Ruth and Mary's Example

This is another excerpt from my upcoming book.

Ruth and Mary’s Example

The vital necessity we have to seek and inquire of the Lord cannot be stressed enough. In order for us to know the steps we are to take, or to be shown what lies ahead that we may need to prepare for or pray to avert and avoid, we need to have fellowship with the Lord. Two female Bible personalities model for us our necessity to seek and inquire of the Lord: Ruth of Moab and Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus. Out of obedience to her mother-in-law Naomi, Ruth went to lay down at the feet of Boaz to inquire and hear what he would say to her. Boaz in this passage represents Jesus, our Lord and Redeemer. Ruth represents us the believers that are in need of every word spoken by the One who has the power to redeem us from every bondage and from every calamity.

Ruth 3:3-11 says, ^“3Wash and anoint yourself therefore, and put on your best clothes and go down to the threshing floor, but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking.   ⁴But when he lies down, notice the place where he lies; then go and uncover his feet and lie down. And he will tell you what to do.  ⁵And Ruth said to her, All that you say to me I will do. ⁶So she went down to the threshing floor and did just as her mother-in-law had told her.  ⁷And when Boaz had eaten and drunk and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain. Then [Ruth] came softly and uncovered his feet and lay down.  ⁸At midnight the man was startled, and he turned over, and behold, a woman lay at his feet!  ⁹And he said, Who are you? And she answered, I am Ruth your maidservant. Spread your wing [of protection] over your maidservant, for you are a next of kin. ¹⁰And he said, Blessed be you of the Lord, my daughter. For you have made this last loving-kindness greater than the former, for you have not gone after young men, whether poor or rich.  ¹¹And now, my daughter, fear not. I will do for you all you require, for all my people in the city know that you are a woman of strength (worth, bravery, capability) AMP.

Mary also demonstrates for us in Luke 10:38-42, “³⁸Now while they were on their way, it occurred that Jesus entered a certain village, and a woman named Martha received and welcomed Him into her house.   ³⁹And she had a sister named Mary, who seated herself at the Lord's feet and was listening to His teaching. ⁴⁰But Martha [overly occupied and too busy] was distracted with much serving; and she came up to Him and said, Lord, is it nothing to You that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me [to lend a hand and do her part along with me]!  ⁴¹But the Lord replied to her by saying, Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things; ⁴²There is need of only one or but a few things. Mary has chosen the good portion [that which is to her advantage], which shall not be taken away from her AMP.

While Martha was doing things in the same way the world does them, toiling and doing them without enough counsel from the Lord, these two passages show what really matters to God: Ruth uncovered Boaz’s feet and Mary sat at the Lord’s feet. Our feet are intended for us to walk, so what the Lord is saying through these passages is that as we uncover His feet and sit by them through communion with Him, we will learn to walk in the footsteps He walked while He was in the earth realm. Because He was a true citizen of heaven who walked on the earth and fulfilled the commands of the Father by staying in constant communion with Him, He can teach us and enable us to walk in the same way He did through the revelations we receive about the Kingdom of heaven and about Him—the High Priest and King Jesus, the Lord of Lords. Signs and wonders will also follow us, and we will do greater exploits than Jesus did because we believe in Him. This way we will also have the ability to reverently fear the Lord and obey His commands, statues and precepts given to us.

Hebrews 2:14-18 says that ¹⁴Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—Jesus also became flesh and blood by being born in human form. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the Devil, who had the power of death. ¹⁵Only in this way could he deliver those who have lived all their lives as slaves to the fear of dying.¹⁶We all know that Jesus came to help the descendants of Abraham, not to help the angels. ¹⁷Therefore it was necessary for Jesus to be in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. He then could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people. ¹⁸Since he himself has gone through suffering and temptation, he is able to help us when we are being tempted NLT.

The Lord’s number one desire for us is to seek first His kingdom and all His righteousness, so that we can come out carrying out the information given to us and grow in our ability to walk as citizens of heaven on earth.  Proverbs 25:2 says that “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, But the glory of kings is to search it out. ”Deuteronomy 29:29 adds that  ²⁹The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law. Our effective walk as citizens of heaven comes from our intimacy with God, and the secrets revealed cannot only help us walk the path that brings us to the fulfillment of our destinies, but the next generations can also walk in the mantles we receive from our communion with the Lord. 

To Him alone be all the glory. ■