Boaz is one of the most beautiful characters in the Bible, and he is an unmistakable type of our Lord
Jesus Christ. He was the great-grandfather of king David, and his story is told in the book of Ruth-where
he is seen as the great redeemer, and then as the loving husband of Ruth. In our present study we shall
trace a number of ways in which Boaz depicts our Lord, and we trust we shall be led into a fuller
understanding of our own Great Saviour, and a fuller love for Him
.
We are first introduced to Boaz in Ruth chapter two, where he is described as

A MIGHTY MAN OF WEALTH

(Ruth 2:1)
That is a very suggestive title, and no doubt many Bethlehemites would have held him in very high
esteem on that account. While we do not know the exact extent of his holdings, there is much in the story
that shows how considerable they were. He evidently employed many reapers to gather in his harvests,
and later it seemed no problem to him to purchase the threatened fields of his late relative Elimelech. It is
evident also that he loved to share his abundance with others, and many around would have testified, "Of
his fullness have all we received" (Cp. John 1: 16).

Having said all that, however, we only need to ask, how much more worthy of that title is our Lord Jesus!
He is THE "Mighty Man of Wealth", and "the cattle upon a thousand hills" belong to Him (Psa. 50:10,
11). The whole universe is actually His estate. He made it; He maintains it; and certainly He holds the
title-deeds (See Psa. 89:11; John 1:1-3; Col.1: 16, etc.). What is more important is the fact that all those
hidden treasures; -"treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Col. 2:3), are likewise His, and "in him
dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily" (Col. 2:9). Here is wealth that can never be counted, and
here are riches compared with which all the so-called "assets" of earth's millionaires are as nothing. Yes,
-Christ is THE "Mighty Man of Wealth", and Boaz is just a faint reflection of Him. How amazing that
HE has called us His "friends" (John 15:15), -and how wonderful when we can sing with the
hymn-writer:

"Why should I charge my soul with care,
The wealth in every mine
Belongs to Christ; -God's Son and Heir,
AND HE'S A FRIEND OF MINE".
The next glimpse we have of Boaz is of one who is

A BELOVED MASTER TO HIS WILLING SERVANTS

This, we would say, is particularly beautiful. When Boaz went out to his fields he greeted his happy
reapers with, "The Lord be with you", and they answered him, "The Lord bless thee" (Ruth 2:4). The
verses that then follow illuminate still further the loving "relationship binding them together. Those
reapers had a loving master, and they loved him in return. Here, most certainly, was a master-servant
relationship seldom seen in our days, and the very thought of something like this existing in the fields of
Boaz is itself elevating, and also challenging. Boaz certainly loved his reapers, and they loved him.
And how true is this again of our own Far Greater Boaz, -the Lord Jesus Christ! We read, "...one is your
Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren", -truly a love-relationship! (Matt23:8). Those who labour in
Christ's fields do so for love of Christ, and with the ever-deepening assurance that He loves them!

We well remember a large missionary gathering in Central London where, amongst many others, a bent
and grey-haired missionary-lady was being commissioned for yet another term of service in China. When
asked before the whole throng whys he was going again, she rose to her feet, and in a feeble voice (but
what a heavenly smile!), declared to the thousands present "I love, I love my Master; I will not go out
free" (see Exo. 21: 5). Personal devotion to her Heavenly Master was her compelling secret, -stemming
from many years of proving His love to her!

The early apostles of Christ gave similar testimonies in relation to the service they rendered. Paul said,
"For the love of Christ constraineth us" (2 Cor. 5:14), and that, surely, was the secret behind all those
labours described in such pas- sages as 2 Cor. 6:4-10 and 2 Cor. 11: 23-31. And Peter was just the same.
Behind his labours would have lain his avowed confession of John 21: 15-17, -"Lord, thou knowest that I
love thee". As for John, he revealed his motivations when he wrote, "We love him, because he first loved
us" (1 John 4:19). All those laboured for Christ because they loved Christ; -and having learned His great
love for them! And this has been the story of all Christ's reapers down through the centuries; it has been
a' service rooted in a love-relationship. While the picture of Boaz and his reapers is captivatingly
beautiful, -all will agree that it was but a faint fore view of the love-relationship that exists between
Christ and all who are sent to gather in His sheaves. The love of the Master constrains them all! Boaz was
a much-beloved master to his servants, and so is Christ to those who serve Him.

YE ARE MY WITNESSES -17
BAKHT SINGH

Acts 13

There will be growing consciousness of God's presence as we pray in the morning, pray in the evening
and pray in the night. Ask the Lord, "Lord, is this Thy will for me?" We have no right to command God
but we have the privilege of calling upon Him as we read in Jer.33:3. "Call unto me, and I will answer
thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not". Go on calling upon Him till He
speaks in a very clear way and shows His perfect will. We can trust God's Word. Do not open the Bible at
random to find God's will. Learn to read God's Word in a systematic way. Try to find God's will in a clear
way from your daily portion of God's Word.

For finding God's will it is necessary for us to die to our own will. In many cases our desire for something
is so strong, that we ask the Lord saying, "Give me this, or that". We have to pray honestly, truthfully and
sincerely with these words, "Not my will, but Thy will be done". Even though our desires and affections
are very strong, we should not be governed by them. God's will can be different. For that purpose we
have to claim the power of resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ and die to our own will, as Paul says in
Gal.2:20, "...nevertheless I live; yet not 1, but Christ liveth in me." Please note the fragment, "yet not I,
but Christ liveth in me". Unless the Lord Jesus Christ takes full charge of our lives we cannot say that He
is jiving in us. That should become our daily practice. You should pray saying, "Lord, not my choice, but
Thy choice; not my desires but Thy desires; not my thoughts but Thy thoughts; not my plan but Thy plan;
not my ideas but Thy ideas". We should pray like that because the Lord can see everything. He knows the
end from the beginning. We should die to our own will.

When Saul was chosen to be king, he came upon the throne immediately. But David had to go through
many painful sufferings and afflictions for eight years. Rather than appreciating his victory over Goliath,
Saul became jealous of David, and tried to kill him three times. He went on pursuing him. The Lord
permitted these sufferings in David's life so that he might learn to find God's will. To teach David these
lessons, God took him through many painful experiences. He learned to call upon God. In the Old
Testament period there were Urim and Thummim to find God's will. They were two stones behind the
breastplate of the high priest. Even today we do not know how these stones worked, but one thing we
know that they used these two stones to find God's will. The Lord Jesus Christ is our Urim and
Thummim. He is the life, He is the truth and grace. By going to Him constantly and waiting upon Him we
can hear His voice. We see how David went to the Lord so many times to enquire of Him. "Therefore
David inquired of the LORD, saying, Shall I go and smite these Philistines? And the LORD said unto
David, Go, and smite the Philistines, and save Keilah" (1 Sam.23:2). In verse 4 we read, "Then David
inquired of the Lord yet again. " Thus he went on enquiring for every matter. Abiathar the high priest
came to David with an ephod, which had the two stones with which they enquired from the Lord. Now in
the New Testament period we can go to the Lord Jesus at any time for any matter. That requires patience
and perseverance. We have to wait, till we hear the voice of God and it is confirmed by His Word.

When sufferings increased David failed to enquire of the Lord. He thought God had forgotten him.
Without enquiring from God he joined the Philistines. David knew that Saul could not touch him as he
was anointed by God. Also he knew that God would not allow him to kill Saul and that in His own plan,
and in His own time, God would judge Saul. That is why God did not allow David to kill Saul even
though he came very near to him. But without enquiring from God and without knowing His will he
joined the Philistines against Saul.