecost has a tremendous prophetic and spiritual significance for the child of God - both Jewish and Non-Jewish believer alike. For you see prophetically speaking, we are living in the "day of Pentecost" (harvest) waiting on the "feast of trumpets" (rapture). We are living in one of the most prophetic times we could ever dream of living in and that is very exciting to think about indeed. I mean if the prophets Joel, Isaiah, Daniel and Hosea, Ezekiel, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, could exchange the time they lived in with us I believe they would pay whatever price they could to do so. They wrote about the days we are living in and yearned to see those days in their lifetime. They did not get to. We have been privileged to be called to be alive and LIVE "for such a time as this"! That should make us shout!

        Joel spoke of a coming outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the last days that would be larger than any outpouring in the past. The Holy Spirit has moved in the past but He has NEVER moved like He is about to in this generation! That too should make us shout! I mean neighbor I'm having a hard time writing these words down right now thinking of the impact of that statement. YOU AND I are living in these type days! It's really sad not too many embrace the Spirit's reality in the way they live and think today but I believe that is about to change too. The Lord is going to pour out His Spirit upon ALL FLESH. There is going to be a harvest one way or the other even if God has to jump over the "church" to do it here in America.

        The Lord is going to be glorified once again in His church and become the HEAD instead of just being a "fixture" on our bulletin boards and outdoor signs. The Lord Jesus is about to reveal Himself to be the LORD OF THE HARVEST very soon in such a way that sinners are no longer going to be mocking us in the church for being such hypocrites but are going to be literally falling down weeping over their sinful condition while they walk by our homes, our places of businesses, and our churches.  WHY? Because the church is going to be right there with them weeping over OUR SINFUL condition! Oh Glory to God. I mean friend what the Holy Spirit is about to do in us and through us and TO THE WORLD will NOT be pretty at times but it will be necessary for what is ahead of us. WE MUST DECREASE - THE LORD JESUS MUST INCREASE! He must again become the Lord of the Harvest in our hearts and souls and in our churches. I feel the anointing as I write this. Dear God help us in this hour to just catch a glimpse of those fields white unto harvest and the rapidly approaching night when NO MAN will be able to work. God give us an URGENCY of YOUR SPIRIT upon our hearts to shake ourselves free from our self-righteousness, our self-glory, our vain pursuits of self-exaltation and praise and BREAK OUR HEARTS for the lost unlike we have ever been broken before! That is the greatest need in this hour is for the church to receive a new revelation of that.

        Why is it that we read the Book of Ruth -- the story of a Moabite woman who converted to Judaism and who eventually married a judge of Israel, Boaz -- on Shavuot, the holiday when we celebrate the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai? The answer to that question holds another very important key to the harvest - the JEWISH BELIEVERS in the church! Torah commentators offer two major theses to explain the custom:

• that Ruth was the model of Torah acceptance, and

• that without her Jewish history could not continue.

        Shavuot commemorates the acceptance of the Torah by the Jewish people, and the Book of Ruth describes the acceptance of the Torah by a single individual through an act of conversion. Ruth was no ordinary convert. According to Jewish tradition and teaching, her name gives us a clue to her essence. In Hebrew, Ruth's name is comprised of the letters reish, vav, tav, which add up to a numerical value of 606. As all human beings have an obligation to observe the seven Noachide commandments -- so called because they were given after the flood -- as did Ruth upon her birth as a Moabite. Add those seven commandments to the value of her name and you get 613, the number of commandments in the Torah.

        This short story of Ruth I believe gives us a blueprint for what the Holy Spirit is doing now and is about to do in the very very near future with us individually and corporately as the Body of Christ. The story opens with the words "it came to pass in the day(s)." This phrase occurs five times in Scripture and in each case it  denotes impending trouble, followed by deliverance and a happy ending (Ruth 1:1; Genesis 14:1; Esther 1:1; Isaiah 7:1; Jeremiah 1:3).

Ruth, Naomi And Orpah - The Choices

Ruth 1:14-18  - And they lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed her mother in law; but Ruth clave unto her. [15] And she said, Behold, thy sister in law is gone back unto her people, and unto her gods: return thou after thy sister in law. [16] And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodges, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: [17] Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the Lord do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me. [18] When she saw that she was steadfastly minded to go with her, then she left speaking unto her.

        Ruth, which means "friendship," was the mother of Obed and great-grandmother of David. A woman of the country of Moab, Ruth married Mahlon, one of the two sons of Elimelech and Naomi. With his wife and sons, Elimelech had migrated to Moab to escape a famine in the land of Israel. When Elimelech and both of his sons died, they left three widows: Naomi, Ruth, and Orpah (Ruth's sister-in-law). When Naomi decided to return home to Bethlehem, Ruth chose to accompany her, saying, "Wherever you go, I will go" <Ruth 1:16>. In Bethlehem, Ruth was permitted to glean in the field of Boaz, a wealthy kinsman of Elimelech <Ruth 2:1>. At Naomi's urging, Ruth asked protection of Boaz as next of kin-- a reflection of the Hebrew law of LEVIRATE MARRIAGE <Deut. 25:5-10>. After a nearer kinsman waived his right to buy the family property and provide Elimelech an heir, Boaz married Ruth. Their son, Obed, was considered one of Naomi's family, according to the custom of the day. She became an ancestor of David and Jesus <Matt. 1:5>

        It is Ruth's firm decision--" Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God" <Ruth 1:16> which not only brought a rich reward but is at the backbone of Shavuot.

        ^{They'd been advised to go back to their homes and the pagan Moabite life (Ruth 1:8), but their first decision was to go with Naomi. She again urged them to stay in Moab, because there was no promise of husbands in Israel (Ruth 1:11-13). They wept again and Orpah went back; but Ruth clung to Naomi (Ruth 1:14). After being exhorted another time to return with her sister-in-law to the life of her people and their gods (Ruth 1:15), Ruth made her eternal consecration to follow the God of Israel and live the life of a new convert to Jehovah (Ruth 1:16-17). For this she was greatly rewarded by being in the line of the Messiah (Ruth 1:18-4:22; Matthew 1:1-6)}

        You see, Orpah represents a sad, but growing number in the church today who are electing to return to the world and its pleasures instead of going to Bethlehem - the place of harvest and bread. As Agrippa told Paul, "ALMOST" you persuaded me to be a Christian, how many people today are sitting on our church pews "almost" a Christian? Friend, "almost" being a Christian is not going to cut it! "Almost" is not going to get you into heaven. Jesus never said that he who gives up "HALF" of his life will save it and inherit eternal blessings. NO NO NO. That is what is wrong with the gospel today. It has been so watered down today that no one feels any need to deny themselves and follow Jesus fully. To enter into this harvest field one must be born again. You cannot labor in the harvest field of the Lord unless you are sold out to Him. Many have tried and have failed having only a half-hearted commitment to the Lord.

        As strange as this may sound I respect Orpah's honesty. At least she was not going to be a hypocrite and follow Naomi back to Bethlehem when her HEART was in Moab. The choice that her and Ruth came to this day when Naomi asked them to return is a choice that we ALL must make at one time or another. It's a choice that will determine a great number of things but more importantly it will determine ETERNITY! It will determine whether we spend eternity in heaven or in hell. That may sound blunt and to the point but it needs to be said. It's not being said too much behind pulpits any more but friend our soul is so important to God. There is no price we can put on our soul. There is not anything we can bring to purchase our soul. ONLY BLOOD was going to be the acceptable price in heaven's economy for the souls of fallen man. But we have a CHOICE as to whether we are going to follow God and His son Jesus Christ or we are going to return to Moab.

        Hear me friend. You can't do both. You cannot return and live in Moab and still go to Bethlehem. It's NEVER been possible even though some teach today that you can. I was one of those in the past who thought as long as I was living according to the world's standard of success that it was ok to be half-hearted in my commitment to God. But friend when God lays out the choices for us - He is not laying out a multiple choice questionnaire on how to inherit eternal life- His plan is simple - REPENT, OBEY THE GOSPEL! and LIVE! Believe on the LORD JESUS Christ and YOU SHALL BE SAVED. The road to eternal life is one that is strait and narrow, not wide and easy. It may be paved with many choices but in the final analysis of what it takes to make heaven our home, we must all come to the place RUTH did that day when she said, "WHEREVER YOU GO LORD - I'm GOING!" Glory to God, I feel the anointing of the Holy Ghost on this as I write this. Oh neighbor, are you hearing me? Lord, WHEREVER YOU GO, I'm GOING! Lord, wherever you may take me as long as YOU ARE THERE it will be ok! Lord I don't want to return to Moab but I want to go to heaven! Lord I don't want to be in your "permissive" will, I want to be in your "perfect" will. I want to follow you to the end. I don't want to make it the pearly gates and You say "I don't know you." I want to KNOW YOU NOW! I want to follow you NOW. Wherever you GO I WILL GO! Whatever the cost, whatever the price, whatever the loss of my personal ambition Lord, whatever the loss of material things, whatever Lord and wherever Lord, please don't leave me in MOAB.

        I can feel the moment in eternity as I write these words. Naomi basically pleads with Ruth to return to Moab with Orpah. It was almost like Naomi was not going to make promises to Ruth she couldn't' keep to make Ruth stay. You see Ruth is a type of the church. She is a type of all us when Jesus came to us one day in the person of the Holy Spirit and convicted us of our sins. He never promised us this journey called salvation and Christianity would be easy. That is why it is do dastardly evil for preachers to get up and promise sinners an "easier" way of living when they come to Jesus. Friend, hear me. Christianity is a wonderful, blessed experience, but when you come to Jesus, your life ENDS. It is not a country club membership, it is the end of our will and the beginning of HIS WILL for our lives. And that is not easy for some to give up. It was not easy for Orpah to look at and believe in Naomi's God but instead she returned to "her gods." God help the church today. That is why we have the backsliding rate we do. People come into the fellowship of the saints expecting a rose garden and they rapidly realize that this walk of Christian service to God is just that - it's what we DO FOR HIM - not so much what He does for us. Yes, He DOES A GREAT deal for us as we will learn later in this story, but when we come to Him we must come bringing our LIVES to Him with NO expectation of anything in return.

1:18c - When she saw that she was steadfastly minded to go with her, then she left speaking unto her.

        If the Lord gave us nothing more than what He has already given - it would be enough! He has given HIS LIFE for us and it is the LEAST that we can do to offer Him ours. I can only guess that Naomi's heart was beating a million miles a minute when she watched her two daughter-in-laws stand before her. The Bible says that Ruth "clave unto her." We need to "CLEAVE" unto our Master - Yeshuah.  Ruth made up her mind that she was going to Bethlehem even if it meant her death. She would rather die with Naomi and her God than to live in heathen idolatry and survive with Moab's false god. And that is the choice that is before of all of us today. That is the choice of those of you reading this journal right now.

Ruth and The Curse Of The Moabites: "Alien To The Commonwealth Of Israel" - The Gentile Church

Deut. 23:3  - An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter into the congregation of the Lord; even to their tenth generation shall they not enter into the congregation of the Lord for ever:

        The Ammonites and Moabites were the result of incest (Genesis 19:30-38). This law against them was given for two reasons, explained in Deut. 23:4. The Moabites were descendants of Moab, the son of Lot. Moab, Genesis 19:31-37), and his descendants settled east of the river Jordan and the Dead Sea—from the south end of this sea to the river Zered and north to about 5 miles above the sea and 30-40 miles east. Edom joined Moab south of the river Zered and Ammon joined these on the north. The land was originally occupied by giants called Emims, who were defeated and expelled by the Moabites (Deut. 2:10). The north part of Moab was conquered by Sihon, giant king of the Amorites, and the river Arnon then became the boundary of Moab. When Israel came out of Egypt, Sihon was defeated by them and all his land (as well as that of Og, king of Bashan, and the land north of Og's kingdom) became the possession of Reuben, Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh. Moab oppressed Israel for 18 years after the death of Joshua (Judges 3:14-21). Later peace was restored and Moab became a place of refuge for many Israelites (Ruth 1:1; 1 Samuel 22:3). The record shows that Saul (1 Samuel 14:47), David (2 Samuel 8:1-12), Ahab (2 Kings 1:1; 2 Kings 3:4-5), and Jehoshaphat (2 Chron. 20:1-30) defeated Moab. The Moabites continued as a nation after their defeat by Assyria about 3 years after this prophecy (Isaiah 15:1-9; Isaiah 16:6-14). They are mentioned in prophecies of the latter days along with Israel (Isaiah 11:14; Isaiah 16:1-5; Jeremiah 48:47; Daniel 11:41).
 

       Some Bible scholars believe the curse of Deuteronomy 23 applied to males only. Whatever the case, there were two main  reasons for Ammonites and Moabites not entering assembly of Israel:

• They showed no mercy to Israel when coming out of Egypt

• They hired Balaam to curse Israel

        The appreciation of this thesis requires some more background for according to Jewish tradition, the Lord saw something precious in the land of the Moabites even though His own decree had cursed their descendants for four generations. Ruth was under that curse, yet her redemption is a beautiful picture of how the Lord redeemed us from the curse of sin under the Law through His blood and Holy Spirit. The Talmud  teaches that:

God said to Moses: 'You shall not distress Moab, and you shall not provoke war with them.' (Deut. 2:9) Why would it have occurred to Moses to wage war with Moab without God's permission? Moses reasoned thus: If the Midionites who only came to assist Moab (in the war Moab waged with Israel described in Parshat Balak) the Torah commanded, Harass the Midionites and smite them; for they harassed you through their conspiracy that they conspired against you ... (Numbers 25:17-18). Surely the same policy should be applied against the Moabites who were the instigators. But God told Moses, 'I think differently! I still have a wonderful treasure to pull out, Ruth the Moabite.'(Talmud, Baba Kama 38a)

        My oh my, what a picture. RUTH, a Moabitess, cursed by God, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel but yet becoming a beautiful type of the Gentile Church "grafted in" to the Jewish Olive Tree which stands for Messianic Judaism. We ALL were RUTH in our lives at one time or another. Cursed by God under the penalty of death because of sin. Alienated from the BLESSINGS and COMMONWEALTH of Israel. Strangers from the COVENANTS OF PROMISE, having NO HOPE, without God in the world. BUT NOW, but NOW, but NOW, IN YESHUAH, we who were "far off" are made NIGH, brought close, grafted in by the blood of CHRIST!

        That is why the church must return to the message of the BLOOD. It's the BLOOD that brings sinners NIGH to God through Christ. It's not education, it's not money, it's not political strength or influence, it's not conservative values, it's not good works. It's the POWER of the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. It's the power of the BLOOD!

Ephes. 2:12-13 - That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: [13] But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

Ephes. 4:17-19  - This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, [18] Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: [19] Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

        I want to state it again. I can't say it enough. Because of Yeshuah, we have been brought into the KINGDOM of God which has as its foundation Israel's blessings. The roots of our Christianity are Jewish. When Ruth made the choice to return to Bethlehem with Naomi she made the choice to embrace Naomi's God. When we get saved, we are embracing a Jewish Messiah and a God whose chosen people are called Israelites. I hope you can get this picture I'm trying to paint for you. No, we don't have to become "Jewish" to be saved any longer. Because of the blood of Yeshuah we have been "grafted in" to this commonwealth. But having said that it is EXTREMELY important for us to realize that the call to the 21rst Century Church is a call back to her roots. We must unite as ONE in Yeshuah - a ONE NEW MAN  if you will. When Jesus prayed for the unity of the Body in John 17 He said that when His body was one that the GLORY He shared with His Father would be released in the church. Paul said that if the "falling" away of SOME in the Jewish faith brought about the salvation of the Gentiles, then how much more will their reconciliation with Messiah produce a harvest? It will be "life from the dead."

        The Holy Spirit gives us a peek at this last-days event in the Book of Ruth. It is why this book is read at Pentecost because everything that deals with the last days outpouring of the Holy Spirit HINGES on the CHURCH becoming ONE IN YESHUAH!

Ephes. 2:13-14  - But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. [14] For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
 

        Paul said the Jesus has broken down the middle wall of partition between us. There has to be a wall there in the first place for Him to break it down. The way He has broken it down is through the BLOOD of His sacrifice and by HIS PEACE. His Shalom. That is the call in the Church for this hour. The harvest is starting to be fulfilled as we write these words. We are living on the brink of one of the greatest moves of God planet Earth has ever seen. But as much as we proclaim that it is all tied into one thing - UNITY. The church cannot keep isolating the Jewish part of the Body and expect harvest. One of the greatest harvest fields that will see the greatest outpouring is the Jewish people. Millions are about to come to Yeshuah as their Messiah. Miracles and signs and wonders are about to explode. The greatest move of God is still YET future. But we as His body are poised to reap the fruits of that if we will embrace our Jewish heritage.

        Ruth's ancestors were cursed by God. But when Ruth embraced the God of Naomi which was the God of Abrhama, Isaac and Jacob, she entered into a covenant that brought her into a commonwealth of blessing. As a result of this choice, she inherits millions and winds up in the linage of Boaz, an ancestor of Yeshuah (Matthew 1:5). If we as the church of the Lord Jesus Christ will embrace our Jewish heritage we too will inherit tremendous blessing and be grafted into the line of Messiah!

        You must understand that not only was Ruth David's great grandmother. It was specifically she that was required to be able to bring David into the world. The need for her was so great that the entire Moabite nation was sustained for several hundred years in her merit while the world waited for Ruth to be born. Can we find any sources to uncover why Ruth the Moabite specifically was needed to bring the line of David from whom would descend the Messiah into the world? According to the Talmud:

[The angels urged Lot, saying,] 'Take your wife and your two daughters who are present.' (Genesis 19:15) The Hebrew word nimzoas ["who are present"] in this verse is a reference to two important discoveries: Ruth the Moabite and Na'amah the Ammonite. It is written I found my servant David. Where did God find him? In Sodom (Yalkut, Lech lecho, 70).

        When God destroyed Sodom he saved Lot because of his two daughters. The daughters, believed that they and their father were the only people left on earth, engaged in acts of incest with him. As a result one gave birth to the progenitor of Moab, and the other to the progenitor of Ammon. It would thus seem that Ruth was needed because she was a descendant of Lot? And who was Lot?

Now these are the chronicles of Terah: Terah begot Abram, Nahor and Haran; and Haran begot Lot ... And Abram and Nahor took themselves wives. The name of Abram's wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor's wife was Milka, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milka and the father of Iscah. (Genesis 11:27-28)

        Close examination of this passage reveals an astounding piece of information. It turns out that Haran, Abram's brother, was the grandfather of all of the most important Jewish women in history. The rabbis teach that Iscah was Sara (see Rashi Ibid), Rebecca was Milka's grand-daughter, and all of Jacob's wives were her great grand daughters. Lot was Haran's son and therefore Ruth was also a grand-daughter.  This is very significant in our salvation because of the lineage of Messiah.

Ruth's Heart Torn Between Moab and Israel - Her Choice Is The Heritage Of The Saints

        In the prelude to Sinai, we read:

So shall you say to the House of Jacob and relate to the Children of Israel (Exodus 18:3)

        The Talmud explains why the seeming redundancy "House of Jacob," and "Children of Israel." The House of Jacob refers to Jewish women -- Jewish women are the Jewish house. The ideas of Judaism come to life in the Jewish home and are translated into reality by the guidance of the Jewish woman.  The Jewish man carries the obligation of learning the Torah, but it is the Jewish woman who translates its ideas into the realities of everyday living. Abraham was the genius who brought the knowledge of God into the world, but it was his brother Haran who carried the seeds of the genius required to translate the knowledge that Abraham discovered into everyday life. Thus the greatest Jewish women were Haran's descendants. The Jewish Kingdom is a reflection of the Kingdom of Heaven. The Kingdom of Heaven carries in it a great power. This power is to redeem and regenerate and ensure that no part of what is noble and precious about humanity is ever lost.

        Thus an act of heaven was required when Lot, Haran's son, left Abraham and became lost in Sodom. The powers of holiness and greatness that were buried in him seemed forever lost to the service of God. All of humanity hung in the balance had those powers not been saved and rescued.  But because God is the absolute King and controls history even as man is free to do what he wants, He has the capacity to ensure the recovery of this lost greatness. This is the true significance of the Kingdom of Heaven. To ensure that nothing good is ever lost and is ultimately recovered requires eternal vigilance. The conversion of Ruth made possible the recovery of the lost power of Haran required to bring about the birth of the Jewish kingdom, reflective of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth.

Lot's Mistake Corrected: Messiah Sent To Restore The Power Of Holiness To Mankind Through Ruth

        To emphasize the aspect of redemption involved in the establishment of the Jewish Kingdom, the marriage of Ruth to Boaz -- which ultimately resulted in the birth of David -- was a "levirated" marriage. This type of marriage is specifically mandated by the Torah as a means of recovering the soul that left the world without managing to produce any issue. Thus the entire purpose of Ruth's marriage was to ensure that the soul of her first husband Machlon who died -- and the spiritual power and greatness that was latent in it -- would not be lost to the world or to Israel. Israel's Messiah was her hope of salvation. He always has been, always will be, just as HE IS OUR ONLY HOPE OF SALVATION TODAY!

        The recovery of all this lost potential happened through the correction of Lot's error by his great-great-granddaughter Ruth. Lot left Abraham over worldly possessions. After all, he was a believer himself, he knew the truth, he had learned how to serve God on his own, and he thought he did not need Abraham. As it was better for him in Sodom materially, and as he didn't perceive any spiritual necessity to remain with Abraham, he left. His error was that to serve God it is not enough to be aware of the absolute truth. You have to be attached to Him. The attachment to God comes about through the attachment to the Talmud Chacham. He should have stayed with Abraham.

        But Naomi in her wisdom wanted Ruth to think about what she was doing.   Naomi was much older than Ruth and Ruth should have had no trouble at all keeping up with Naomi; yet Naomi saw that it was a strain on Ruth to keep pace with her. From this she realized that Ruth was torn; there was a part of her that was reluctant to take the step of conversion. Ruth was a Moabite princess according to tradition. She was used to the best things in life. She was also a beautiful young woman in the prime of life. The step she was taking would introduce her to a life of poverty; her mother-in-law had lost everything she had through her misfortunes and was returning home entirely destitute. So, in going with Naomi, Ruth was leaving a life of high status to become a lowly convert of questionable status. It was not even clear if a Jew would even permitted to marry her. A large part of her said, "Why go to Israel? You can serve God wherever you are.

        After all these years of living in a Jewish house, you know all the laws and can observe all the commandments right where you are. There is no need for this great self sacrifice."  Ruth was torn. But what she wanted was closeness to God, she wanted attachment. Staying in Moab would not give her that; only attachment to the God of Israel would.  She decided to go with Naomi to join the Jewish people no matter what, but the strain of her inner conflict made it difficult for her to keep up. This is when Naomi stopped discouraging her. Naomi understood Ruth and saw that she was after an attachment to God. She had absorbed the true message of Judaism.

        Naomi is a type of the Holy Spirit who is going throughout the Earth today and bringing many Ruth's into the Body of Christ. He is actively seeking those who are lost right now revealing the Messiah to them. The Christian faith (which has Judaism at its root and foundation) is not a pretty from the outside looking in. When one comes to Yeshuah, there is no guarantee of riches as far as what the world defines as riches. But oh how rich we become in things that are eternal. Praise God. I feel the anointing of the Holy Spirit. That is the call of the Holy Spirit to the church in this hour. He's calling us to make a choice whether we are going to ATTACH ourselves to this GOD we claim to serve or are we going to return to Moab and the worldly pleasures.

        So very very many are returning to Moab. Paul said in the last days that there would come a great "falling" away. A mass exodus of people will deny the faith. Many will face the same choices Ruth and Orpah faced that day so long ago when Naomi said "return to your people." The Holy Spirit wants us to be sure we know what we are getting into. So many are making professions of faith without counting the cost. The days that are ahead will require more than a shallow profession - it will require the consecration of Ruth. "Your people shall be my people, Your God shall be MY GOD, wherever you lodge, I will lodge, wherever you go, I will go and nothing except DEATH will separate me from thee." That is the cry of the heart of those who truly know Yeshuah.

        As we close this journal, I ask you today, is that your hearts call? Are you yearning to follow Yeshuah all the way or are you wanting to return to Moab? This harvest celebration known as Shavuot is a call of the Holy Spirit for us to deny ourselves and follow the Lord all the way, not just some of the way. Praise God. For when we follow the Holy Spirit as Ruth followed Naomi, we will find He will lead us to our Heavenly Boaz, our kinsman redeemer!

Heavenly Father, in the name of Yeshuah, I pray today for those reading this journal. I pray the Holy Spirit touch our hearts and let us see our need for YOU. Let us see our need for a total dedication and commitment to Your Kingdom, not a half-hearted call that has us torn between Moab and the Promised land of Your Kingdom. Moab holds death. You have redeemed us Father by the blood of Your Son, Yeshuah and through that blood we have been drawn close to you by HIM. We praise you Heavenly Father for such a great salvation and ask You to melt our hearts in such a way we embrace our salvation with passion. In Yeshuah's name. Amen.