Bible Study Seattle

“Now Naomi had a relative on her husband’s side, a man of standing from the clan of Elimelek, whose name was Boaz.” Ruth 2:1
Elimelek means ‘God is King’. Boaz means ‘By Strength’. The other Boaz in the bible was one of two main pillars in Solomon’s temple (1 Kings 7:21). Was Ruth the other? “‘He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name.” Revelation 3:12
“Boaz asked the overseer of this harvesters, ‘Who does that woman belong too?'” Ruth 2:5
Boaz notices Ruth. Jesus notices the church. Boaz then asks Ruth to glean in his field. Much as Jesus asks the church to glean in his field.
“Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” Matthew 9:38
“May I continue to find favor in your eyes, my lord,” she said. “You have put me at ease by speaking kindly to your servant—though I do not have the standing of one of your servants.” Ruth 2:13
Ruth does not have the standing of Boaz’ servants. The Gentile church does not have the standing of the Hebrews, but are grafted in as wild branches:
“If some of the branches have been broken off (Hebrews), and you, though a wild olive shoot (Gentile), have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, do not consider yourself to be superior to those other branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you.” Romans 11:17-18
“At mealtime Boaz said to her, “Come over here. Have some bread and dip it in the wine vinegar.” Ruth 2:14
Boaz shared a meal with Ruth. Jesus invited the disciples to break bread with him.

“When she sat down with the harvesters, he offered her some roasted grain. She ate all she wanted and had some left over. As she got up to glean, Boaz gave orders to his men, “Let her gather among the sheaves and don’t reprimand her. Even pull out some stalks for her from the bundles and leave them for her to pick up, and don’t rebuke her.” So Ruth gleaned in the field until evening. Then she threshed the barley she had gathered, and it amounted to about an ephah. She carried it back to town, and her mother-in-law saw how much she had gathered. Ruth also brought out and gave her what she had left over after she had eaten enough.” Ruth 2:14-18
Boaz made the work easy on Ruth. Jesus makes his work easy on the church.
“For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:30

Ruth gleaned until evening. The church will glean until evening. Hebrew days start with evening, and end with morning.
“And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.” Genesis 1:5
This is significant. The church will glean all day; all thousand years of Jesus’ great Millennial Day.
Ruth gleaned barley. Barley was the first crop to harvest. The church is the first crop to harvest in heaven. The barley harvest coincides with the feast of Passover. Fifty days later is the feast coinciding with the wheat harvest. A few months later, in the fall, is the grape harvest.
“So Ruth stayed close to the women of Boaz to glean until the barley and wheat harvests were finished. And she lived with her mother-in-law.” Ruth 2:13
Ruth waited until both barley and wheat harvests were finished. This represents both the church and her companions, sometimes referred to the Great Company after Revelation 7:9.
“The Lord bless him!” Naomi said to her daughter-in-law. “He has not stopped showing his kindness to the living and the dead.” She added, “That man is our close relative; he is one of our guardian-redeemers.” Ruth 2:20
Boaz was one of Roth’s kinsmen redeemers. Jesus is our redeemer.