by John O’Malley
“Also he said, Bring the veil that thou hast upon thee, and hold it. And when she held it, he measured six measures of barley, and laid it on her: and she went into the city” (Ruth 3:15).
Ruth’s heart was certainly lighter on this trip into Bethlehem-judah than it was when she was on her first trip to Bethlehem-judah with Naomi. Grief and heartache had marked each footprint in the sand as they journeyed back to the land where God gave bread to His people again. However, the footprints on the path this day were marked with hope and expectation.
Gone are the days of wondering how they would survive. You remember, Ruth met Boaz by divine appointment as she sought a poor person’s opportunity to glean in the fields to find daily sustenance. Boaz offered her a place to glean in his harvest, and she stayed through both wheat and barley harvest. She gleaned more than his harvest, for here she gleaned his heart.
Now, standing in the threshing floor at the dawn of a new day, Boaz sends Ruth home to Naomi with a token of his promise to seek her redemption. The gift was more than just provision for mealtime; the gift revealed the very devotion in his heart for Ruth. Though they would have to be apart for some time, he felt a gift to her would be a comfort and a reminder of his promise to her.
In an identical way, Jesus left the gift of His Holy Spirit for those who are His children. Jesus told His disciples that the Holy Spirit would abide with us until He returned for us. As the grain from Boaz to Ruth was an earnest payment until his return with news of their wedding celebration, so the Holy Spirit is to believers.
Paul wrote to the Ephesians in Ephesians 1:14, “Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession.” We are Christ’s purchased possession. We have our redemption in our Eternal Boaz. The Holy Spirit is with us until the return of our Boaz. When He returns, it is for our wedding: the union of the church and her Goel, Jesus Christ.
If Ruth doubted for one moment that day about anything Boaz had said, all she had to do was remember his words and look at the earnest gift that he had sent of eighty-eight pounds of barley. When believers today struggle with doubts and dismay about His return, all we must do is review His Word to us. His Word reveals the earnest we have been given until our final redemption. Do you have fears that overwhelm? Consider the earnest of our redemption. He is our Comforter and will remain with us until our redemption.