No mere man
This is an exciting exploration of the spiritual significance of people in the Old Testament who were written about not merely for historical record keeping but for teaching us spiritual truths. Just as Sarah and Hagar have been interpreted as representing two covenants (Galatians 4:21-31), Ruth and Naomi can also be understood as representing Israel and the Church. Naomi is the one whose birthright was in Bethlehem but who sought refuge apart from God’s provision and ended up bearing fruit to death. Ruth heard about the God of Israel through Naomi, and found favor with a Kinsman Redeemer who was in Naomi’s family because of her faith in Naomi’s God. Jesus is the Kinsman Redeemer, born as an Israelite, who redeemed not just the family of Israel but all those who like Ruth sought refuge, provision, and salvation from Him. This study also opens up wonderful portions of scripture from Isaiah to Romans about the importance of widows in the Church’s relationship with the law, and our freedom to marry Jesus that we may bear fruit to life. (Romans 7:1-4)
In addition to Naomi and Ruth, other characters that could be part of this study include:
Esau and Jacob as the representation of Israel and the Church. Esau is the firstborn, as Israel was (Exodus 4:22) and all the promises and blessings belonged to him (Romans 9:4). Yet he ends up serving the younger brother, just as all the prophecies of Israel’s ancestors were not serving them but us who now inherit the promises (1 Peter 1:12). Jacob is born into the family by clinging to the heel of the Firstborn, which is a picture of clinging to the finished work of Christ, the Firstborn over all creation and Firstborn from among the dead. He is the one whose heel was bruised when He crushed the serpent underfoot on our behalf, and the Church’s birth like Jacob’s is one of dependence and clinging on the Firstborn’s victory at the cross.
Esther as a representation of the Bride of Christ in her successful appeal to the King. Compare the woman in Proverbs 31 who takes up nations for her cause with the Bride in Song of Songs for a more complete picture of how Esther represents the united body of Christ, the Bride who has access and intimacy to intercede in accordance with her Bridegroom’s generous nature. She found favor with her King through obeying Haggai, whose name means “word” and the Bride of Christ also finds favor through belief in the Word without adding our own works or taking away from what He has said. (Revelation 22:18)
Daniel as a representation of Jesus. His three friends mirror Jesus’ closest disciples. Seeing that they were sanctified through Daniel’s righteousness, not their own imparts rich wisdom to us as believers. There is also rich enjoyment in seeing how the three friends were not alone when they were in the furnace; whereas Daniel faced the lions alone. This is a picture of how we are not alone in our trials because the Lord faced death, the lions prowling around Him, by Himself for us; He was forsaken so that we would never be. And finally, the significance of the friends’ names changing but Daniel’s remaining the same is also a wonderful and life giving insight about the Name above all Names.
“So from now on we estimate and regard no one from a [purely] human point of view [in terms of natural standards of value]. [No] even though we once did estimate Christ from a human viewpoint and as a man, yet now [we have such knowledge of Him that] we know Him no longer [in terms of the flesh].”
- 2 Corinthians 5:16, AMPC
