Now Boaz went up to the gate and sat down there, and behold, the kinsman of whom Boaz spoke was passing by, so he said, “Turn aside, friend, sit down here.” And he turned aside and sat down.
— Ruth 4:1
I hope we are all impressed with this matter of Christ as our near relative and the natural man, who is inclined to religion, as another even closer relative. Perhaps if we were to see these two—Boaz and the closer kinsman—they might appear nearly identical. How close was Boaz to this other relative? Perhaps very close, so close that it was difficult to tell them apart. What differentiates them in our experience? One desires to take what we have, and the other wants to give Himself to us because He cares about our ultimate profit.
May we all give our hearts today to the Lord as Ruth gave herself to Boaz, so that the Lord may fully reveal to us who He is, and expose the one who competes with Him for our heart and mind. May the Lord have mercy on us as we pursue after Him as the unique One that we desire, until He and we are truly joined as one.
Lord, this is our desire!
Adapted from Ruth: Growth Unto Maturity, page 88.
Monday: “The Reminder to Joshua”