Crusts and Crumbs: Some Kool and Freaky Things.

Many times we skip over words or phrases because we don’t know what is meant and there is no explanation because to those writing, reading or listening; it was commonly understood without a need for explanation.

Here are a few insights into foods of Middle Eastern culture as related to scripture.

In Genesis 25:29-34 we read of Esau giving his birthright for a mess of pottage.

29 And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint: 30 And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom. 31 And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright. 32 And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me? 33 And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob. 34 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright.

We have here the bargain made between Jacob and Esau about the birthright, which was Esau’s by birth, but Jacob’s by promise. It was for a spiritual privilege; and we see Jacob’s desire of the birth-right and he saw his opportunity when his brother desired what he had.

What exactly is pottage?

nā·zîḏ  נָזִ֑יד

Genesis 25:29
HEB: וַיָּ֥זֶד יַעֲקֹ֖ב נָזִ֑יד וַיָּבֹ֥א עֵשָׂ֛ו
NAS: When Jacob had cooked stew, Esau came
KJV: And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came
INT: had cooked Jacob stew came Esau

Pottage is a very common dish in the Middle East and the people call it

kool!

It is much like gruel or hummus and is made of various kinds of grains, which have been beaten in a paste. The red pottage is made of kurakan and other grains, and it was for this that Esau sold his birthright!

Other common uses of the term were for example: When land was sold for an insignificant sum, other people would comment, the man sold his land for pottage. If parents gave their daughter in marriage to man of lower standing in the community people may say, they have given her for pottage. If an intelligent individual acted in a manner less than what was expected of him, it may be said of him: He has fallen into the pottage-pot.


Wheat and Tares

“While Men Slept, the Enemy Sowed Tares”

Matthew 13:25.

“Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.”

wheat  וְחִטִּ֥ים

chittah: wheat

Strong’s Hebrew: 2406.

חִטִּים (chittah) — wheat

Original Word: חִטָּה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: chittah
Phonetic Spelling: (khit-taw’)
Definition: wheat

Strong’s Hebrew: 2591. חִנְטִין (chinta’) — wheat

Original Word: חִנְטָא
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: chinta’
Phonetic Spelling: (khint-taw’)
Definition: wheat

2 Samuel 17:28
HEB: וּכְלִ֣י יוֹצֵ֔ר וְחִטִּ֥ים וּשְׂעֹרִ֖ים וְקֶ֣מַח
NAS: basins, pottery, wheat, barley, flour,
KJV: vessels, and wheat, and barley,
INT: pottery and earthen wheat barley flour

The tare or darnel grows plentifully all over the Middle East, and is a huge problem to farmers. The grain is small and is lies along the upper part of the stalk, which stands perfectly erect.

The taste of the grain is bitter and if mixed with wheat in bread causes dizziness, and often acts as a violent emetic.

An emetic is a medicine or potion that makes you vomit, which you might be given if you’ve taken poison or some other harmful substance.

It is a poison and must be carefully winnowed and picked out of the wheat or the flour is not fit for food. The tares can hardly be distinguished from the wheat until the heads appear at harvest time, — even the farmer cannot tell them apart.

As harvest approaches the wheat grows heavy and bends over more and more, but the tares or darnel are so light-headed they stand very straight. This is the opposite of wheat which bows over gracefully, indicative of the humility of the believer in the presence of the Lord; whereas the tares stand up with heads held high in a posture of pride and arrogance. Tares are bitter and cause dizziness and are poisonous so this is a clear picture showing the traits of those who are not true believers.

Greek 2215. zizanion — zizanium (a kind of darnel resembling wheat)
zizanium (a kind of darnel resembling wheat). Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter
Transliteration: zizanion Phonetic Spelling: (dziz-an’-ee-on) Short Definition

Darnel (9 Occurrences)
(n.) Any grass of the genus Lolium, esp. the Lolium temulentum (bearded darnel),
the grains of which have been reputed poisonous. Darnel

At harvest time the farmer cuts the heads off the tares and puts them in a pile until he has harvested the wheat; then the tares are burned. Notice the order, the tares are gathered first!


Bread lechem לֶ֣חֶם

Strongs# 3899

lechem: bread, food

Original Word: לֶחֶם
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: lechem
Phonetic Spelling: (lekh’-em)
Definition: bread, food

John 6:35 I am the bread of life

.lechem ha-chayim לֶחֶם הַחַיִּים the Bread of Life

Messiah often referred to Himself as the Bread of Life and these words were full of meaning to the crowds who were listening to Him.

In those days, bread was the staple of their diet being their main food. Back then it was not unusual for someone to stop and pick up a bit of bread that had fallen in the road, they would touch their forehead with it as a token of respect, and carefully place it in a small crack of a wall or a nearby rock, so that it would not be trodden on by other feet walking by. Local bread is normally a round, flat cake, about a quarter of an inch to an inch thick.

Leavened bread wasn’t common among country folk. Women cook the fresh bread for each meal and the oven is often just a small, slightly convex sheet of iron; placed on three stones with a fire underneath.

A very thin, large piece of unleavened dough is placed on the oven and when it’s cooked, it is similar to a huge pancake or tortilla.

Sarah baked her bread on hot stones on the hearth in her tent, having built a fire in a hole in the floor of her tent and filled the hole with small stones, then the bread was placed on the hot pebbles.


What is a Parched Pulse?

In Hebrew the word for parched is

קָלִי qali

qâlîy kaw-lee

or קָלִיא qâlîy

from H7033   קָלָה

roasted ears of grain:—parched corn

2Samuel 17:28

The word pulse is found in Daniel 1:12, 16.

haz·zê·rō·‘îm

Daniel 1:12 
HEB: לָ֜נוּ מִן־ הַזֵּרֹעִ֛ים וְנֹאכְלָ֖ה וּמַ֥יִם

KJV: and let them give us pulse to eat,

This is found in abundance in the Middle east and is very popular. Pulse looks something like very large peas and when the whole plant has been roasted, it’s sold in small bunches on the street.

Filled with concentrated nutrients, it enables Bedouin travellers to go for a several days’ journey with only a handful of pulse for food.

When King David fled from Absalom to Mahanaim, the people gave him as a present,

 

“parched corn, beans, lentils, and parched pulse”

2 Samuel 17:28.

2 Samuel 17:28
HEB: וּשְׂעֹרִ֖ים וְקֶ֣מַח וְקָלִ֑י וּפ֥וֹל וַעֲדָשִׁ֖ים
NAS: flour, parched [grain], beans,
KJV: and flour, and parched [corn], and beans,
INT: barley flour parched beans lentils

7039 qali: parched (grain)

Original Word: קָלִי
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: qali
Phonetic Spelling: (kaw-lee’)
Definition: parched (grain)

Word Origin
from qalah
Definition
parched (grain)
NASB Translation
parched (2), roasted grain (4).

Daniel 1:12 says, “Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us pulse to eat, and water to drink.”.

הַזֵּרֹעִ֛ים pulses hazzeroim

Daniel 1:12
HEB: לָ֜נוּ מִן־ הַזֵּרֹעִ֛ים וְנֹאכְלָ֖ה וּמַ֥יִם
NAS: some vegetables to eat
KJV: and let them give us pulse to eat,

 Ruth gleaning for parching?

“Then said Boaz unto his servant that was set over the reapers, Whose damsel is this?

Ruth 2:5.

This could easily be seen even today by the country people of Bethlehem.

The greetings are the same between the owner and his servants, “The Lord be with you” is merely the “Allah m’akum,” heard every day, and the reply, “The Lord bless thee.”

Some of the workers had a tendency to be rude towards defenseless women, this is why Boaz commanded them to treat Ruth with respect. The reapers came from all parts of the country, and largely from the lower class and because they were far from home they threw off all restraint and often behaved badly.

The meals too, are very much the same today; the dipping of the morsel in vinegar, and the parched corn. This parched corn is not like corn or maize in the west, it is more like wheat or barley. They pluck a small bunch with the stalks attached, and tie them into small bundles, the corn heads are held in a blazing fire until the chaff is burned away. After roasting, the kernels are rubbed out in the hand and eaten. This was a very popular food and the gathering of this corn for parching was never considered stealing.

Parched corn is often referred to in scripture. It was not unusual to see people pluck off some corn, rub the heads in their hands, and eat the grains unroasted, as they passed by the wheat fields, just as the apostles did.

Ruth 2:14;

קָלִיא. qali

parched (grain)

Original Word: קָלִי
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: qali
Phonetic Spelling: (kaw-lee’)
Definition: parched (grain)

Ruth 2:14
HEB: וַיִּצְבָּט־ לָ֣הּ קָלִ֔י וַתֹּ֥אכַל וַתִּשְׂבַּ֖ע
NAS: and he served her roasted grain, and she ate
KJV: and he reached her parched [corn], and she did eat,

2 Samuel 17:28
HEB: וּשְׂעֹרִ֖ים וְקֶ֣מַח וְקָלִ֑י וּפ֥וֹל וַעֲדָשִׁ֖ים
NAS: flour, parched [grain], beans,
KJV: and flour, and parched [corn], and beans,
INT: barley flour parched beans lentils

7039 qali: parched (grain)

Original Word: קָלִי
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: qali
Phonetic Spelling: (kaw-lee’)
Definition: parched (grain)

Leviticus 23:14
HEB: וְלֶחֶם֩ וְקָלִ֨י וְכַרְמֶ֜ל לֹ֣א
NAS: nor roasted grain nor
KJV: neither bread, nor parched corn, nor green ears,
INT: bread roasted new neither

lentils וַעֲדָשִׁ֖ים

2 Samuel 17:28
HEB: וְקָלִ֑י וּפ֥וֹל וַעֲדָשִׁ֖ים וְקָלִֽי׃
NAS: [grain], beans, lentils, parched
KJV: [corn], and beans, and lentiles, and parched
INT: parched beans lentils parched

5742 adashah: a lentil

Original Word: עָדָשׁ
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: adashah
Phonetic Spelling: (aw-dawsh’)
Definition: a lentil

In the summer the owners often sleep on threshing floors, just as Boaz was doing when Ruth came to him. It was understood that a woman should not sleep on these floors, and to do so would give the same bad impression which Boaz was concerned about, yet it was not unusual for the whole family to camp on the threshing-floor to protect the crop until the harvest was over.

Boaz knew Ruths character and that she was guided in her actions by her mother-in-law, who taught her that she had a right to Boaz for her husband, and that the law of God said she could not marry anyone else. Boaz says to Ruth,

“When thou art athirst, go unto the vessels and drink, .. . At meal time . . . eat of the bread, and dip thy morsel in the vinegar . . . and he reached her parched corn, and she did eat.”

A common sight in Israel is that water is always available in large jars. Local people are mostly satisfied with bread, a few olives or an onion. At harvest time they eat a better meal. This consisted of tomatoes, cut up with oil to dip and moisten their bread morsel in, or leban, which is a sour, clabbered milk.

Clabber is a type of soured milk. It is produced by allowing unpasteurized milk to turn sour (ferment) at a specific humidity and temperature. Over time, the milk thickens or curdles into a yogurt -like consistency with a strong, sour flavor. We would call it kefir or yogurt.

Folks sit on the ground around a common bowl and dip in. During barley harvest the wheat is still in the milk, and

freaky”

(meaning rubbed wheat),

is made extensively.

This freaky

is the parched corn of the scriptures, and in Hebrew:

qali  קָלִיא Strongs # 7039

The green wheat is cut and mixed with a pile of dry barley straw, which when set on fire, is hot enough to roast the green wheat. The ears of wheat are then rubbed together in their hands to winnow out the dross.

Even today some reapers still make parched corn a part of their meal. It has for centuries been a very common sight to see travelers stopping along the road, to cut a handful of wheat from someone’s field, and making a little parched corn for a meal, or even just rubbing out the green ears in the hand to eat the soft kernels.

Deuteronomy 23:25: “When thou comest to the standing corn of thy neighbor, then thou mayest pluck the ears with thine hand, but thou mayest not move a sickle in thy neighbor’s standing corn.”

“Messiah went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungered, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat.”

It was a common practice and not a crime; the Pharisees were simply finding something to complain about His disciples.


Olive

2132 zayith: olive tree, olive

Original Word: זַיִת
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: zayith
Phonetic Spelling: (zay’-yith)
Definition: olive tree, olive

Olives

זיתים

“They Shall Still Bring Forth Fruit in Old Age;

They Shall Be Fat and Flourishing”

Psalm 92:14.

The olive tree, mentioned some 40 times in the Old Testament, is one of the very first trees named in the Bible.

An olive leaf was brought to Noah’s ark in Genesis 8:11.

The olive is the most common cultivated tree in Israel, producing abundant fruit and oil. One tree often gives from 10 to 15 gallons of oil.

Olives and bread constitute a large part of the food and Olive oil was and is today used very much for lighting. In the tabernacle service, besides being used for light, it was also one of the ingredients of the “Holy anointing oil” as noted in Exodus 25:6; 30:24.

shemen: fat, oil

Original Word: שֶׁמֶן
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: shemen
Phonetic Spelling: (sheh’-men)
Definition: fat, oil

Exodus 27:20
HEB: וְיִקְח֨וּ אֵלֶ֜יךָ שֶׁ֣מֶן זַ֥יִת זָ֛ךְ
NAS: you clear oil of beaten
KJV: thee pure oil olive
INT: bring about oil olives clear

Olive oil was used in treating wounds, Luke 10:34. It was used for the head, Psalm 23:5, as an act of courtesy in Luke 7:46; as well as to anoint priests, kings, and prophets for service.

Leviticus 8:12; I Samuel 16:13; I Kings 19:16.

Many references in Leviticus show how much use was made of oil in connection with offerings.

Leviticus 8:2
HEB: הַבְּגָדִ֔ים וְאֵ֖ת שֶׁ֣מֶן הַמִּשְׁחָ֑ה וְאֵ֣ת ׀
NAS: and the anointing oil and the bull
KJV: and the anointing oil, and a bullock
INT: for and the garments oil and the anointing and the bull

The olive tree has small white flowers in May, Job 15:33..

The fruit is gathered by beating Deuteronomy 24:20.

Or shaking the tree Isaiah 17:6.

An olive tree grows slowly, very often lives to a very, very great age, and bears fruit till the last, even when the trunk is nothing but a shell. Some of the olive trees in Gethsemane are believed to be approx.. 2000 years old.

“The righteous shall still bring forth fruit in old age.”


Hyssop  בְאֵז֣וֹב  zufa

Psalm 51:7

ezob: hyssop

Original Word: אֵזוֹב
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: ezob
Phonetic Spelling: (ay-zobe’)
Definition: hyssop

Purge me with hyssop

(with zufa as in the original)

and I shall be clean wash me  And I shall be whiter than snow.

Zufa: Aromatic herbs and spices contain essential oils and are recognized by their considerable antimicrobial activity. One of the natural mouthwashes in traditional Iranian medicine is Zufa.

Zufa or Hyssop is a famous medicinal herb that is also a member of the mint plantfamily. It is closely related to plants like rosemary.Its smell is very pleasant, and taste is spicy with astringency and a bitter end [3]. About its habitat,Zoufa has grown in ancient Rome [5], Jerusalem and Cairo and Iran

Hyssop is used as a spice and also for its medicinal oil. But to the prophets it represented meekness and modesty.

They contrasted the hyssop with the cedars of Lebanon, the symbol of exaltation and pride. 2Kings 14:9

Hyssop is a very effectual purge for internal cleansing and zufa is also a potent bleach for external cleansing.

So now when we read the Psalm, Purge me with Hyssop and I shall be clean; wash me with zufa and I shall be whiter then snow; we will have a clearer picture that

we are to be cleansed both inside and out.

The Blood of the sacrificial lamb was applied to the doorposts and the lintel with Hyssop before the Passover.

Spiritually let us apply the Blood of Messiah with hyssop/ zufa.

Now we know

what is kool

and freaky!

Everything in the Word of God has a deeper meaning than just surface reading and we are encouraged to dig deeper for that treasure, those pearls of great price.

שָׁלוֹם עֲלֵיכֶם‎,

Shalom aleikhem

chaverim and mishpachah!

Peace to friends and family.

Shavua Tov, Have a blessed week.

Make certain Messiah Jesus/Yeshua is your Redeemer, Savior, Lord and soon returning King and that you have a personal relationship with Him.

It’s all about Life and Relationship, NOT Religion.

You are very precious in His sight.

Not sure ..you can be…

SIMPLY SAY THE FOLLOWING MEANING IT FROM YOUR HEART..don’t delay one more minute,

SAY IT RIGHT NOW…

Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus/Yeshua asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.

I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus/Yeshua is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus/Yeshua rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name.

Five Chosen In A Line Unbroken – Part 4 continued

Five Chosen In A Line Unbroken –

Part 4 continued from…

 https://www.minimannamoments.com/five-chosen-in-a-line-unbroken-part-4/

In Bethlehem, Ruth looked after her aging mother-in-law Naomi, as if she were her own mother; and to keep them from going hungry, Ruth gleans grain in the field of Naomi’s relative, Boaz.

Boaz בעז

Meaning:

In Strength, By Strength

From the prefix ב – be, in,

and

the verb עזז – azaz,

to be strong, powerful or strong.

Boaz = fleetness.

Strong’s Hebrew: 1162.

בֹּ֫עַז

Boaz — quickness.

Here while gleaning in the fields of Bethlehem, Ruth meets Boaz.

He was a wealthy Bethlehemite,

a rich land-owner

and kinsman to Elimelech the husband of Naomi.

Ruth 2:3 says that

as it happened’

Ruth went to the field of Naomi’s rich relative, Boaz.

This phrase

as it happened

is often used in the Bible to suggest that God is setting the scene for something significant.

It also implied, with a touch of Jewish humour, that Naomi and the people of Bethlehem saw a good match for Ruth and edged her into meeting Boaz. (Matchmaking!)

Naomi knew that Ruth was beautiful and respected, Boaz was the ideal choice. He was available, childless, well respected and rich. and she knew that a rich husband for Ruth would solve all their problems.

He was also a relative of Naomi’s through her husband’s family, (see Leviticus 19:9-10). so he had a legal obligation to help Naomi and to redeem the estates of her deceased husband Mahlon. (Ruth 4:1)

Boaz was second in line to the position of go’el in Naomi’s, and therefore Ruth’s, family.

In English, the word go’el

is often translated as ‘nearest kin’,

but in ancient Judah it meant much more than that.

A go’el was a close male relative with the duty of looking after a family when the male head of the family was absent.

In earlier times, the go’el of the family was expected to marry the widow of an Israelite man if she wished it

Deuteronomy 25.

Ruth, who may not have understood the formalities of Israelite law,

called Boaz – go’el =

Kinsman Redeemer.

It seems to have been love at first sight for him, and he ordered his workers to treat Ruth well when she worked in his fields. picking up leftover grain

Ruth 2:1-23    

He went to great lengths to get extra grain for Ruth, to protect her from young men who might harass her, and to see that she was properly fed.

 

‘At mealtime Boaz said to her “Come here, and eat

at some of this bread, and dip your morsel in the sour wine”.

So she sat beside the reapers, and he heaped up for her some parched grain. She ate until she was satisfied, and she had some left over.’

Naomi saw immediately what had happened, and encouraged Ruth to keep on working in Boaz’s fields. who has heard about her kindness to Naomi.

Ruth 2:11,12

Boaz replied, “I have been made fully aware of all you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband, how you left your father and mother and the land of your birth, and how you came to a people you did not know before. May the LORD repay your work, and may you receive a rich reward from the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have taken refuge.”

Following Naomi’s guidance, Ruth visits Boaz at night.

When Boaz finally lay down and is

fast asleep after winnowing barley on the threshing floor,

she approached

and lay down at his feet.

Someone always slept there at night until the grain was removed, to guard against thieves.

Ruth 3:1-18

‘When Boaz had eaten and drunk, and he was in a contented mood, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain. Then she came stealthily and uncovered his feet, and lay down.’

The threshing floor is the same that David bought from and it became the site of the Temple!

It is Mount Moriah the scene of many meetings and sacrifices.

The Threshing floor and

the significance of threshing:

The context of King David’s initiative to purchase that threshing floor was the need to stop the Angel of Death, who was exacting the punishment for sin.

2 Samuel 24:15-16

As believers this connection makes sense – it’s the place of God’s victory over sin and where the power of spiritual death was stopped.

King David purchases the threshing floor of

Araunah the Jebusite

and, according to one classic rabbinic opinion,

the entire city of Yerushalayim /Jerusalem.

That threshing floor,

the place where he intends to offer sacrifices,

is now called the

Har HaBayit –

Temple Mount in Yerushalayim/Jerusalem.

Araunah in Hebrew: אֲרַוְנָה ‎

’Ǎrawnāh was a Jebusite mentioned in 2 Samuel,

who owned the threshing floor on Mount Moriah

which David purchased and

used as the site for assembling an altar to God.

1 Chronicles, a later text, renders his name as

Ornan – in Hebrew: אָרְנָן ‎ ’Ārənān.

David built an altar on Ornan’sAraunah’s threshing-floor

2 Samuel 24:18-24 1 Chronicles 21:18-27,

which later became the site of the Temple.

2 Chronicles 3:1.

David probably chose this place for his altar because it was elevated, and the ground was already level and prepared by the rolling action from all the threshing activity.

It is very significant that the threshing floor of Araunah was on 

Mount Moriah–the Temple Mount–

where the temple was built because it was

where Messiah was also threshed/beaten for us:

2 Chronicles 3.1

Then Solomon began to build the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the Lord had appeared to his father David. It was on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite, the place provided by David.

The angel of Adonai

was then by the threshing floor

of Araunah the Jebusite.”

2 Samuel 24:15-16

So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for 50 shekels of silver. Then David built there an altar to Adonai , and offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings.

A threshing floor like that sold by Araunah, would have been a large, open, elevated area to facilitate threshing and winnowing.

A threshing floor was a large, open, hard surface, so threshing floors were often located on hilltops. After bundles of stalks were laid on the surface of the floor, oxen were repeatedly led over the piles until the dried plants were broken up. Then it was thrown up in the air to separate and remove the chaff as the wind blew upon it.

More details at:

https://www.minimannamoments.com/why-a-threshing-floor/

He awakes to find Ruth at his feet.

Why did Ruth do this? Her action would seem strange unless you knew that in ancient times ‘foot’ was a euphemism for the male reproduction, as ‘sandal’ was for the female.

Threshing floors at harvest time were often the scene of intimate misconduct but not in Ruths case. Lying beside Boaz, Ruth suggested that he, as the go-el of Naomi’s family, should ‘cover her with his blanket’, a euphemism for marriage, And this would no doubt have been his prayer shawl which even in present day is used as a canopy over a couple getting married.

It is also a reference to the healing in His wings of Isaiah of the future Messiah and the place of safety under those wings which is the name given to the corners of the Tallit/Prayer shawl

Click links below for more on the Tallit Prayer Shawl.
https://www.minimannamoments.com/life-on-the-fringe/
https://www.minimannamoments.com/knot-just-another-string-theory/

Ruth had the right to demand marriage of the go-el of her family. Following Jewish customs, Ruth lets Boaz know he is a kinsman-redeemer and that she is eligible to marry him –

Ruth 3:1-18.

 Yeshua/Jesus is our Go’el and He says the same to each of us today and we can put our name in here ……… I will redeem you!

So…

Do not fear, for I have redeemed you [g’al’tika]

I have called you by name; you are Mine!

Isaiah 43:1-3a

Boaz happily agreed, but pointed out to her that there was another man who had that right, a closer relative even than himself.

Boaz promises to act as kinsman-redeemer for her if the one closer male relative will surrender his right to the position.

Ruth stayed beside Boaz until morning, leaving before first light to return to Naomi.

Boaz had to give him the option first, before he could marry Ruth. He was careful to do everything correctly, so that there could be no question about the legality of the marriage.

Ruth 4:1-12    

To fulfill the laws of inheritance, another kinsman – who is more closely related to Ruth than Boaz – is given the option of buying the land, but he cannot afford it. So Boaz buys the land from Naomi and then marries Ruth in order to keep the ownership of the land within Elimelech’s family.

Boaz negotiates with the other man and obtains the right to redeem Ruth and Naomi.

Kindness and loyalty permeated Ruth’s character. Further, she was a woman of integrity, maintaining high morals in her dealings with Boaz.

As a relative, Boaz agrees to help Ruth and Naomi by buying a plot of land which belonged to Naomi’s husband Elimelech. 

Leviticus 25:25.

Naturally as people in small towns usually are, the people in Bethlehem were well aware of what was happening. When Boaz went next morning to the meeting place at the gate of the town, he was met almost immediately by the official go-el of Naomi’s family – and probably by a good many interested onlookers as well.

Some complicated negotiation went on regarding a small parcel of land that Naomi either owned outright or had put up for sale at some previous time, but this was just a formality.

Ruth 4:9-10
Then Boaz announced to the elders and all the people, “Today you are witnesses that I have bought from Naomi all the property of Elimelek, Kilion and Mahlon. I have also acquired Ruth the Moabite, Mahlon’s widow, as my wife, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property, so that his name will not disappear from among his family or from his hometown. Today you are witnesses!”

‘So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. When they came together, the Lord made her conceive, and she bore a son.

Then the women said to Naomi “Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without next of kin. May his name be renowned in Israel! He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourishment for your old age. For your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has borne him”.

Then Naomi took the child and laid him in her bosom, and became his nurse.’ Ruth 4:1-22

  Boaz marries Ruth;

together they care for Naomi.

Ruth and Boaz have a son Obed,

He becomes the father of Jesse,

the father of King David.

In due course, Bethlehem becomes the ‘City of David’.

Book of Ruth 4:16-17
Then Naomi took the child in her arms and cared for him. The women living there said, “Naomi has a son!” And they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David. 

The women of Bethlehem exalted Ruth as the loving daughter-in-law who meant more to Naomi than seven sons, the ideal number.

Ruth 4:15

Although people from Moab were often hated by the Jews, God selected Ruth to be a direct ancestor of Jesus Christ/Yeshua HaMashiach.

The book of Ruth is a beautiful illustration of God’s impartiality and faithfulness to those who are true to Him.

She had little idea that her decision would affect the future of multiplied millions and 

that a sequence of God ordained events that had been unfolding 1000’s of years before, were dependent on her choice!

Gods’ promise of a Savior in Genesis, through the promise to Abraham, that all families would be blessed through him and his offspring – encompassed her, a foreigner, a widow, a Moabite, a gentile, heathen, goyim…

She would have had no idea at that point that her choices and subsequent actions would lead her into a country where she would meet a relative of Naomi named Boaz.

This man would become her

kinsman redeemer

according to Israelite law and would

restore the lost heritage.

Just as we saw in the story of Tamar.

The truth is that her great grandson would become the king of Israel; and David was called the man after Gods own heart and was the royal line that eventually brought forth the long awaited and long promised Messiah. (The phrase man after Gods own heart was due to his repentant attitude.)

Remember that Boaz is Rahabs son

and his great grandmother was Tamar!

As we have seen, Ruth was a Moabitess and her ancestors were called Moabites because Moab was the incestuous son of Lot and one of his daughters after the destruction of Sodom and Gororrah. See charts…

Ruth and Boaz become the parents of Obed, the grandparents of Jesse and the great-grandparents of David, the king of Israel, and finally the ancestors of Jesus/Yeshua the Nazarene.

Matthew 1:5

 Ruth is spelled Ρουθ, Rhouth in Greek.

Strictly speaking, therefore, Yeshua/Jesus

was not only a son-by-law of Joseph,

he was also a son-by-law of Mahlon and not of Boaz.

It is interesting that the word love never appears in the book of Ruth, even though it is story full of love. The love is recorded in the words and action, rather than being cited as an emotion or feeling. Love is action its doing and being. God is a God of love and of unconditional love, not the same kind as our feelings and emotions dictate to our flesh life.

Its this unconditional love that God extended to all the heathens, gentiles and Goyim when He sent His Son Jesus/Yeshua to show by action the ultimate act of love; by dying in our place, by sacrificing His life on our behalf… how many individuals do we know today that would lay down their own lives for another, for us; and would we do that for someone else?

 

Its always a good time to reassess what Jesus/Yeshua did for us to remember where we came from,

where our Moab was;

and where we are today….

grafted in by grace and mercy, forgiven, redeemed, sanctified, justified, by His precious Blood that continually cries Mercy from that kapporet in heaven mercy seat –

the throne of grace in Hebrews 9:23–26

 

Hebrew כפורת , Kaporet, meaning atonement seat.

What manner of love is this??…

it’s beyond our comprehension –

how marvelous – how wonderful

is our Saviors love for us.

the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. 1 John 3.

Lets return to our first love and ask Him to renew the joy of our salvation and strengthen our resolve like Ruth; to follow Jesus/Yeshua, the One we love above all else. To make Him the focus of our life and the director of our future.

Let our steps along the WAY to the house of Bread – Beth lechem – be guided by the One who was The Bread from Heaven and whose life began in that very town; fulfilling the words of the prophets so many millennia ago.

In an age when childbearing was seen as the highest honor for women, Ruth played a key role in the coming of the promised Messiah. Ruth, being one of Messiahs’ Gentile ancestors, showed that Yeshua/Jesus came to save all people whosoever will.

Ruth’s life seemed to be a series of timely happenstances/ coincidences, but her story is really about the perfect plan and providence of God. In His loving way, He orchestrated natural circumstances toward the birth of David, then from David to the birth of Yeshua/Jesus. In the natural course of events, it took centuries to put in place, and the result was God’s plan of salvation for the world.

Ruth and Naomi were rare female heroines at a time when women were often consigned to a secondary role and status. To survive as outsiders, they had to remain true to themselves and their God.

The main themes of Ruth’s story?

Friendship: Ruth was poor and a foreigner, but she listened to the advice of an older, wiser woman. In turn, Naomi was rewarded by Ruth’s unfaltering loyalty.

The message?

Courage and loyalty – triumph over misfortune.

Family The story of Ruth celebrates the family and the way it continues through many generations. Ruth, a childless widow at the beginning of the story, became the great-grandmother of Israel’s great king, David.

God’s plan: The story of Naomi’s family and the way it endured is a universal theme. Even Ruth, a foreigner from the despised Moabites, could move God’s plan towards fulfillment.

Faithfulness 

kindness

honor

and

redemption

are key themes of this book.

We see Ruth’s faithfulness to Naomi,

Boaz’s faithfulness to Ruth,

and everyone’s faithfulness to God.

In return, God rewards them with great blessings.

These characters’ faithfulness led to

kindness toward each other.

Kindness is an outpouring of love.

Everyone in this book showed the type of selfless love toward others that God expects from His followers.

By this all people will know that you are my disciples,

if you have love for one another.

Romans 5:8

There is a great sense of honor that is also highlighted as Ruth was a hardworking, morally chaste woman. Boaz treated her with respect while fulfilling his lawful responsibility showing examples of obeying God’s laws.

She was also a hard worker in the fields, gleaning leftover grain for Naomi and herself.

Finally, Ruth’s deep love for Naomi was rewarded when Boaz married Ruth and gave her love and security.

Book of Ruth 2:11-12

Boaz replied, “I’ve been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband–how you left your father and mother and your homeland and came to live with a people you did not know before. May the LORD repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.” (NIV)

A sense of safekeeping is emphasized too.

Ruth took care of Naomi, Naomi took care of Ruth, then Boaz took care of both women, and God took care of all of them, blessing Ruth and Boaz with a child they named Obed, who became the grandfather of David.

From David’s line came Jesus /Yeshua of Nazareth, Savior of the world.

Finally, redemption is the underlying theme.

As Boaz, the kinsman-redeemer, saves Ruth and Naomi from a hopeless situation, he illustrates how Yeshua/Jesus redeems our lives.

Some thought provoking facts:

Ruth worked in the field belonging to her relative Boaz and ultimately became his wife.

The reputed site of this field –

the Field of Ruth –

can still be seen at 

Beit Sahur 

Village of the shepherds

near Bethlehem!

Where the lambs were raised for the sacrifices!

For more on the shepherds field links below

 

https://www.minimannamoments.com/a-lambs-tale-and-a-mysterious-tower/ 

https://www.minimannamoments.com/because-he-came/

Bethlehem is also the site of the tomb of Rachel, the wife of Jacob, who had died here about six hundred years earlier, in c.1690 BC.

Rachel’s tomb can still be visited today, on the main road leading from Jerusalem to Bethlehem.

Almost a thousand years after the death of Rachel

Genesis 35:16-20,

the prophet Micah, writing between 747BC and 722BC, declared,

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are too small to be among the army groups from Judah, from you will come one who will rule Israel for me”

Micah 5:2.

This prophesy was fulfilled seven hundred years later when Yeshua/Jesus – a descendent of Isaac, Jacob and Judah, and of Ruth and Boaz – was born at Bethlehem in Judaea

Matthew 1:2 & 5 and Genesis 49:10.

The kinsman redeemer it’s a story again of salvation

Yeshua/Jesus is our kinsman redeemer.

Yeshua/Jesus said

Follow Me…

Ruth said

wherever you go I will follow you.

 

For Ruth, it led to her salvation…

we must be ready,

willing and

available

to follow Him

wherever He goes;

and Ruth was loving not her life unto death,

she said, where you die I will die.

She had to follow up her words with actions

and was faithful to do so.

Can we say the same?

Ruth’s words are so remarkable that they are still echoing today  through several thousand years and for good reason.

They indicate a love so faithful and strong that she would stay with Naomi always and that only death would separate them. She was prepared to leave everything behind abandoning her old life in every aspect.

Jesus/Yeshua said He called us friends and yet He requires that we leave all behind to follow Him.

And again I say unto you, my friends, for from henceforth I shall call you friends, it is expedient that I give unto you this commandment, that ye become even as my friends in days when I was with them, traveling to preach the gospel in my power; John 15:15.

When we are called, He also equips or qualifies us: it has a twofold meaning; one, that He has given us giftings to match our callings and second, He establishes and strengthens us.

Romans 8:30; Ex.4:10-11; Hebrews 13:21.

By bringing tests and trials into our lives that qualifies us to become what He has destined for us. Ruth once more encourages us that whatever our background,

wherever we have come from,

and whatever we have done

there will be a situation or a person

that points us to Yeshua/Jesus,

which in turn leads us to salvation.

It is our choice to accept the gift of all gifts;

but like Ruth

we too will have to leave the past behind,

take up new family,

new land,

and become the bride of the heavenly bridegroom –

our kinsman redeemer..

Ruth was one of five in a line unbroken

as she would not let Naomi go without her…

let’s hold onto Yeshua/Jesus

with even greater hope and love in our hearts .

Do not fear,

for I have redeemed you [g’al’tika]

I have called you by name;

you are Mine!

We would still be spiritually destitute, heathen, gentile, goyim, dead in our sins, poor in spirit and without hope…without Messiah….

BUT now…

Ephesians 2:12 -14, 18-19.

Ruths decision for the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob/Israel led her to being grafted into the family of God. The second of the gentiles incorporated into the line of the Tribe of Judah.

When we decide for the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob/Israel, we too are grafted in and through Yeshua/Jesus the Messiah/Yeshua HaMashiach. We are saved by Him our Kinsman Redeemer; Who cared enough to make sure the gentiles are included in His plan of the ages.

Let’s not simply discard the monumental actions of Ruth

because her descendent was and is

our Savior, Lord and soon returning king.

Ruth was indeed one of five,

another brave woman sealed into

the line unbroken

another story connected to the

House of Bread

and of Him, who when we eat of,

we will never hunger again for

He is the Bread of Life!

 

Don’t leave this page until you are certain this is true for your life too….

Shalom, shalom, mishpachah!

You are loved and appreciated and prayed for daily.

Please don’t leave this page without the knowing in your heart you are totally His.

You are greatly loved and precious in His sight.

Its all about Life and Relationship, not Religion.

NOT SURE? YOU CAN BE..

SAY THE FOLLOWING FROM YOUR HEART RIGHT NOW…

Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus/Yeshua asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.

I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus/Yeshua is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus/Yeshua rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name. Amen.