Shadows of the Kingdom Shavuot and the Book of Ruth

Transcription

1 Shadows of the Kingdom Shavuot and the Book of Ruth

2 Names of Shavuot Shavuot = weeks Pentacost = fifty-count Festival of the Harvest (Exodus 23:16) Day of the First-Fruits (Numbers 28:26) Chag Matan Torah = Festival of the Giving of the Torah

3 Shavuot Festival of First-Fruits First-Fruits marked with a cord Counting of the Omer Pilgrimage festival First-Fruits of the wheat harvest Two leavened bread loaves as a wave offering Twenty-six animal sacrifices Yom Tov

4 Parashah for Shavuot Torah: Exodus 19:1-20:23 Deuteronomy 14:22-16:17 (Second day if a Shabbat) Deuteronomy 15:19-16:17 (Second day if a weekday) Numbers 28:26 31 Haftarah: Ezekiel 1:1-28; 3:12 Habakkuk 2:20-2:19 Megillat Ruth

5 Shavuot in History Death of Abel Tower of Babel Mount Sinai Giving of the Torah Tribe of Benjamin is restored (Judges 21:15-24) Ruth Birth and death of king David Acts 2

6 Mazzaroth Shavuot always falls in the third month of the year (Sivan) The astrological sign for the 3 rd month is Gemini Gemini = Twins in UNITY

7 Background to Megillat Ruth Abram and Lot Abram and Lot leave Ḥaran due to a promise of a Royal Grant Lot was Abram s original successor. Lot is captured by Chedorlaomer, Abram frees Lot and then offers tithe to Melchizedek. Lot saved from Sodom by two messengers. Lot s daughters fornicate with him, producing Mo av and Ben-Ammi who become Moab and Ammon.

8 Background to Megillat Ruth Moab and Ammon An Ammonite or Mo ab ite does not enter the assembly of,יהוה even a,יהוה tenth generation of them does not ever enter the assembly of because they did not meet you with bread and water on the way when you came out of Mitsrayim, and because they hired against you Bilʽam יהוה son of Beʽor from Pethor of Aram Naharayim, to curse you. But your Elohim refused to listen to Bilʽam, and יהוה your Elohim turned the curse into a blessing for you, because יהוה your Elohim loves you. Do not seek their peace nor their good, all your days, forever. D e varim 23:3-6 Moabite vs. Moabitess

9 Background to Megillat Ruth Levirate Marriage When brothers dwell together, and one of them has died, and has no son, the widow of the dead man shall not become a stranger s outside. Her husband s brother does go in to her, and shall take her as his wife, and perform the duty of a husband s brother to her. And it shall be that the first-born son which she bears does rise up for the name of his dead brother, so that his name is not blotted out of Yisra ĕl. But if the man does not desire to take his brother s wife, then let his brother s wife go up to the gate to the elders, and say, My husband s brother refuses to raise up a name to his brother in Yisra ĕl, he does not agree to perform the duty of my husband s brother. The elders of his city shall then call him and speak to him, and he shall stand and say, I have no desire to take her, then his brother s wife shall come to him in the presence of the elders, and remove his sandal from his foot, and shall spit in his face, and answer and say, Thus it is done to the man who does not build up his brother s house. And in Yisra ĕl his name shall be called, The house of him who had his sandal removed. D e varim 25:5-10

10 Background to Megillat Ruth Levirate Marriage Well-known custom in the ancient Near East. Done to preserve the family line. Important in the inheritance. Symbolic of a second chance after death. Offspring are considered to belong to the first husband Judah and Tamar

11 Background to Megillat Ruth Land Redemption And the land is not to be sold beyond reclaim, for the land is Mine, for you are sojourners and settlers with Me. And provide for a redemption for the land, in all the land of your possession. When your brother becomes poor, and has sold some of his possession, and his redeemer, a close relative comes to redeem it, then he shall redeem what his brother sold. And when the man has no one to redeem it, but he himself becomes able to redeem it, then let him count the years since its sale, and return the remainder to the man to whom he sold it, that he shall return to his possession. And if his hand has not found enough to give back to him, then what was sold shall remain in the hand of him who bought it until the Year of Jubilee. And it shall be released in the Jubilee, and he shall return to his possession. Vayikra 25:23-28

12 Background to Megillat Ruth Go el Redeemer Duty of a Go el: Redeems property alienated from the family Redeems a member of the family who has fallen into slavery/servantude. Redeems blood that has been taken away from the family by murder. His mission was not vengeance, but equity. He was not an avenger, but a redeemer, a restorer, a balancer. -H.C. Trumbull The Blood Covenant

13 Background to Megillat Ruth Judaism s Two Messiahs Messiah ben Yosef (or Ephraim) Suffering servant Starts the work of redemption Can be from the tribe of Judah Messiah ben David Conquering King Leads Israel to ultimate victory, the triumph, and the Messianic era of bliss Completes redemption Raphael Patai The Messiah Texts

14 Background to Megillat Ruth Yemot HaMashiyach Olam HaZeh = The world that is Yemot HaMashiyach = Days of the Messiah Olam HaBa = The world to come

15 Background to Megillat Ruth Mamzer Strong s H4464 & BDB To alienate, a mongrel Bastard, child of incest, illegitimate child Mixed population Born of [an Israelite] father and a heathen mother or visa versa In Yochanan 8:41, Yeshua s enemies imply that they view Him as a mamzer. Early Rabbinic writings accuse Yeshua of being a mamzer (Toldot Yeshu) Stems from the fact that Yosef was NOT Yeshua s biological father

16 Shadows of the Kingdom Shavuot and the Book of Ruth

17 Ruth 1 Meanings of Names Elimelech = My El is King Naomi = Pleasant Machlon = sick Kilyon = destruction Orpah = nape of the neck or stiff-necked Ruth = friend Beyt Lechem = house of bread Ephrathites = prince or aristocrat or pertaining to Ephraim Boaz = strength is within him Peloni Almoni/Tov = so-and-so or obscure and silent

18 Ruth 1 Judging Judges And it cometh to pass, in the days of the judging of the judges, that there is a famine in the land, and there goeth a man from Beth-Lehem-Judah to sojourn in the fields of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons. (Ruth 1:1, Young s Literal Translation) Judging of Judges is similar to In those days there was no king in Yisrael everyone did what was right in his own eyes. (Judges 17:6, 18:1, 19:1, 21:2) Famine of food = famine of the Word

19 Ruth 1 Elimelech Elimelech Abimelech Achimelech Abandons his community instead of sharing Ephratites Ephraim Aristocrat Why go to Moab instead of Egypt?

20 Ruth 1 Death and Return Elimelech and sons die in Moab Naomi, Orpah, and Ruth begin their journey back to Yisrael Naomi tries to discourage them three times Orpah leaves with a simple kiss Ruth clung to Naomi and pledges an OATH Covenant of blood-sisterhood between Ruth and Naomi

21 Ruth 1 Ruth the Mo abite Ruth is specifically called a Mo abite(ess) SIX times Oral Torah on Mo abitess Marriage to Machlon Ruth was a descendant of Lot

22 Ruth 2 Fields of Boaz Ruth accidentally comes to glean barley in Boaz field Boaz is associated with Beyt Lechem (Ruth 2:4) יהוה Boaz greets people in the Name of Boaz inquires of Ruth Boaz commands Ruth to only glean from his field

23 Ruth 2 Fields of Boaz Boaz kindness to Ruth is because of her kindness towards Naomi and that she left everything to follow her to Israel. יהוה Ruth 2:12 Ruth seeks refuge under the wings of spoken to the heart of your maiden Boaz eats a meal with Ruth, consisting of bread and (sour) wine. Boaz is one of our redeemers

24 Ruth 3 Chiastic Structure Elimelech and his family Naomi loses her children Ruth is a Moabite Orpah leaves Naomi complains of being unworthy Ruth proves worthy in the field Boaz meets Ruth at the threshing floor Ruth proves worthy/receives gift of barley Naomi confirms Ruth s election Peloni Almoni drops his claim Ruth is equated to Rachel and Leah A child is born to Naomi David and his family

25 Ruth 3 Boaz winnowing barley Boaz is winnowing on down on the threshing-floor. No servants are present. It is nighttime and Boaz sleeps on the threshing floor.

26 Ruth 3 Meeting at the Threshing Floor Ruth waits until Boaz is asleep, then she uncovers his feet and lies down Now you shall spread your kanaph over your female servant A virtuous woman Another redeemer who is allowed a chance at redeeming Ruth

27 Ruth 3 Six measures of Barley Ma at bati? Who are you my daughter? Barley = שׂער = Gate Importance of Naomi Freeing of a servant

28 Ruth 4 Showdown at the Gate Judgment at the city gates with 10 elders Boaz asks if Peloni Almoni if he would like to redeem the land Peloni Almoni is afraid of ruining his own inheritance The deal is sealed by Peloni Almoni giving his shoe to Boaz

29 Ruth 4 The Two Redeemers Jewish commentary views Peloni Almoni and Boaz as representing the two Messiahs. Peloni Almoni as a false messiah The two redeemings of Boaz

30 Ruth 4 Generations of Messiah Rectification of past wrongs Healing the sick Ruth, a Moabitess, is compared to Rachel and Leah Ruth, a Moabitess, becomes the great grandmother of king David The genealogy of Peretz

31 Shadows of the Kingdom Shavuot and the Book of Ruth

32 Shavuot, Ruth and Kingdom Restoration Midrash of Ruth Ruth is ~700 years after Lot s story. Acts 2 is ~700 years after Ephraim s exile. The word shuv (return) appears 14 times in the book of Ruth Redemption of Ruth vs. Naomi Ruth the Bride

33 Shavuot, Ruth and Kingdom Restoration Midrash of Ruth Ruth represents Ephraim Naomi represents Judah Boaz represents Yeshua Peloni Almoni represent false prophets and antichrist

34 Shavuot, Ruth and Kingdom Restoration Who is Israel? Hoshea 1 Divorce decree of the House of Israel Jeremiah 3:8 Israel divorced but Judah is not. Jeremiah 3:1 The return of Israel would be a violation of Torah. Jeremiah 3:12 Yet יהוה says, Return? Roman s 7 Paul reveals the mystery. So why is leavened bread offered during Shavuot?

35 Shavuot, Ruth and Kingdom Restoration Leavened Bread It has been a great mystery why leaven was added to an offering Leaven seemingly represents sin/pride. It seemingly. יהוה does not belong in an offering to Ephraim/gentiles seemingly did not belong in covenant, especially in the first century. Leavened bread = Something that seemingly doesn t belong that is added to bring fullness

36 Shavuot, Ruth and Kingdom Restoration The Harvest Shavuot is the wheat harvest 50 days from barley harvest to wheat harvest The early rain and the latter rain Restoration of an earthly theocracy; the Kingdom of Elohim

37 Shavuot, Ruth and Kingdom Restoration Shavuot : the Restoration Shavuot is all about restoration: Torah was restored at Mt. Sinai 3000 were restored to the Kingdom in Acts 2 Shavuot is determined by a 50 count. 50 represents the Yovel year, when the land is restored and freedom is restored to the servants. Megillat Ruth is all about restoration through redemption In Acts, during the days leading to Shavuot, Yeshua s disciples ask if he was going to at this time restore the Kingdom.

38 References The Blood Covenant by H. Clay Trumbull The Messiah Texts by Raphael Patai The Dawn of Redemption: What the Books of Ruth and Yona Teach about Alienation, Despair, and Return by Rabbi Dr. Meir Levin Schottenstein Ed. Interlinear Ruth by Rabbi Menachem Davis