The Old Testament Anticipation of the Church as God's Bride

By Pastor Joe

… as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you. Isaiah 62:5

There she sat. Lonely. Forgotten. Hungry. Her only friend cast a bitter, self-centered shadow over their home. If they were to survive, it would be up to her. She did not hope for riches, fame, or great comfort. Survival alone would be the utmost blessing. But what could she do? She was a foreigner in a strange land. Most of the people whispered behind her back. Her accent showed, and people stared when she spoke. Just to survive, she would need a break. Times, as they say, were tough. Many were suffering under oppression, disease, and poverty. Others were having trouble just feeding their kids. Who could care for a poor foreigner with a snotty mother-in-law?

This woman, Ruth, had one shot. Under the law, she and her mother-in-law, Naomi, could be redeemed. But, one problem: no one cared too much for obeying the law in those days. Enter Boaz. Of all the men of the city, few cared about God and his law like Boaz. Ruth took a chance, reached out, and found mercy instead of distain. Boaz did more than he had to do. He could have easily continued to throw a few scraps Ruth’s way. However, more needed to be done. He would marry Ruth and redeem her legally and permanently from her dire and hopeless situation (Ruth 3-4).

Sound familiar? We are in the same position apart from Christ (Ephesians 2:1-9). We are needy people surrounded by self-interested and self-absorbed people. Our only hope is survival based on a few scraps that are tossed our way. What we really need is redemption. We need a close relative to come and buy us out and even “marry” us. Ruth’s hope was survival, but she became a wife of a wealthy husband. Jesus is like Boaz. We are like Ruth. He takes us not only from our hopeless position, but he treats us like a bride. There is so much more than mere survival. The blessing did not stop with Ruth, but it transferred to Naomi as well. And little did this non-Israelite woman know who her great-grandson would be: King David. And, generations later, her descendant would be born as a man (our kinsman-redeemer) and redeem us from our sin and awful destiny!

Read Ruth 3-4:12.