Page 139 - Fundamentals 7 ebook 1-16-19_Neat

had visited His people in Bethlehem. She lifted her head
toward Bethlehem, and saw the visitation of God and that there
was blessing in the land of fullness. So, she decided to go back
to Bethlehem. As soon as she purposed in her heart to go back,
God already began turning the curse into a blessing, and it was
at that point that Naomi led Ruth, her daughter-in-law, to the
Savior.

Now, Naomi was not planning to lead Ruth to Christ. You see,
when you lead somebody to Christ you usually do not say to
them, “Go back to your gods.” You usually do not use that
sentence in order to win somebody to the Lord. That is what
Naomi said to Ruth. Ruth 1:15-17, “’Behold, your sister-in-law
has gone back to her people and her gods; return after your
sister-in-law.’ But Ruth said, ‘Do not urge me to leave you or
turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and
where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people,
and your God, my God. Where you die, I will die, and there I
will be buried. Thus may the LORD do to me, and worse, if
anything but death parts you and me.’!”

What a tremendous thing! As soon as Naomi decides to go back
to Bethlehem, God begins using her for blessing. The curse is
already being turned into a blessing because God had put
Bethlehem in Ruth’s heart. Ruth also wanted to go to
Bethlehem, and God begins to use her.

The second step is the courting by Boaz as kinsman redeemer
who is a picture of Christ. After returning to Bethlehem, Ruth
began to glean in a field of grain owned by a kinsman of
Naomi’s deceased husband, whose name was Boaz. Boaz
courts her, and he woos her, and he tries to win her heart and
romance her unto himself. He charges his servants to watch out
for her safety. He instructs his reapers to drop handfuls on
purpose so she can gather and so she can glean. Ruth 2:1 says
that he is a mighty man of wealth. He is a kinsman who is in
every way qualified to redeem her. He loves her. And though
he is strong, and though he is rich, and though he is qualified as