In John chapter three John the
baptist refers to the Lord Jesus as the "bridegroom." This is the
same title by which the Lord identifies Himself in Matthew 9, Mark 2 and Luke
5. As with many of the titles of the Lord Jesus, at first glance this title
doesn't seem to be very significant or carry with it much information but as we
meditate on it and think about it, searching the Scriptures, we begin to
realize that this one title actually conveys a great deal of information. In
fact I would even go so far as to suggest that you could share the gospel with
someone looking at Christ only as the Bridegroom and in that one title the
person would have enough information to be saved. That's simply my opinion, you
think it out for yourself. But the fact is that there is actually a great deal
of information communicated through Christ as the Bridegroom. So let's suppose
that we are telling someone about the Lord Jesus and for some reason the only
thing we're able to communicate to them is Christ as the Bridegroom. First of
all, what does a bridegroom beg for? A bride. It’s in the subject title, you
can’t have one without the other. Can you picture a universe that contained
nothing but a bridegroom? Something would be obviously missing. A bridegroom
needs a bride. So we’re talking to somebody and we say “I want to tell you
about the Lord Jesus and He is called the bridegroom. Bridegroom speaks of relationship."
We’re not reading in new information here. Relationship is the idea of a
bridegroom, someone who has a bride. Just like a bridegroom desires a
relationship with his bride, so Christ, the Bridegroom, desires to have a
relationship of that kind of intimacy. So the first idea communicated
through Christ as the Bridegroom is one of relationship, and not just any
relationship, but a relationship of the closest and most intimate kind. A
mistake that some people make when looking at Christ is that they regard Him as
simply the founder of a religion. They miss the whole aspect of relationship.
Christ wants to have an intimate and permanent relationship. That’s the
other thing about the Bridegroom, He is not called "the boyfriend."
The Bridegroom not only speaks of the intimacy of the relationship but also of
the permanence of the relationship. When the Lord instituted marriage in
Genesis chapter 2 it is clear that He never intended for that relationship to
be something temporary. We read in Genesis 2:24 - "For this reason a man
shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they
shall become one flesh." That oneness in the marriage relationship is not to
be broken. It's a permanent thing.
What else can we learn from this
title? In order for this relationship to begin, what does the bride have to do?
Those magic words have to come out, ”I do.” In other words, implied in the
title is the aspect of decision. We have a choice to make in regard to the
Bridegroom. We don’t just get sucked in as part of the bride. There’s a
decision on our part. Is the Lord going to force you into a relationship with
Himself? No, you have to say “I do.” There’s a choice on the part of the bride.
The Lord Jesus is not going to force anyone into that relationship.
Something else we know about the
Bridegroom is that He laid down His life for the bride. He demonstrated His
love for the bride by laying down His life for her. When it meant that one of
them had to die He said "It's gonna be Me." And now He is working to
beautify His bride.
With this one title we’ve erased a
lot of the misconceptions of Christianity. One misconception is that it’s a
list of rules to be followed. Another is that it’s a religion to sign up for.
Another is that it’s a subject to be studied. This one title has erased all of
these misconceptions because the essence of Christianity is being in a
relationship with the Lord and knowing Him.
As with many of the titles of our
Lord Jesus, the Old Testament narrative becomes extremely helpful in shedding
light on different aspects of Christ as the Bridegroom. There are several Old
Testament accounts that tell us about a bridegroom and his bride, and many of
these picture Christ and His relationship with His bride, the church.
Last time we considered the Lord Jesus as the Last Adam. One of the comparisons that we didn't look at was the comparison of their brides. Just as the Lord made a bride for Adam He is making a bride for Christ. I think perhaps the clearest parallel passage for Genesis chapter 2 is Ephesians chapter 5. In Genesis chapter 2 the Lord is making a bride for Adam, in Ephesians chapter 5 we're given instructions concerning the oneness of the marriage relationship, and after spending several verses talking about this relationship we read - "This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church." So let's compare these passages side by side. We read in Genesis 2:21-24 - "So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place. The Lord God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man. The man said, “This is now bone of my bones, And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man.” For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh." The theme here is obviously the oneness of the marriage relationship. The two coming together are actually one. And there is a particular way that the Lord chose to make a bride for Adam. The Lord God formed Adam out of the dust and breathed into him the breath of life. He could have made Eve the same way but He intentionally created her in the way that He did. Why? Again, it was to show the closeness of the relationship. Eve was actually a part of Adam. She was created from his side. In a sense she was both his body and his bride. When Adam first saw her he said "This is now bone of my bones, And flesh of my flesh." In other words, "She is a part of me." This is the Lords intention for every marriage. That's why several times throughout the New Testament Genesis 2:24 is quoted, "For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh." This has been Gods pattern from the beginning. So when we come to Ephesians chapter 5 we read that this is Gods pattern, not only for the human relationship between a husband and wife, but also for the relationship between Christ and the church. Ephesians 5:22-32 says - "Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless. So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, because we are members of His body. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church." The similarities are striking. The relationship between Christ and the church is identical to the relationship between a bridegroom and a bride. We are part of His body. The submission of the wife to her husband is to picture the submission of the church to Christ. The love of a husband for his wife is to be the same as Christs love for the church. How did Christ demonstrate His love for the church? By giving Himself up for her. We continue to see the oneness of the relationship brought out in this passage. It seems to be constantly switching back and forth between the marriage relationship and the way we treat our own bodies. And the teaching is clear, the marriage relationship is to be as close as our relationship with our own bodies. That's Gods design. And He not only sets it up as a pattern to be followed, but He, our heavenly Bridegroom, demonstrates it through His relationship with us. "He who loves his own wife loves himself; for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, because we are members of His body."
Something else that I think is noteworthy is that Eve was taken out of Adams side. Is that significant? Think about it, this relationship is the pattern of marriage, but it's also a picture of Christ and the church. Is there any passage that comes to mind that talks about the something coming out of the side of the Lord Jesus? Immediately our minds go to the Lord Jesus on the cross and the events that are recorded in John 19:34 where we read - "But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out." Blood and water came out of His side. So what? Just as the Lord took a rib out of Adams and fashioned it into a bride for him, I would suggest that the blood and water are the means by which God is making a bride for the Lord Jesus. This is a study in itself, but think about the significance of the blood of Christ. Throughout the New Testament the blood of Christ is emphasized. His shed blood is absolutely essential in our salvation. No one can be a part of the bride of Christ without coming through His blood. This is the means by which He has saved us. We've been purchased by His blood, Acts 20:28. We have been justified by His blood, Romans 5:9. We have redemption through His blood, Ephesians 1:7. We have been brought near by the blood of Christ, Ephesians 2:13. Christ has made peace through the blood of His cross, Colossians 1:20. Through His own blood He entered the Holy Place, Hebrews 9:12. We are sanctified through the blood of Christ, Hebrews 13:12. We are cleansed from sin by the blood of Christ, 1 John 1:7. These are just a few of the verses regarding the importance of His blood, and it is clear that no one becomes part of the bride of Christ apart from His shed blood. The second thing that came out of His side was water. The significance of the water is not talked about as much as the blood, but there are a couple of passages that might help us to understand the significance of it. The first one I want to think about is the passage that we've already looked at in Ephesians chapter 5. In the middle of all that instruction concerning husbands and wives and the relationship between Christ and the church, we read - "Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word." Christ is working to beautify and sanctify His bride through the washing of the water of the Word. In relation to being Christs bride it is vital that we are not only brought near by His blood, but also sanctified through the water of the Word. In Hebrews 10:19-22 the blood and the water are brought together once again. There we read - "Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water." Through the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus, God has initiated a new covenant and He is in the process of making a bride for His Son by the blood and water which flowed from His own side.
Last time we considered the Lord Jesus as the Last Adam. One of the comparisons that we didn't look at was the comparison of their brides. Just as the Lord made a bride for Adam He is making a bride for Christ. I think perhaps the clearest parallel passage for Genesis chapter 2 is Ephesians chapter 5. In Genesis chapter 2 the Lord is making a bride for Adam, in Ephesians chapter 5 we're given instructions concerning the oneness of the marriage relationship, and after spending several verses talking about this relationship we read - "This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church." So let's compare these passages side by side. We read in Genesis 2:21-24 - "So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place. The Lord God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man. The man said, “This is now bone of my bones, And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man.” For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh." The theme here is obviously the oneness of the marriage relationship. The two coming together are actually one. And there is a particular way that the Lord chose to make a bride for Adam. The Lord God formed Adam out of the dust and breathed into him the breath of life. He could have made Eve the same way but He intentionally created her in the way that He did. Why? Again, it was to show the closeness of the relationship. Eve was actually a part of Adam. She was created from his side. In a sense she was both his body and his bride. When Adam first saw her he said "This is now bone of my bones, And flesh of my flesh." In other words, "She is a part of me." This is the Lords intention for every marriage. That's why several times throughout the New Testament Genesis 2:24 is quoted, "For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh." This has been Gods pattern from the beginning. So when we come to Ephesians chapter 5 we read that this is Gods pattern, not only for the human relationship between a husband and wife, but also for the relationship between Christ and the church. Ephesians 5:22-32 says - "Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless. So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, because we are members of His body. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church." The similarities are striking. The relationship between Christ and the church is identical to the relationship between a bridegroom and a bride. We are part of His body. The submission of the wife to her husband is to picture the submission of the church to Christ. The love of a husband for his wife is to be the same as Christs love for the church. How did Christ demonstrate His love for the church? By giving Himself up for her. We continue to see the oneness of the relationship brought out in this passage. It seems to be constantly switching back and forth between the marriage relationship and the way we treat our own bodies. And the teaching is clear, the marriage relationship is to be as close as our relationship with our own bodies. That's Gods design. And He not only sets it up as a pattern to be followed, but He, our heavenly Bridegroom, demonstrates it through His relationship with us. "He who loves his own wife loves himself; for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, because we are members of His body."
Something else that I think is noteworthy is that Eve was taken out of Adams side. Is that significant? Think about it, this relationship is the pattern of marriage, but it's also a picture of Christ and the church. Is there any passage that comes to mind that talks about the something coming out of the side of the Lord Jesus? Immediately our minds go to the Lord Jesus on the cross and the events that are recorded in John 19:34 where we read - "But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out." Blood and water came out of His side. So what? Just as the Lord took a rib out of Adams and fashioned it into a bride for him, I would suggest that the blood and water are the means by which God is making a bride for the Lord Jesus. This is a study in itself, but think about the significance of the blood of Christ. Throughout the New Testament the blood of Christ is emphasized. His shed blood is absolutely essential in our salvation. No one can be a part of the bride of Christ without coming through His blood. This is the means by which He has saved us. We've been purchased by His blood, Acts 20:28. We have been justified by His blood, Romans 5:9. We have redemption through His blood, Ephesians 1:7. We have been brought near by the blood of Christ, Ephesians 2:13. Christ has made peace through the blood of His cross, Colossians 1:20. Through His own blood He entered the Holy Place, Hebrews 9:12. We are sanctified through the blood of Christ, Hebrews 13:12. We are cleansed from sin by the blood of Christ, 1 John 1:7. These are just a few of the verses regarding the importance of His blood, and it is clear that no one becomes part of the bride of Christ apart from His shed blood. The second thing that came out of His side was water. The significance of the water is not talked about as much as the blood, but there are a couple of passages that might help us to understand the significance of it. The first one I want to think about is the passage that we've already looked at in Ephesians chapter 5. In the middle of all that instruction concerning husbands and wives and the relationship between Christ and the church, we read - "Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word." Christ is working to beautify and sanctify His bride through the washing of the water of the Word. In relation to being Christs bride it is vital that we are not only brought near by His blood, but also sanctified through the water of the Word. In Hebrews 10:19-22 the blood and the water are brought together once again. There we read - "Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water." Through the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus, God has initiated a new covenant and He is in the process of making a bride for His Son by the blood and water which flowed from His own side.
Another Old Testament account that
pictures for us the relationship between the bridegroom and the bride is found
in Genesis chapter 24 where we read of Issac and Rebekah. This is where we read
the account of a bride being found for Isaac, and there are several
similarities between this account and the New Testament truths concerning
Christ and the church.
The chapter begins by recording a
conversation between Abraham and his unnamed servant. Abraham is sending the
servant back to the land from which he came to find a bride for his son Isaac.
Back in chapter 22 we have one of the clearest types of Christs sacrifice in
all the Bible. This is where we find Abraham, the father, taking Isaac, the
son, up on a mountain in order to offer him up as a sacrifice. A picture, of
course, of God the Father offering up His only begotten Son. So we've seen
Abraham as a type of the Father and Isaac as a type of the Son. If we continue
with these types into chapter 24 we find the Father sending out a servant to
find a bride for the Son. The main body of the chapter records the servants
journey, the Lords leading him to Rebekah, the servant giving gifts to her, a
discussion about Abraham and Issac, and finally the chapter ends with a journey
back to the land of Canaan and Rebekah meeting her bridegroom. A key character
in this chapter is the servant and yet throughout the entire chapter he is not
named. He is the one doing the work of finding and preparing a bride and yet
this chapter doesn't even mention his name. As we look at the servant he
doesn't emphasize himself but rather Abraham and Issac. If we think about this,
again, in New Testament terms, seeing Abraham as the Father and Isaac as the
Son, I think what we have here in the servant is a type of the Holy Spirit.
Think about the sequence of events in the surrounding context. In chapter 22
Abraham and Isaac went up Mount Moriah because the Lord had told Abraham to
offer up his son as a burnt offering before the Lord. Looking at this account
through New Testament lenses, it's almost impossible not to see the
similarities between this account and the account of the Lord Jesus being
offered up on the same mountain for us. It's significant to note that after
picturing the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus, Isaac is not mentioned again until
the end of chapter 24. This may not seem significant at first, but think about
it. Abraham and Isaac go up the mountain in order to picture the Father
sacrificing His only begotten Son. In verse 19 we read - "So Abraham
returned to his young men, and they arose and went together to Beersheba; and
Abraham lived at Beersheba." Abraham returned, but what about Isaac? I'm
sure he went back down the mountain with his father, but it doesn't say that.
And I believe that this is intentional. After Isaac is sacrificed, so to speak,
he isn't seen again until the end of chapter 24 when he is coming out to meet
his bride. This sounds familiar doesn't it? After Christ was sacrificed and
rose again He ascended into heaven and we are awaiting a day when we will meet
Him in the clouds. In the meantime the Holy Spirit is in the process of
preparing a bride for Christ. In John chapter 14 the Lord Jesus tells His
disciples that He is going to leave them, but He says that He will ask the
Father, and the Father will send a another Helper, that is the Spirit of Truth.
And He says in John 15:26 - "When the Helper
comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who
proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me." This is what
the servant did in Genesis chapter 24, right? He didn't shine the spotlight on
himself, he told Rebekah and her family about the father and the son,about
Abraham and Isaac. The Lord Jesus also says in John 16:13 - "But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide
you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but
whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to
come." Again, this is what the servant
did in Genesis 24. He wasn't going on this errand for his own benefit or his
own initiative, he was simply coming on behalf of the father for the benefit of
the son, and he disclosed to Rebekah things to come. He told her about his
master and his masters son. He told her what living with that family in Canaan
would be like. But that's not all the servant did, he also gave Rebekah gifts.
And this is what something else that the Spirit is doing in the church today.
We read in Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4 and 1 Peter 4 about
spiritual gifts, that is, gifts that the Holy Spirit has given us on behalf of
Christ in order that we might build up the body of Christ and beautify His
bride. The Helper, the Holy Spirit, on behalf of the Father is in the process
of preparing a bride for the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
This process in Genesis
24 sounds strange to us because this is simply not the way that relationships
work in our culture. Can you imagine getting engaged to someone you've never
even met? Of course not. But this is our experience with Christ, isn't it? We
are betrothed to Christ. We, the church, are the bride of Christ. First Peter
chapter 1 says concerning our relationship with Christ, "And though you
have not seen Him, you love Him." After Isaac goes up to the mountain to
be sacrificed he isn't seen again until the end of chapter 24 where we read - "Isaac went out to meditate in the field toward evening; and
he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, camels were coming. Rebekah
lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac she dismounted from the camel. She
said to the servant, “Who is that man walking in the field to meet us?” And the
servant said, “He is my master.” Then she took her veil and covered herself.
The servant told Isaac all the things that he had done. Then Isaac brought her
into his mother Sarah’s tent, and he took Rebekah, and she became his wife, and
he loved her." The next time Christ appears on the scene He is coming to
meet His bride. We'll meet Him in the clouds and then He'll take us to the
Fathers house. Until then the Spirit is working on us to teach us about our
heavenly Bridegroom, and to beautify and prepare us to meet Him. And though,
like Rebekah, we have not seen Him, we love Him.
The book of Ruth gives us another story of a bride and a bridegroom. It seems that in each one of these pictures a different aspect of our relationship with Christ is emphasized. Our Bridegroom is so vast and so wonderful that each account simply adds another aspect of His relationship with us, and no one picture could fully portray our perfect Bridegroom. In fact, all these accounts combined still fall short of a complete portrayal of Christ, though each one does add to our understanding and appreciation of Christ. With Adam and Eve we saw the oneness of His relationship with us. In Isaac and Rebekah we saw the Spirits work in preparing a bride for Christ. In the book of Ruth I think the main emphasis is His love for us when we were unlovely. Ruth was a Moabitess. According to the law of God in Deuteronomy 23:3 no Moabite was even allowed to enter the assembly of the Lord. And according to Judges 3:28 Moab was the enemy of Israel. Time and again throughout the Old Testament we see Moab standing in opposition to the people of God. So we come to the book of Ruth and we're surprised to find that the title character is a Moabitess, a foreigner.
The book of Ruth gives us another story of a bride and a bridegroom. It seems that in each one of these pictures a different aspect of our relationship with Christ is emphasized. Our Bridegroom is so vast and so wonderful that each account simply adds another aspect of His relationship with us, and no one picture could fully portray our perfect Bridegroom. In fact, all these accounts combined still fall short of a complete portrayal of Christ, though each one does add to our understanding and appreciation of Christ. With Adam and Eve we saw the oneness of His relationship with us. In Isaac and Rebekah we saw the Spirits work in preparing a bride for Christ. In the book of Ruth I think the main emphasis is His love for us when we were unlovely. Ruth was a Moabitess. According to the law of God in Deuteronomy 23:3 no Moabite was even allowed to enter the assembly of the Lord. And according to Judges 3:28 Moab was the enemy of Israel. Time and again throughout the Old Testament we see Moab standing in opposition to the people of God. So we come to the book of Ruth and we're surprised to find that the title character is a Moabitess, a foreigner.
The book begins with a
famine coming on the land of Israel. Because of the famine an Israelite by the
name of Elimelech and his wife, Naomi, decide to travel from the land of Israel
to the land of Moab with their two sons, Mahlon and Chilion. While they were in
Moab both Mahlon and Chilion took wives from the daughters of Moab. One was
named Orpah and the other was named Ruth. In the course of time Elimelech and
his two sons died and all three of their wives became widows. Naomi then
decided to return to her own country and she tried to persuade her
daughters-in-law to go back to their fathers houses. Orpah returned but Ruth
clung to Naomi and returned with her to nation of Israel and the town of
Bethlehem. So Ruth is a foreigner, an alien, excluded from the commonwealth of
Israel, a stranger to the covenants of promise, without hope and without God in
the world. This pretty well pictures us, does it not? For we read in Ephesians
2:11-12 - "Therefore remember that formerly
you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called “Uncircumcision” by the
so-called “Circumcision,” which is performed in the flesh by human hands—
remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the
commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no
hope and without God in the world." Paul is writing to the church, the
bride of Christ. But after talking about what we were, it goes on to say in
verse 13 - "But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have
been brought near by the blood of Christ." Though we were foreigners,
though we were excluded and strangers to Gods covenants, though we were without
hope and without God, we have now been brought near by the blood of Christ.
This is what the story of Ruth pictures.
When Boaz first saw Ruth in chapter
2 he asked his servant, "Whose young woman is this?" To which the
servant replied, "She is the young Moabite woman who returned with Naomi
from the land of Moab." If Boaz had been thinking about cultivating any
kind of relationship with this girl then this response should have turned him
off. The Moabites were bad news. Any good Jew would want to keep his distance
from a Moabite. But even with this information, Boaz tells Ruth not to go to
anyone else's field, but to continue gleaning from his and he tells her to help
herself to the water jars that have been supplied for his servants. He also
tells the servants not to bother her. He tells them to let her glean even from
what they already harvested and he even told them to periodically pull out a handful
of grain on purpose and leave it for Ruth to find. He cared for her and he was
watching out for her in spite of the fact that she was a foreigner. In chapter
2 verse 10 Ruth recognizes her own unworthiness and we read - "Then she
fell on her face, bowing to the ground and said to him, “Why have I found favor
in your sight that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?”"
The truth is that Ruth was a woman of noble character, the problem was that she
was a foreigner.
The book of Ruth is more than a love
story, although it certainly is a love story. It is the story of a kinsman
redeemer. The law of God made provision for a childless widow as well as for
her property. God intended that each tribe keep their own land, so when a
Jewish man died childless it was the responsibility of his brothers or the next
of kin to buy the land that he left behind. But along with the land the kinsman
would also acquire the dead mans widow and would be responsible to raise up
offspring through her in the name of the dead man. There were two requirements
that the kinsman redeemer had to meet. First of all he had to be related.
Second, he had to be willing. One without the other would be useless. And this
is what we see when we come to chapter 4. Now, it's obvious up to this point
that Boaz and Ruth like each other, but Boaz knows that in relation to Ruth he
has to do the right thing. Boaz was both a relative and he was willing to
redeem Ruth, so he met both requirements. But he says to Ruth in the latter
part of chapter 3 - "It is true I am a close relative; however, there is a
relative closer than I. Remain this night, and when morning comes, if he will
redeem you, good; let him redeem you. But if he does not wish to redeem you,
then I will redeem you, as the Lord
lives." And so this interesting transaction takes place in chapter 4. The
unnamed relative and Boaz meet in the city gate at the beginning of chapter 4
and the legal process concerning the land begins to take place. Boaz says,
"Naomi, who has come back from the land of Moab, has to sell the piece of
land which belonged to our brother Elimelech. So I thought to inform you,
saying, ‘Buy it before those who are sitting here, and before the elders of my
people. If you will redeem it, redeem it; but if not, tell me that I may know;
for there is no one but you to redeem it, and I am after you.'" To which
the man responds, "I will redeem it." The man is interested in the
land, but up to this point Ruth is not mentioned. So Boaz says, "On the day
you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you must also acquire Ruth the
Moabitess, the widow of the deceased, in order to raise up the name of the
deceased on his inheritance." And upon hearing this the man says, "I
cannot redeem it for myself, because I would jeopardize my own inheritance.
Redeem it for yourself; you may have my right of redemption, for I cannot
redeem it." This man was a kinsman and he was interested in the land, but
when it came to marrying Ruth he said, "I'm not interested." He met
the first requirement but not the second. He had the means but not the desire.
Boaz had both the means, because he was a kinsman, and he had the desire,
because he loved Ruth. So Boaz bought from Naomi the land that belonged to
Elimelech and he married Ruth.
Consider how this pictures us and
our heavenly Bridegroom. We've already seen that Ruth was a foreigner just like
us. We were held in bondage to sin and we needed someone to buy us back, to
redeem us. And it wasn't enough that someone had the desire to do it, but they
would also have to be related to us. God so loved the world, but love in itself
was not enough. That's the desire, but what about the means? In order for God
to redeem us He had to be a kinsman, a relative. How was God going to become a
kinsman redeemer for us? In John 3:16 we see that God had not only the desire,
but also the means. "For God so loved the world,
that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not
perish but have eternal life." He gave His only begotten Son. God
became a man. He took on human flesh. He was made like us in all things, sin
apart. "Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself
likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless
him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who
through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives. For assuredly He
does not give help to angels, but He gives help to the descendant of Abraham.
Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might
become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make
propitiation for the sins of the people." We needed more than just a
lover, we needed a kinsman redeemer, and we have this in the incarnation.
Boaz paid dearly for Ruth. Boaz
apparently owned a great deal of land, I'm sure he didn't need any more. But he
paid the full price of the land in order that he might acquire Ruth as his
bride. This sounds similar to the parable that the Lord Jesus told in Matthew
13:44 where He says - "The kingdom of heaven is
like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from
joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field."
The man in the parable paid the price of the entire field in order that he
might obtain the treasure that was in it. Boaz paid the entire price of the
land in order to acquire Ruth. The Lord Jesus was willing to pay for the entire
world in order that He might redeem His bride. When we were unlovely,
foreigners, strangers to the covenants of promise, without hope and without God
in the world, God, because of the great love wherewith He loved us, sent forth
His only begotten Son to be born of a woman in order that He might redeem us
from every lawless deed and present to Himself the church, His bride, in all
her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be
holy and blameless before Him. Such is the love of Christ, and it's pictured
beautifully through Boaz and Ruth.
There is one final picture that I
want to look at and that is the Song of Solomon. In the Song of Solomon we see
the intimacy of the love relationship between the bridegroom and the bride.
Everything about this poetic book is dripping with love. You see it in the
terminology that is used, the way the bridegroom and bride refer to one
another, the way that they look at each another, the way that they talk about
each other, there's no question about it, they're deeply in love. This short
book depicts the intimacy of our relationship with Christ. There is no doubt
that the Lords relationship with us is a love relationship. As you travel
through this book you can see a growth in the brides love for the bridegroom.
More and more she is becoming consumed with him. This should be our experience
with Christ. We should be falling deeper in love with Christ every day. Are you
more in love with Christ today than you were yesterday? The bridegrooms love
for the bride is faithful and unwavering. And her love for him grows only as
she takes her eyes off of herself and considers his love for her. We may think
that if we're going to grow in our love for Christ then we need to focus really
hard on our claim on Him, but the bride in this book learns that that's not the
case. As she loses sight of her own claim on him and focuses on his claim on
her she grows in her love for him as a byproduct.
To go through this book and see the
unwavering love of the bridegroom for his bride is astounding. There are times
when the bride becomes self-satisfied or distant from the bridegroom, but even
then he loves her selflessly. Throughout this book we see the bridegroom
constantly drawing his bride back to himself and causing her to grow in love
for him. There are three verses in this book that I think mark the brides
growth in relationship with the bridegroom. The first is found in chapter 2
verse 16 where the bride says - "My beloved is mine, and I am his."
There's no doubt that she loves him, but her claim on him is her primary focus,
"My beloved is mine," and his claim on her is only an afterthought,
"And I am his." This pretty well represents chapters 1-3. In chapters
1-3 the bride is the primary speaker and she talks much about her claim on the
bridegroom. She uses the words I, me and my, quite a bit through this section.
In chapter 2 he invites her to come along with him but she is apparently
content simply knowing that he is hers. He goes off and she remains where she
is. But at the beginning of chapter 3 she is restless. She has to find him. She
goes about looking for him and finds him and this time she's not going to let
him go. This begins a section of unbroken fellowship that continues through the
end of chapter 4. In this portion the bridegroom is the primary speaker and he
is absolutely consumed with love for her. After this wonderful experience of
being close to her bridegroom and hearing him, in chapter 5 the bride again is
separate from her bridegroom. She is asleep in the house and he knocks to get
in. She delays to open to him until she gets a glimpse of his hand through the
door, and then her affections for him are stirred. But when she opens the door
he is gone. But, again, she is restless. She must find her beloved. She begins
searching for him and begins to implore others that if they see him to tell him
that she is lovesick for him. They ask her, "What is your beloved that you
thus adjure us?" And she responds at the end of chapter 5 by giving them a
description of her beloved. In this description she doesn't mention herself at
all. Her thoughts are only of him and her description is so beautiful and so
stirring that those who hear it have their own hearts stirred to find him. This
is where we find the second verse that marks the brides growth. She says in
verse 3 of chapter 6 - "I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine."
This is the reverse order of what we saw in 2:16. Now his claim on her is her
primary focus, "I am my beloved's" and her claim on him is only an
afterthought, "and my beloved is mine." No sooner had she finished
this statement than he bursts upon the scene and begins to express how
beautiful she is in his sight. After this restoration we find the bridegroom
and the bride separated no more. He continues in chapter 7 to expound his love
for her, and after being completely submersed in his love for her we see the
third and finale mark of the brides growth in chapter 7 verse 10 where the
bride says - "I am my beloved’s, and his desire is for me." How
different from her first statement. From, "My beloved is mine, and I am
his." To, "I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine." To,
"I am my beloved's, and his desire is for me." She is now completely
consumed with his claim on her and has forgotten her claim altogether.
What a picture of the Bridegrooms
relationship with us. He is altogether lovely, I am altogether unlovely, why
should He love me so? When it comes to our relationship with Christ we can tend
to focus on ourselves and our own efforts. But Christs' intention is that we be
completely consumed with Him. I can tell myself, "I need to love Jesus
more." and focus on how I might grow in my love for Him, but perhaps the
way to truly grow in love for Him is to completely lose sight of our own
efforts and focus entirely on Him. This is the example that the Lord Jesus set
in His relationship with the Father. How many times in the gospel of John does
the Lord Jesus says that the Father loves Him? Several. John 3:35 - "The Father loves the Son and has given all things into
His hand." John 5:20 - "For the Father
loves the Son." John 10:17 - "the
Father loves Me." John 15:9 - "the
Father has loved Me." And the list goes on. The Lord Jesus was
constantly focusing on the Fathers love for Him. But how many times in the
gospels to we read the Lord Jesus saying that He loved the Father? Only once
that I could find. John 14:31 says - "but so that
the world may know that I love the Father, I do exactly as the Father
commanded Me." Is there any doubt that the Lord Jesus loved the
Father? And yet He only says it once. But He was so completely absorbed with
the Fathers love for Him that His love for the Father was evident as a
byproduct. And our relationship with Christ is the same way. When we become
consumed with the Bridegrooms love for us we grow in our love for Him whether
we realize it or not.
The apostle Paul made his prayer for
the Ephesians in chapter 3 verses 16-19 saying- "that He would grant you,
according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His
Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith;
and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend
with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to
know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled
up to all the fullness of God." The love of Christ is so vast that
searching the depths of His love is a pursuit that will consume the rest of our
lives. We cannot reach the bottom of that which has no bottom. In searching out
the breadth, length, height and depth of His love we discover that it is
bottomless, topless, and it goes on forever. We will never be able to plumb the
depths of Christs love. It is incomprehensible, and yet we're told that by His
own revelation we can know that which surpasses knowledge, namely, the love of
Christ.
And again, we are dependent on
Christ to cause us to grow in love for Him. Whether or not we realize it, we
are completely dependent on our Bridegroom to produce a love for Him in our
hearts. We cannot even love Him as we should unless He works in us to produce
that love. This is what the bride recognized in the Song of Solomon when she
says in chapter 1 verse 4 - "Draw me after you and let us run
together!" We cannot even love Him like we should unless He enables us. We
need Him to draw us after Himself.
These Old Testament accounts present
us with beautiful pictures of Christs relationship with us, and it would be
very profitable for us to go through and read these passages in their entirety,
familiarizing ourselves with them and then read the book of Ephesians with
these stories in mind, and perhaps we'll gain a greater understanding and
appreciation of Christ, our perfect Bridegroom.
Just
a few verses in closing, James 4:4 says- "You adulteresses, do you not
know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God?" We are in a
relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, a relationship of the most intimate
kind, and the Lord Jesus is a jealous Bridegroom. He is jealous for our love
and affection. Any bridegroom has the right to expect fidelity and faithfulness
out of his future life partner, and Christ expects the same from us. He is
sickened and heartbroken when He sees us flirting with the world or giving our
love to anyone or anything else. He lays claim on us exclusively, and He
considers friendship with the world to be adultery. Don't cheat on your
Bridegroom. He has the right to expect, and even demand, our fidelity. Don't
downplay the seriousness of friendship with the world. It's adultery. Let us
present ourselves to Him as pure virgins, without spot and blameless, unstained
by the world. In Revelation 19:7-8 we read - ""Let us rejoice and be
glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His
bride has made herself ready.” It was given to her to clothe herself in fine
linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the
saints." At the marriage supper of the Lamb we are going to be clothed in
a white garment. That pure white garment is going to be made up of our good
works. Every time that we do a good deed we are sewing another white thread
into the wedding dress of the bride.
"Thou glorious Bridegroom of our hearts,
Thy present smile a heav'n imparts,
Oh, lift the veil, if veil there be,
Let every saint Thy glory see!"
"Thou glorious Bridegroom of our hearts,
Thy present smile a heav'n imparts,
Oh, lift the veil, if veil there be,
Let every saint Thy glory see!"
Song of Solomon 7:10 - "I am my
beloved's, and his desire is for me."
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