Chapter 8: Brought into Union with Christ
But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him.
1 Corinthians 6:17 NASB
This chapter deals with Boaz’s dealing with Ruth’s “closer relative” in order to be fully united with her. In our experience, this “closer relative” is our natural man, who at this point in our Christian growth is attracted to the religious world (rather than sinful or material). Through elements like the law, ideology, and self-confidence, the religious world attracts our natural man to take us for his own profit. Yet Boaz cared for Ruth herself, just as Christ cares for our ultimate profit. Because of this, our natural man eventually must yield to Christ. Through this, there is blessing to God’s testimony and kingdom and to our serving ones. Praise the Lord for this!
