The symbol for this day is a sheath of wheat. Ours was made with rafia and ribbon.
God welcomed Ruth, an outsider of the Israelites, into the family line that would eventually bring the Messiah into the world. God had been foreshadowing the inclusion of Gentile believers in His family since the beginning.
In Genesis 12:2, God told Abram that He would make him a “great nation,” and the Hebrew word “goy” was used, which signified a non-Hebrew nation.
In Genesis 12:3, God said “in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed,” not just one family line or one race of people–but all families of the earth, including Jews and Gentiles.
Zechariah 2 prophesied Jesus Christ coming and a figurative Jerusalem “without walls,” which included believers from all nations:
“Many nations will be joined with the Lord in that day and will become my people. I will live among you and you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you.” Zechariah 2:11
Jesus Christ fulfilled that prophesy, and people from outside of Abraham’s blood line were brought into the family of God’s chosen people:
“That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.” Ephesians 2:12-17
Ruth’s faithfulness is what set her apart. God has always been inviting the faithful to join His family, and the invitation remains open to anyone who will walk by faith in Him. (Read Romans 1:17 for encouragement)
Ornament Ideas:
