Ruth, as one who had returned to God from her heathen background, exercised her right to partake of the rich produce of the inheritance of God’s elect. According to her threefold status as a sojourner, a poor one, and a widow, Ruth exercised her right to glean the harvest. Her gleaning was not her begging but her right. Ruth, a Moabitess, a heathen sinner alienated from God’s promises (Deut. 23:3; cf. Eph. 2:12), being given the right to partake of the gleaning of the harvest of God’s elect typifies the Gentile “dogs” who are privileged to partake of the crumbs under the table of the portion of God’s elect children (Matt. 15:21-28 and note Matt. 15:271). Just as Ruth had the right to enjoy the produce of the good land after coming into the land, so we have the right to enjoy Christ as our good land after believing in Him. Ruth’s exercising of her right to gain and possess the produce of the good land signifies that, after believing into Christ and being organically joined to Him, we must begin to pursue Christ in order to gain, possess, experience, and enjoy Him (Phil. 3:7-16).
This book portrays the way, the position, the qualification, and the right of sinners to participate in Christ and to enjoy Christ. According to God’s ordination we who have believed into Christ have been qualified and positioned to claim our right to enjoy Christ (Col. 1:12). This means that we do not need to beg God to save us; rather, we can go to God to claim His salvation for ourselves. We have the position, the qualification, and the right to claim salvation from God. This is the highest standard of receiving the gospel.