Some Comments on Ruth

From PT August, 1940, Page 121. Blog comments are posted in blue, within brackets.

Ruth 1: PT '33 p. 82
1 There was a famine—Scarcity of new Truth from 1844 to 1874.
A certain man—Crown-lost leaders.
Bethlehem—Sphere of Bible Truth as due.
Country of Moab—Nominal church.
His wife—Crown-lost ledlings.
Two sons—The more and the less faithful justified leaders.
2 Elimelech—(Powerful king) Crown-lost leaders who partook in the Miller movement, and who went back to the nominal church.
Naomi—(Pleasantness) Crown-lost ledlings.
Mahlon—(Sickly) The more faithful tentatively–justified leaders.
Chilion—(Pining) The less faithful tentatively-justified leaders.
3 Elimelech died—Swallowed up in worldly conditions, their New Creatures died.
4 Two sons took wives . . . of Moab—The justified leaders gathered leadable justified ones to themselves in the nominal church.
Orpah—(Stubborn) Less faithful justified ledlings.
Ruth—(Friendship) More faithful justified ledlings.
Abode ten years—Fullness of time to remain in the nominal church.
5 Mahlon and Chilion died—Swallowed up in worldly conditions, their justification lapsed.
6 The Lord had visited His people—God had renewed His favor.
Giving them bread—Giving the Parousia Truth.
7 She went forth . . . daughters-in-law—Became interested in the Truth then due, which separated their hearts and minds from the nominal church.
Return unto . . . Judah—Away from the nominal church and into the Truth movement again.
8 Return each to her mother's house—Crown-lost new creatures' acts gave these the thought that they should leave them and settle down to a comfortable life in the nominal church.
9 They . . . wept—Sorrow at prospect of parting.
10 We will return with thee—The two justified classes determined to advance toward the Truth. [Both Ruth and Orpah are referred to as classes. See also E4, page 371]
11 Why will ye go with me?—Antitypical Naomi's course raised in the minds of antitypical Orpah and Ruth the question, Why should we cease to work for, and to attend nominal-church meetings and do the opposite?
13 The hand of the Lord is gone out against me—This thought was in the antitype concluded from the crown-lost ledlings' unfruitful efforts with nominal-church people.
14 Orpah kissed her—Failure to meet the test and to advance indicated their desire to leave them. [Orpah advanced only so far on the journey, then returned.]
Ruth clave unto her—Overcame in the test and remained with the consecrated. [Ruth remained with the consecrated. She was not yet consecrated, since the comment makes a distinction between Ruth and Naomi.]
16 Whither thou goest, I will go—Types consecration of the faithful justified class following the crown-lost new creatures and leaving the nominal church. Youthful Worthies are not Spirit-begotten. [Ruth class is now consecrated. She could not have been before verse 16, as we would then have to conclude Orpah class was also consecrated during the earlier part of the journey.]
19 They two . . . came to Bethlehem—Persevered, advancing in the Truth and its Spirit. City was moved—The left-overs of the cleansed sanctuary class, as well as the Parousia class rejoiced.
Is this Naomi?—A class that went out and returned. [Naomi also noted as a class.]
20 Call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me—Convinced the Lord had striped them for leaving God's cleansed people to return to Babylon.
21 I went out full . . . home again empty—Recognized loss of spirituality and spiritual privileges and associates.
22 Beginning of barley harvest—From 1878 to 1881.

Ruth 2:
1 Boaz—Our Lord.
3 Gleaned in the field . . . belonging unto Boaz—Zealous Youthful Worthies, not Spirit-begotten, from 1881 onward were given opportunities to serve in the Harvest under the Chief Reaper. [Since Youthful Worthies did not exist from 1878-81, logically none were available to be given opportunities to serve in the Harvest prior to 1881.]
4 Boaz came from Bethlehem—Our Lord coming from His activities of dispensing the Truth to the Church.
The Lord be with you—Blessed the reapers in their service of others.
5 Whose damsel is this?—Our Lord raised in Bro. Russell's mind the question as to who the unbegotten consecrators were; for the consecrated were more numerous than the available crowns. [Crowns were only available after the General Call ceased, from 1881 onward.]
6 Came back with Naomi out of . . . Moab—That Servant in Towers from 1881 onward pointed out an unbegotten class among the returning crown-lost new creatures. [Youthful Worthies existed from 1881 onward. If the word "class" is your tripping point, please be aware of its use above for Naomi, Ruth and Orpah. As structured here, the original comments beautifully show the correct view.]