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The Foreign Bride

The Foreign Bride: How the Story of Ruth Prophesies Gentile Inclusion

Introduction: Hope in the Midst of Failure

The Book of Ruth is set during the dark, chaotic period of the Judges, a time defined by cycles of disobedience and distress, where “every man did that which was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25, KJV). Amidst this national failure, God highlights a small, intimate story centered on a Moabite woman named Ruth. Her journey—from a pagan foreign land to the lineage of the Messiah—is not a distraction from prophecy; it is the prophetic assurance that God’s plan of redemption extends beyond national boundaries.

This narrative is a crucial Prophetic Hotspot, revealing the deliberate inclusion of the Gentiles into the family of faith, a concept central to the final global kingdom established at The Lord’s Return.

The Foundational Story: The Law of Redemption

Ruth’s story hinges on the concept of the Kinsman-Redeemer (go’el). This role required a relative to rescue a family member from distress (poverty, slavery, or childlessness) by paying a price and taking on the full responsibility of the family name.

The Required Vow and Relationship

Ruth, a Gentile, chose the God and people of Israel through an unwavering vow to her mother-in-law, Naomi:

“Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God.” (Ruth 1:16, KJV)

  • The Law of Redemption: The principle of the Kinsman-Redeemer was fulfilled by Boaz, who paid the full price to redeem Ruth’s family and marry her. This was not merely a romantic story; it was a living demonstration of the Law’s requirement for redemption—a relative with the means and the willingness to pay the debt.
  • The Gentile Grafting: Ruth, a Moabite (a nation specifically excluded from the congregation of the Lord in Deuteronomy 23:3), was brought into the sacred lineage of Abraham through faith and the act of redemption. This foreshadowed the New Covenant truth that Gentiles would be “grafted in” (Romans 11:17, KJV) to the commonwealth of Israel through Christ.

Prophetic Hotspot: The Global Lineage

The greatest prophetic significance of Ruth is found in her son, Obed, who became the grandfather of King David. This means that the ultimate line of the King—the lineage of the Messiah—was intentionally stained with Gentile blood.

  • Christ as the Ultimate Redeemer: Boaz, the Kinsman-Redeemer, is the perfect type of Christ, who paid the ultimate price (His blood) to redeem His bride (the Church, composed primarily of Gentiles) and restore our lost inheritance.
  • The Global Kingdom: The inclusion of Ruth prophesied the final, global nature of The Lord’s Return. The King, descended from both Jew and Gentile, will rule over a kingdom composed of “all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues” (Revelation 7:9, KJV), fulfilling the promise made to Abraham that through his seed all families of the earth would be blessed.

The Return Question: The Price of Redemption

Ruth proved her faith through her vow and was redeemed by Boaz’s willingness to pay the full price. The entire story hinges on the acceptance of a Redeemer.

If the Messianic line was deliberately anchored by a Gentile woman who committed fully to the people and God of Israel through a simple vow of faith, are we, the redeemed Gentile Church, demonstrating the same unyielding, costly commitment to the God of Abraham that is required of the King’s “foreign bride” as we await His final appearance at The Lord’s Return?