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What the Bible says about Boaz as Type of Christ
(From Forerunner Commentary)

Ruth 2:8-9

When we remember that Boaz is clearly a type of Christ and Ruth symbolizes the Christian who is being redeemed, Boaz' instructions take on a heightened meaning. His immediate concern is for Ruth's safety and health. Notice, too, that when he speaks to her, he does not mention her foreignness but calls her "my daughter." He was most likely older than she was, but what is striking is that his first words to her are familial, as if he had already accepted her. She was not a stranger and a foreigner to him but part of the community and maybe even part of his extended family.

His speech is essentially five consecutive commands. As a type of Christ, Boaz is lord and master of his domain, in complete control of the situation. He knows what she should do and gives her clear instructions about it. Though he has already determined to provide for her—which he does lavishly throughout the rest of the book—he gives her some ground rules to guide her gleaning.

First, he tells her to listen, to pay attention, to heed his instruction. If she wishes to place herself under his care, she must abide by his rules. He does not say this because he is a tyrant but because it is for her good to do as he says. As the master of the harvest, he knows the situation and how she could be most successful. As Jesus would say, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!" (Matthew 11:15).

Second, he forbids her to glean anywhere else, "but stay close by my young women." This is the equivalent of Christ telling us, "Do not gather spiritual food from any other source." His field is sufficient to supply her with all she needs to be filled, and the implication is that gleaning in other fields would not be safe. In fellowship with his other servants, she would be safe and satisfied with food.

Third, he tells her to keep her eyes on his field and his servants. A person's eyes show where he is focused, and Boaz does not want her to stray off his land. He does not want her to think that the gleaning was better elsewhere because, frankly, he knows it is not. He also desires that she follow the example of his servants, as they could give her help in doing her work.

Fourth, he assures her that his young men will not touch her. Boaz' servants are under strict orders to be kind and proper toward those under his care. They are not to take advantage of her in any way or to treat her harshly. The "young men" are equivalent to the ministry of God's church, who are commanded to "tend His sheep" in love (John 21:15-17).

Finally, he instructs Ruth to drink only what the young men have drawn from the well. Boaz knows that his water is clean and safe and that going to draw water from another well could put her in a dangerous situation. Water, as we know, is a type of God's Spirit, and here, it represents teaching inspired by God's Spirit—what is offered through His true servants. Clearly, God is very concerned about what we consume spiritually, and so Jesus tells us in John 4:14, "Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him with never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life."

In Boaz' instructions to Ruth, we see the concern of our Redeemer, Jesus Christ, for His people. He wants us to follow these instructions because they will keep us from harm, they will keep us nourished and satisfied, and they will keep us in the right environment so that we will grow and have a successful harvest. God gives us only good and wise advice, so if he tells us to stay in His church, listen to His ministers, and fellowship among His servants so that we will endure through the harvest, we would do well to heed Him.

Richard T. Ritenbaugh
Christ as Provider

Ruth 2:10-13

Boaz' words had gone straight to Ruth's heart; he had reached her in her innermost being. As a newcomer to Israel, she wanted acceptance, help, and instruction, and he provided everything she needed.

Clearly, Boaz has knowledge of Ruth, her activities, and her character beyond what his servant had told him earlier. In fact, the text gives the impression that Boaz knows practically everything there is to know about Ruth. He has full knowledge of her; all the facts are at his disposal. This is an instance in which Boaz as a type of Jesus is obvious: Boaz is so knowledgeable as to be nearly omniscient. The four gospels frequently tell us that Jesus knew things that an ordinary human would not (see Luke 6:8; John 2:24-25).

Boaz, it appears, has some of the same attributes. In Ruth 2:12, he makes a judgment based on his perfect knowledge. His judgment, which is framed as his desire, is that God will bless her and reward her for her sacrifices and her works. As Ruth acknowledges in verse 13, his judgment is an articulation of his favor, which is a general synonym for "grace." Her question to Boaz in verse 10 could just as easily have been written, "Why have I found grace in your sight?" In both deeds and words, Boaz shows her favor or grace, just as Christ extends to us.

This surprises Ruth because she is self-conscious about her foreignness. She mentions it twice in four verses, saying "since I am a foreigner" (verse 10) and "though I am not like one of your maidservants" (verse 13). He, however, does not mention it at all. To the contrary, Boaz praises her for having such strong convictions that she was able to forsake the land of her birth to join with people that she had never known before (verse 11). This sounds a great deal like Jesus' instruction in Luke 14:26: "If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple." Ruth was a paragon of this very virtue, willing to forsake her worldly family to join the people of Israel, a type of the church of God (Galatians 6:16).

Richard T. Ritenbaugh
Christ as Righteous Judge

Ruth 3:2

Ruth 3:2 sets the stage for Boaz' role in the next chapters. Naomi, Ruth's mother-in-law, is speaking: "Now Boaz, whose young women you were with, is he not our relative? In fact, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor." Boaz is winnowing the threshed grain. Winnowing is essentially cleaning the grain by taking the threshed grain and throwing it up into the wind, which blows away the chaff while allowing the grain to fall back to the ground where it can be gathered and used. Boaz, then, is shown separating the wheat from the chaff. It is a picture of judgment.

The psalmist Asaph writes in Psalm 83:13 of Israel's enemies, "O my God, make them like the whirling dust, like the chaff before the wind!" In the same vein, Isaiah says of sinful Israelites, "Therefore, as the fire devours the stubble, and the flame consumes the chaff, so their root will be as rottenness, and their blossom will ascend like dust; because they have rejected the law of the LORD of hosts" (Isaiah 5:24). John the Baptist speaks of Jesus as a winnower of men: "One mightier than I is coming. . . . His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather the wheat into His barn; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire" (Luke 3:16-17).

In this figure, the author of Ruth (who may have been Samuel) is indicating that Boaz is an able judge, one who makes righteous decisions. In the next two chapters, he will make a truly significant judgment. Taking all the evidence that is before him, he will separate the wheat from the chaff and choose to perform a service of profound consequence, to redeem the property of Elimelech, which obligates him to marry Ruth, the widow of Elimelech's heir. This not only decides Ruth's future, but also the future of his house, of Israel, and ultimately of the world.

Notice his joyful words when Ruth asks him to redeem her:

Blessed are you of the LORD, my daughter! For you have shown more kindness at the end than at the beginning, in that you did not go after young men, whether poor or rich. And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you request, for all the people of my town know that you are a virtuous woman. (Ruth 3:10-11)

Boaz praises her "kindness," which is the Hebrew word chesed, implying "covenant loyalty." She had shown herself true to her adopted family and to Israel by choosing Boaz over a younger man. The covenant said that as a widow, she had to marry the near kinsman, and she obeyed it to the letter. Spiritually, we could say that she acted contrary to the normal course of this world (see Ephesians 2:1-3), doing what was good and right rather than following her carnal desires.

He reassures her, saying, "Do not fear" (see Luke 12:32), for he would do everything that she requested (see John 14:13-14). Then he makes another judgment: He agrees that she is virtuous. In the spiritual type, he pronounces her righteous, which redemption and justification through the blood of Christ accomplishes. And in the morning, he makes it his chief aim to make her his bride. So does Christ work to bring His church into the Family of God, judging us worthy to live eternally with Him (Ephesians 5:25-32; Revelation 19:7-9).

Richard T. Ritenbaugh
Christ as Righteous Judge

Ruth 3:11-18

Ruth and her mother-in-law, Naomi, return from Moab after losing their husbands. Still a young woman, Ruth wants to be married again, especially because of the security and sufficiency that a husband would bring to her and Naomi. She happens to glean in the field of Boaz, and he generously helps her, giving her special privileges and a great deal of grain.

Being a responsible mother-in-law, Naomi designs a scheme to get Boaz to marry Ruth. She instructs Ruth on what to do, and the young woman follows them precisely. Boaz is a good man, and perhaps, too, very predictable. He does exactly what Naomi had figured he would do and responds to Ruth's request to "take your maidservant under your wing" (Ruth 3:9).

What sort of emotions do about-to-be-betrothed couples exhibit? Certainly "excitement" just begins to describe the emotions going through a bride-to-be's mind. Ruth was probably, in turns, ecstatic, nervous, relieved, and uncertain. Remember that she was a Moabitess in Israel. She had likely considered her chances of finding a husband to be slim to none.

Nor should we discount that Boaz had given her six ephahs of barley. We fail to realize just how generous a gift this was. If nothing else, it meant that she and Naomi would not go hungry for quite a while, as six ephahs equate to three bushels or 132 liters of grain—it was a wonder that she could carry so much home! It also amounted to a small bit of wealth because not only could they eat it, but they could also sell it.

Even so, the barley was probably not the primary reason for her excitement. All atwitter, she spilled out her story to Naomi, tripping over her words in her giddiness, pacing the floor, grabbing her mother-in-law's hands, and hugging her, imagining everything that could go wrong and despairing that it would. Naomi, older and wiser—and surely tired from a long night of waiting—says, "Ruth, just sit still and see how all this turns out."

To get the lesson from this charming story, we must recall that Boaz is a type of Jesus Christ, and Ruth represents the newly called individual. Boaz, here, is redeeming Ruth, just as Christ redeems us from the death penalty that falls on us when we sin. Not only that, like Christ, Boaz was preparing his bride, as it were, smoothing the road for himself to take her as his wife.

In addition, Naomi is a type of the church, the one responsible for instructing this young woman who was just beginning to have a relationship with Boaz. Her advice, to sit still and see how her redemption would work out, is just as timely today for all Christians, new and old. Our God will redeem us, but we are often ignorant or blind to how He is going about it. If we simply sit still, be patient, and let events run their course without trying to interfere in them, we will soon learn how God works and build faith in Him. Only when we are still and focused on seeing God at work can we see His intimate involvement in our affairs.

John W. Ritenbaugh
Beating the Rat Race (Part Five)

Ruth 4:1-11

This scene is typical of how most cultures, not only the Hebrews, have understood the idea of witnessing. These ten elders of the city—and, if we read between the lines in verse 11, all the people who were drawn to this event that Boaz set up—observed the negotiations and the transaction of the sandal between Boaz and the unnamed near kinsman. If there were ever a need for proof that Boaz had indeed jumped through all the legal hoops through which he needed to jump to procure the land of Elimelech and the hand of Ruth, he had ten expert, irreproachable witnesses from among the elders of the people. In fact, he had probably dozens more who had seen all this take place because it most likely took place at the gate of the city.

So, many people were able to see what had transpired and could testify that everything had been done above-board. In a way, these people functioned like today's notaries who witness a legal transaction, put their seal on a document, and sign it, verifying that, "Yes, I indeed saw this transaction take place, legally and above-board, etc." This is how witnessing is done, and this is what many, if not most, of the occurrences of the Old Testament Hebrew words for "witness," 'ed and 'ud (the noun and the verb, respectively), connote.

What happened here in Ruth 4 is very interesting in the fact that Boaz is a type of Christ. Boaz here chooses ten elders—Jews—respected men of the town to witness what he did. Remember, since this took place in Bethlehem, these Jews were probably kin of David. In fact, Boaz himself was David's great-grandfather, but these people were all one big extended family, the family of Judah. Boaz took ten of them, ten men whose eyewitness testimony could not be gainsaid in any way, and these men then witnessed his redemption of the land and Ruth.

What is interesting is that Jesus did exactly the same thing, except that He chose twelve men of Judah from Galilee. They would do the same for Him, telling all who would hear that He had indeed redeemed His people. Luke 24:44-49 shows that this is exactly what He did. While the normal, legal idea of witnessing appears in the New Testament, Jesus makes use of it to confirm the facts of His life and death to the whole world through His witnesses, the apostles.

Richard T. Ritenbaugh
Principled Living (Part Five): Witnessing of God

Ruth 4:1-12

In the final chapter of Ruth, the author shows Boaz cheerfully taking up the responsibility to be Ruth's kinsman-redeemer. In ancient Israel, the law allowed for the nearest male relative to buy the land of a deceased property owner to keep the holding within the family (see Leviticus 25:23-24; Deuteronomy 25:5-10). However, there was an important caveat: The kinsman-redeemer also had the responsibility to take his relative's childless widow as his wife, and their firstborn son would inherit the redeemed land as if he were the actual son of the dead man. If the redeemer already had children, the redeemed land would not pass to them.

This caveat comes into play in Ruth's case. The redeemer had to be willing to take responsibility for everything that his dead kinsman had left behind; he had to pay for it all. In the narrative of Ruth, the nearer kinsman was not willing. For the virtuous Ruth (Ruth 3:11), however, Boaz was more than willing to buy back the land (it had likely been mortgaged during the famine mentioned in Ruth 1:1), to pay off any of Naomi's other debts, if any, and to take the young Moabitess as his wife and raise their son as Elimelech's heir. To him, she was the pearl of great price that he would have spent all his wealth to possess (see Matthew 13:45-46). Likewise, for His Bride, Christ gave all that He had, His perfect, sinless life, paying for the sins of the whole world (I John 2:2).

Because of her knowledge of Boaz' character, Naomi sets the tone that underlies the entire process of Ruth's redemption: "Sit still, my daughter, until you know how the matter will turn out; for the man will not rest until he has concluded the matter this day" (Ruth 3:18). Naomi had had experience with Boaz before she had left for Moab with her husband and sons. She knew that he was a decisive, energetic, determined individual who would not deviate from his purpose once he fixed upon it. As the saying goes, he would move heaven and earth to redeem Ruth.

Naomi's declaration about Boaz is similar to what the Bible says about God: Once He gives the word, it is as good as done. As Isaiah 46:11 declares, "Indeed I have spoken it; I will also bring it to pass. I have purposed it; I will also do it." Like Boaz, Christ has relentless, dogged determination to save us and prepare us for His Kingdom. It is His foremost desire, and He is on the job night and day "to present [us] holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight" (Colossians 1:22). Just as Boaz had said, "I will perform the duty for you, as the LORD lives!" so Christ will finish His work in us. Paul writes in Hebrew 10:23, "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful." God prophesies in Isaiah 62:1, 4-5:

For Zion's sake I will not hold My peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until her righteousness goes forth as brightness, and her salvation as a lamp that burns. . . . You shall no longer be termed Forsaken, nor shall your land any more be termed Desolate; but you shall be called Hephzibah [My Delight Is in Her], and your land Beulah [Married]; for the LORD delights in you, and your land shall be married. . . . And as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.

Ruth 4:1-12 presents a step-by-step record describing how Boaz went about securing Ruth's redemption. For our purposes, it is not necessary to consider each element of the ancient redemption process, as shown in Ruth (although it makes an edifying study). We should note, however, that Boaz is not only eager and determined, but he is carefully, even stringently, lawful. Everything is done by the book. He makes sure all the required procedures are followed and leaves nothing out.

For instance, the transaction is conducted in the city gate of Bethlehem where judgments were to be made. He gathers ten witnesses to observe and, if necessary, to testify later about what he did. He allows the near kinsman every opportunity to do his legal duty in redeeming the property. He hides none of the pertinent facts from anyone, presenting all of the relevant details so that everyone clearly understands what is happening. Even his short speech to the townspeople as the process ends sounds like a contract (verses 9-10).

In the same way, Christ works within the boundaries He and the Father have established, so that no one will be able to accuse God of being unjust or unfair or playing fast and loose in any way with what is right. Every price will be fully paid, every legal requirement will be fulfilled, and every involved party will be satisfied with the outcome. Because He loves us, He redeems us lawfully so that there will never be any question as to our status before Him. Everyone will know that we belong to Him. God Himself declares in Isaiah 1:27, "Zion shall be redeemed with justice, and her penitents with righteousness."

One final detail is worth pointing out as we consider the meaning of Pentecost. Boaz and Ruth marry and produce a son, Obed. Obed means "servant" or "worshipper." In spiritual terms, the product of Christ and a converted Christian is a servant and worshipper of God, the goal of God's harvest of firstfruits—a new creation in the image of God. Is that not a beautiful image?

Richard T. Ritenbaugh
Christ as Redeemer

Ezekiel 16:8

The young woman is involved in a marriage. Within the context, she begins as a type of Jerusalem and gradually expands into a type of all Israel. Within the fullness of the Bible, the symbolism can apply all the way to include the church and the New Covenant. Verse 8 clearly states, "You became Mine."

The statement, "I spread My wing over you," is a symbol of caring protection. It can also imply what Boaz did in accepting Ruth when, at Naomi's bold suggestion, she came to him at night and slept at his feet. Ruth was willing to pay the price of possibly losing her reputation by being perceived as a prostitute because the community could have interpreted what she did as brazenly throwing herself at Boaz. But Boaz, being a just man (also a type of Christ), took the hint properly and redeemed Ruth to be his wife. "I spread My wing over you" suggests both as a companion in marriage and as a possession.

The Old Covenant was a marriage covenant, and it prefigures the New Covenant, which is also a marriage covenant. Several verses confirm that the church as Christ's Bride is a purchased possession. The apostle Paul writes in I Corinthians 6:19-20: "Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's" (see also I Corinthians 7:22-23; II Peter 2:1). These verses are especially clear regarding the legal realities involved in this relationship. The price of our redemption from slavery to Satan and this world has been paid by Christ when He shed His blood. We legally belong to Him.

John W. Ritenbaugh
Fully Accepting God's Sovereignty (Part Two)

Hebrews 1:14

The last phrase of Hebrews 1:14 calls God's chosen people “those who will inherit salvation.” An heir is one chosen to receive an inheritance, which usually occurs upon the death of the individual who bequeathed it. Typically, the testator is a blood relation, so a legal heir is usually part of the family bloodline.

The book of Leviticus provides specific details about the inheritance of the Promised Land, indicating that inheritance is a prominent idea in God's purpose. In the book of Ruth, Boaz, a type of Christ, went to great lengths to ensure he followed the inheritance laws in acquiring the land belonging to Elimelech, Naomi's dead husband, as well as Ruth herself to become his wife (see Ruth 4:1-12). From that marriage came the lineage of David, which culminated in the birth of Christ.

A difference in the Hebrew and Greek cultures regarding inheritance is striking. In Greek culture, an heir is simply one who inherits, but among the Hebrews, inheritance is more forceful. According to Strong's Concordance, inherit (yāraš, #3423) can have a more forceful meaning: “to occupy (by driving out previous tenants, and possessing in their place); by impl. to seize, to rob, to inherit; also to expel, to impoverish, to ruin—cast out, consume, destroy, disinherit, dispossess, drive out, enjoy, expel.”

We realize that the Israelites had to take such actions to inherit the Promised Land. That may parallel what God's elect must do to inherit the earth, which Satan and his demons currently occupy.

Ronny H. Graham
Heirs of Salvation


 




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