It seems that Father wants to thoroughly saturate our minds with the knowledge of His protection at this time of trial. I have been writing about this protection lately. His Pavilion, His tabernacle, under his wings, under his feathers, and His embrace. Again we want to encourage you that your Redeemer lives and He is Strong!
Please look at the story of the Moabitess Ruth with me.
Ruth was a young woman who had been made a widow. She represents you individually and also the church at large.
You were once married to the World and the ruler of this world. You were his slave and did what he wanted you to do. But through coming to Jesus Christ that abusive relationship ended! You are no longer married to Satan, but are betrothed to Jesus Christ. [Romans 6 & 7]
Ruth needed a near kinsman – a relative to redeem her. Boaz was a relative with the right to redeem her. In order to begin this transaction Ruth went at night to see where Boaz would lie down to sleep. Where is the place of his rest and where is His dwelling place? She saw where Boaz lay down and came and uncovered his feet…then she lay there…at his feet.
At midnight Boaz awoke startled to find a woman at his feet. He asked, Who are you?
Ruth 3:9 “Who are you?” he asked. “Sir, I am Ruth,” she answered, “and you are the relative who is supposed to take care of me. So spread the edge of your cover over me.”
Boaz did eventually REDEEM Ruth as a near kinsman redeemer. She became his wife and they had a son named Obed, who was the grandfather of King David the type of Christ Jesus.
A wonderful story given by our Father to illustrate His love and care for us in sending a near relative–The MAN Jesus to CARE FOR US—TO REDEEM US–paying the ransom price with His life blood.
We are His manservant and maidservant –He is our Master. He has redeemed us with His blood to God. We have gladly yielded to Him and become His betrothed one.
Ruth said SPREAD THE EDGE OF YOUR GARMENT OVER ME…..
The word for edge is kânâph we saw this word in the last post in psalm 91 and also Malachi 4 translated as wing/s.
It means an edge or extremity; specifically (of a bird or army) a wing, (of a garment or bed clothing) a flap, bird, border, corner, end, feather [-ed], X flying, + (one an-) other, overspreading, X quarters, skirt, X sort, uttermost part, wing ([-ed]).
Ruth was being like a little bird–come to take refuge under the feathers of her Protector.
Jesus is our Redeemer and He has cast the border of His mantle over us. We are positioned always under His wings. Nothing can snatch us from Him.\
We dwell permanently inside Jesus inside the Holy of Holies. We are seated in Christ on the mercy seat, BENEATH THE WINGS–or FEATHERS of the Cherubim. God meets with us there in sweet fellowship and communion in the spirit. We do not do something to go there.,…WE ARE THERE! That is the place He has chosen to dwell. In your redeemed heart–the ark of the NEW Covenant – the mercy seat of God.
Exo 25:20 And the cherubim shall stretch out their wings [kânâph] above, covering the mercy seat with their wings [kânâph], and they shall face one another; the faces of the cherubim shall be toward the mercy seat.
Ruth wanted Boaz to spread or cast the edge of his garment over her. The edge or kânâph means to overspread. The wings of the cherubim overspread the mercy seat, their faces always see the blood sprinkled there by Jesus for your falling short. Ruth the Moabitess –a descendant of an incestuous union between Lot and his daughter, now has her shameful past forgiven and cleansed by being brought into the line of Judah – Yeshua’s own line.
Boaz spread the corner of his garment over Ruth until morning–actually from Midnight to dawn. This shows us that while we sleep our Lord is covering us and protecting us underneath his wing. It is also a prophetic message. Jesus spoke in parables about the Master coming at midnight, or the Groom coming at midnight. Scripture also speaks about just at “the break of dawn God shall help us” in Psalm 46 which we looked at last time.
Another woman lay at Jesus feet out of her gratitude for His forgiveness–His redemption.
This woman had a pretty bad reputation and people knew her story. Jesus would have known her story too.
Luk 7:36 Then one of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him. And He went to the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to eat.
Luk 7:37 And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil,
Luk 7:38 and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil.
Luk 7:39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he spoke to himself, saying, “This Man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner.”
But the point is that at some point, this dear woman had been forgiven all her many sins by Jesus….most likely before this occasion at Simon’s house. She has come to show her gratitude and love for the cleansing purifying forgiveness that Jesus had shown her. All her darkness and shame had been replaced with purity and innocence. He had shown her His deliverance and REDEMPTION which He would later complete legally at the cross.
She lay at Jesus feet in an act of adoration and worship….an attitude of complete surrender and devotion.
She had nothing with which to repay her debts and now she lavishes Jesus with this new love that has come into her heart.
Simon the Pharisee on the other hand thinks he has some ‘good works’ with which to repay his many debts. Therefore his love for Jesus is shallow at best.
Jesus does not make anyone bow down at His feet….it is the heart response of love…knowing that we are forgiven and redeemed sons and daughters of God that drops us to our knees.
See also the story of Mephibosheth and how God restored a man with crippled feet
