Episode 289: The Family Altar Audio Devotional – Day 255

Episode Summary:

Then Naomi her mother in law said unto her, My daughter, shall I not seek rest for thee, that it may be well with thee? And now is not Boaz of our kindred, with whose maidens thou wast? Behold, he winnoweth barley to night in the threshingfloor. Wash thyself therefore, and anoint thee, and put thy raiment upon thee, and get thee down to the floor: but make not thyself known unto the man, until he shall have done eating and drinking. And it shall be, when he lieth down, that thou shalt mark the place where he shall lie, and thou shalt go in, and uncover his feet, and lay thee down; and he will tell thee what thou shalt do. (Ruth 3:1-4)

118 Now, notice closely now. When Ruth said, or…Naomi said to Ruth, said, “Now, he is our kinsman. And if you can find grace with him, you’ll find rest.” Oh, my! “If you can find grace, you’ll find rest.” Boaz represented Christ, the rich Man, the heir of all things, the Lord of the harvest. Oh, my! How, when Boaz come riding out there, in that carriage, looking around over the fields, and his eyes fell on Ruth! He was master. He was lord of the harvest. And she found grace in his sight.

119 That’s what the Church does, today. While the Lord of the harvest is going by, He ain’t looking to big building, big steeples, well-trained choirs. He’s looking for individuals, men and women who are dedicated and made a clean cut for Christ, consecrated themselves to His service. “God, I believe It, every Word of It. When Your Word says anything, I stay right with It. That’s Your Word. I believe It, every Word.” That’s what He’s looking for; the Lord of the harvest. That’s what He wants to give, the Holy Spirit, to those who are hungering and thirsting. “Blessed are ye that hunger and thirst, for ye shall be filled.” He’s trying to find that Church, today.

120 Now, then, Ruth was asked to do something that was disgraceful, but she was willing because she had made her decision. What a type of the believer! What a perfect type!

121 Naomi, the old church, said, “Go down, tonight. It’s barley season.” Oh, what a beautiful thought we could hang on right there!

122 Naomi and Ruth come in just at barley season. Barley season was bread season, the season when fresh bread was being served. And the Church, in this last days, through two thousand years of pagan teachings and thing, has come in at barley season, and freshness of Life, new Bread, honey out of Heaven. (Russell, talk about honey-crust bread!) This is It, Bread from Heaven. “I am the Bread of Life. Your fathers did eat manna, and are dead. But I am the Bread of Life that comes from God, out of Heaven. If a man eats this Bread he’ll never die.” And the Church in this last days here, is brought in, right now, at barley season.

123 Ruth, a Gentile, excommunicated, run off, has been brought in, as to be accepted as Bride. Christ come in, just at barley season.

124 He said, “Now put thy garments upon thee.” (Not, “Take thy garments off of thee.”) How contrary to today! “Gird thy garments upon thee, when you go to meet him. He’s going to winnow barley, tonight. Go down and put your garments on you. Cover yourself up, to meet him.”

125 Today, they want to uncover themselves. Cover yourself. “Go down, because he winnows barley. And then mark the place where he lieth down.” Did you do it? On Golgotha. Many years ago, I marked in my heart where He laid down His life, that He might take me. Mark the place that he lieth down. Watch where He laid. That’s what every believer should do. Mark what He done for you. Last Sunday’s Message, on The Visit To Calvary, mark what He did for you.

126 She said, “Mark where he lies down. Then when he lies down to sleep, to rest, you go lie down by his feet.” Not his head; his feet, unworthy. “And take the blanket” [Brother Branham pats his Bible—Ed.] “that he was covered with, and pull it over you.” Oh! You see it? [Congregation says, “Amen.”] Oh, my! I know you may think I’m a fanatic. But that just suits me just right, that Spirit of God. Mark where He lay, Calvary; where He laid down in the tomb; in Gethsemane. Mark, and crawl up to His feet. Lie down there and die, yourself, to your…There you are. Cover yourself, over, with His skirt. She said, “The skirt,” she called it.

127 And Ruth said, “What you say, that I’ll do.”

128 Oh, what a clear-cut decision for a believer! “What the Bible says, that I’ll do. Says, ‘Repent and be baptized, Name of Jesus Christ,’ I’ll do it. If It says, ‘Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel,’ I’ll do it. If It says, whatever It said, ‘Jesus Christ the same yesterday, forever.’ What It says for me to do, I’ll do it.” See, the Church taking Its orders from the Word. She laid down.

129 Now, remember, that was a disgrace for that young widow woman to be laying by the side of this man, at his feet. A disgrace, to the outside world.

130 Oh, can you stand it? [Congregation says, “Amen.”—Ed.] Here it is. Look. Look. This is it. The Church, the young woman, the young man, the old or young, is asked to separate themselves from the world, and come into a place, a Kingdom of the Holy Ghost, that’s disgraceful to the world. In their own heart they know what it’s all about. But, to the world, they become a fanatic. They become a holy-roller or something on that idea, some disgraceful name. But the Church is asked to do it. Are you willing to mark the place, and lie down? [“Amen.”] Let the world call you anything they want to.

131 The old song, used to sing.

I’ve started to walk with Jesus alone, see,

Have for a pillow, like Jacob, a stone;

And I’ll take the way with the Lord’s despised few;

I’ve started in with Jesus. I’m going through.

132 That’s it. No matter, I’ll pay the price whatever others do. If it means disgrace, if it means to lose home, to lose—lose family, all your associates, girl friends, boy friends, whatever it means, I’ll go alone. I’ll take the way. If my neighbor says I’m “a holy-roller, a pentecostal, or a fanatic,” I don’t care what they say. Don’t make one bit of difference to me. I’ve started in. I’ve made my decision clear, and I’m going through.

133 Now, he was the only one could give her rest, from them weary fields of gleaning. Oh, it was so sweet when, Boaz, when he found her out in the field. I can’t miss this. Boaz found her out in the field. He said, “Look.” He said, “Who are you?”

Said, “My name is Ruth.”

“Oh, the Moabite that come to sojourn with us.”

“Yes.”

134 “I’ve heard of you. You don’t go to another fields.” Ah! I like that. “Don’t start mission-trotting. Stay right here in my field. Stay with mine.” He loved her. “Stay here. Stay with me. Don’t go to running around from place to place. Stay here.”

135 If you believe the Message, hang on to It. See? Matter what the price is, stay right with It. Go right on. “If it means, sacrifice this, that, or the other. And I have to quit my drinking, have to quit my stealing, lying. I’m going to stay right with It.” See?

136 And it said again, he said, “Now, they’re not going to bother you, because I’ve commanded the young men not to insult you.” Amen. I like that, his protection. Who said that? The lord of the harvest.

137 Be careful. “Don’t touch My anointed. Do My prophets no harm.” Is that right? [Congregation says, “Amen.”—Ed.] “For verily, I say unto you, be far better for you that a millstone would hang at your neck, and drown in the sea, even to offend the least of these, My little ones.” That right? [“Amen.”] “Don’t even bring offense to them.”

“I’ve commanded them not to touch you.” Oh, watch that world! It’s a persecutor. They got their hour coming.

138 Then he went to the young men, the others. He said, “Now, she’s gleaning for life. Now, I want you reapers…you angels,” in other words. That’s what they are. Said, “I want you angels, you reapers, every once in a while, to drop a handful, on purpose.” Oh! “Don’t let it all be so tiresome for her. But every once in a while, let her hear a good Message. Let a good power of the Holy Spirit cover Her over, once in a while, to let Her know that I’m still there. Do some kind of a healing amongst Her. Show some kind of a sign or a wonder, that She’ll know that I’m in Her midst.” That’s it.

139 Don’t you like to find them handfuls? [Congregation says, “Amen.”—Ed.] I hope we find some this morning, don’t you? [“Amen.”] A handful of fresh barley. The Lord do something that He used to do. Something that we know He does. He’s Lord of the Harvest. He’s the only One can drop the handful. “I command the Angels to go down to that meeting this morning. I want them to do a certain, certain thing. I’ve commanded Them, and They’ll do it.” Oh, my.

140 Now, here, she had to take on the disgraceful part, to lay down, be called anything she wanted to. She could be called a prostitute, you know. She could be called an ill-famed woman, yet she wasn’t. And she was following exactly the rules that was laid down to her. So she goes down and covers herself over, with the cover that he had on. Where’d she go? To the tomb. Where’d she go? Where he was resting.

141 That’s where I found it.

Down at the cross where my Saviour died,

Down there for cleansing from sin I cried,

There to my heart was the Blood applied.

There is a Fountain filled with Blood

Drawn from Emmanuel’s veins;

Where sinners, plunged beneath the flood,

Lose all their guilty stain.

142 Mark the place where He laid down, and lie down there with Him. Are you ready to go to Calvary, this morning, as I said last Sunday? Have you marked the place in your life? Have you brought yourself to that place where Jesus was crucified?

143 “Oh, we appreciate that.” But what about your crucifixion? Are you ready to take the way with the disgraceful name, as being a holy-roller, a religious fanatic, or whatever, whatever the price is?

144 Have you marked the place, so you go there and lie down with Him, say, “Lord, here I am”? Then what? Pull the same cover that was on Him, over you.

145 A woman once said to our Lord, “Lord, grant unto my two sons, that one will set on the right hand, and on the left hand, in the Kingdom.”

146 He said, “Can you drink the cup that I drink?” That’s the bitter persecution.

“Yes.”

147 “And can you be baptized with the same baptism that I’m baptized with?” Lay down, pull the same cover over her.

148 Elijah was taken up. And Elijah throwed down the same cover that he had, to cover Elisha with a double portion of his Spirit. Same thing, just a double portion. Same power; no more. No more, no greater; just a double portion of It.

149 Like Moses, when he was tired, his father-in-law said to him, said, “You’re wearing yourself out. Pray God would take your Spirit and put It on others.” And he prayed.

150 And He took the Spirit and put It on seventy others and seventy begin to prophesy. They didn’t have any more power. They had more machinery. That’s all. Same thing, just had more machinery.

151 That’s the way it is, today. One man can’t do it. God has got His machinery working everywhere, but it’s the same power; same power, same Holy Spirit, same Jesus.

152 Now, took the blanket, the Holy Spirit, when she died out to herself. Marked the place where he died, where he laid down to rest. Then she laid down, and took the blanket that was over him and pulled it over her. And the man woke up, said, “Who is there?” He said…She said, “I am Ruth, the Moabite, thy handmaid.”

153 And he raised up. He said, “I perceive and know that you’re a virtuous woman.” Amen. Oh! Doesn’t that just send little shivers through your soul? [Congregation says, “Amen.”—Ed.] “Thou art a virtuous woman.”

154 And what did she answer back? “But thou art a near kinsman.” Amen. “Thou art a near kinsman. You can do for me. You can put me to rest. I’ve come here and laid here, not for an immoral woman. I’ve laid here, not to be a show-off; to show people I can speak with tongues, show people I can dance in the Spirit, and show people I can shout. But I’ve come here because you are a near kinsman. Not to show that I could do something big; but you’re my kinfolks. I’ve come because you’re near kinsman, and you’re the only one can redeem me.”

155 See the attitude of the—the convert to the Christ, to the Church? See? See? “Thou art my near kinsman.”

156 And he said, “Thou art a virtuous woman. And I am thy near kinsman. Now, cover yourself up. Lie down until morning.” Whew! “Just cover up in that blanket. I’m your kinfolks. Lay there until morning, resting.” Amen. Amen. “I am your near kinsman. Rest!” Amen.

157 When morning come, way before the break of day, she gathered up a great big bunch of barley, six measures, I believe it was, and put it in her—her little shawl and went home.

And—and Naomi said, “My daughter.”

158 After you raise up from the altar, and went back. “Now what’s going to happen, mama? What’s going to take place now?” Amen.

159 “Rest.” Amen. “Rest, Ruth, because the man will have no rest until he’s done the full price of redemption.” Amen. Amen. Right there’s where I stand. Amen. He will not rest until He’s done the full price of redemption, to redeem you, everything that you ever lost, everything that you was.

160 Now remember the law of redemption, as we’re coming to the close, to the end of the service. All the law of redemption is this, that, before a man could redeem a lost property, he had to be the nearest kinsman. And the next thing, he had to be an upright man, a just man, to do it. And then he had to be worth enough money, to do it. And then he had to make a public testimony that he had done it. And from then on, it was his property.

161 So now look. Boaz represented Christ. Now, Ruth represented the Church, you, the believer. And now, God, in the Old Testament, the only way that He could come and redeem what had been lost, God had to ’come kinfolks to man. And the only way that God could become kinfolks to man, was be one of them. Amen.

60-1002 – “The Kinsman Redeemer”
Rev. William Marrion Branham

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