He Never Gave Me Christ (Boaz)

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

As I slowly continue the countdown to the big 3-0 I have looked back over the past five years to reflect on what worked and what did not. Tomorrow marks the famous day in which love is generated and catered among the vast majority of people. Regardless of one's religious background...Valentine's Day is a universal holiday in which many celebrate in order to show their appreciation and affection towards others (ACTION!) What is interesting about this day as it relates to me is that within the last five years...I cannot remember celebrating Valentines Day with the exception of 2010 when my ex and I attended a concert.

This year as I continue to await my Boaz, I think about all the guys who sought interest in me but I did not seek it back...those who tried and it simply did not work...and even the one who claimed to be "real" yet his actions lied on him and proved otherwise! *insert Kanye shrug*

I continue to sit back and think about what my heart desires in a husband and how that relates to the type of wife God is creating me to be. Within the body of Christ, believers are known to quote the famous Ephesians 5:25-30 which reads...

25 For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her 26 to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word.[b] 27 He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault. 28 In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man who loves his wife actually shows love for himself. 29 No one hates his own body but feeds and cares for it, just as Christ cares for the church. 30 And we are members of his body. (NLT)

As I sit here and think about my life in the grand scheme of things especially with different men I have dated and been in serious relationships with, I have to think about this scripture and ask God to break it all the way down for me and others. Lord, help us to remain faithful in you as we seek to gain wisdom on what we should hope for instead of the things we simply look for, Hebrews 11:1-3,

1 Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. 2 Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation. 3 By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.


I recently told one of my best friends that a particular guy (who will remain nameless) never gave me Christ during the time of our courtship. Every time I think about Ephesians 5 and I try to compare it to our courting, not one time did he show any resemblance to Christ especially as it relates to this scripture. Now before people claim I am going too deep...let me remind you that the WORD tells us the following in John 1. It is because of the WORD of God that I continue to eliminate the lies of darkness because the light of God's word forever shines so bright.

1 In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He existed in the beginning with God. 3 God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. 4 The Word gave life to everything that was created,[a] and his life brought light to everyone. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.[b] (NLT)

It is in this truth that I can sit back in the presence of God and listen to Him loud and clear about what He has prepared and planned for my life. My Boaz has to resemble Christ, because it was through the bloodline of Boaz that Christ came down generations to make his earthly presence known. So many modern women refer to their husbands or future husbands as "BOAZ" who is also a type and shadow of Christ.

So in my studying of this scripture and speaking with my best friend I realize three things. The guy I courted never gave me Christ in his three distinct examples from his bloodline. All three examples require ACTION which is a VERB! (That is the English teacher in me).

Christ as Boaz - To Provide (Jehovah Jireh)
Christ as David - To Praise (Jehovah-Tsid-Kenu)
Christ as Jesus - To Protect (Jehovah Nissi)




I will come back to Ephesians in a moment but let me tell you what God gave me about these very different types of Christ and how it related to the guy I once courted.

1. He Never Gave Me Christ as Boaz (To Provide)

Ruth 2:6-9
6 And the foreman replied, “She is the young woman from Moab who came back with Naomi. 7 She asked me this morning if she could gather grain behind the harvesters. She has been hard at work ever since, except for a few minutes’ rest in the shelter.” 8 Boaz went over and said to Ruth, “Listen, my daughter. Stay right here with us when you gather grain; don’t go to any other fields. Stay right behind the young women working in my field. 9 See which part of the field they are harvesting, and then follow them. I have warned the young men not to treat you roughly. And when you are thirsty, help yourself to the water they have drawn from the well.”

What is interesting about this scripture is that one, Boaz made provisions for Ruth before even really knowing who she was. The same way Christ made provisions for us on the cross before our spirits ever met our bodies and introduced us to the world. Another indication of the connection of Boaz to Christ is that he called her "daughter". It is by no coincidence that the Father of Heaven ,who wrapped himself in flesh, came down the genealogy bloodline of Boaz to speak to his daughter; who came from a family which never knew Him. So even in the book of Ruth, Christ made himself known without telling us who he really was. Boaz also informed her that when she was thirsty to help herself to water from the well. This also referenced Christ and his meeting with the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4:9-15. The topic of living water was even present in Ruth as Christ continued to give us indications of who He was and why He was coming into this word.

9 The woman was surprised, for Jews refuse to have anything to do with Samaritans.[b] She said to Jesus, “You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman. Why are you asking me for a drink?” 10 Jesus replied, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.” 11 “But sir, you don’t have a rope or a bucket,” she said, “and this well is very deep. Where would you get this living water? 12 And besides, do you think you’re greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us this well? How can you offer better water than he and his sons and his animals enjoyed?” 13 Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. 14 But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.” 15 “Please, sir,” the woman said, “give me this water! Then I’ll never be thirsty again, and I won’t have to come here to get water.”


There were times during our courtship in which the young man would make comments about not being able to provide for me financially due to some recent setbacks he had endured. At first I was offended by these statements because I was never the type of female to date a man based on his financial status. I never sought out to be with a man based on how much money he made or what he could buy me. But then something came to my memory about it which further made me realize God had something better in store for me. I did not need to settle for a relationship in which one could not fully function as the head, as this guy clearly was communicating to me. I had to listen with an open ear an understanding heart that this man was simply telling me he was not the one. Because of my eagerness to defy the odds and not become the stereotypical gold-digging female, I simply excused his comments as him beating himself down for not being the "man" he thought he should have been. The way I saw it, we were simply dating and had not moved into the relationship phase, so there was no need for him to have those concerns about being a provider for me. Boy was I wrong!

As God further breaks down the connection of Boaz and Christ to provide...I also remembered a few other things about this courtship. During the course of us getting to know each other, there seemed to be insecurities about him which hindered his ability to be accepting of the woman God had created me to be...Proverbs 31! The fact that God had opened so many doors for me seemed to make him look at himself and realize that he had not used his time to the best of his ability. So many times he would tell me that he felt like "he wasted so much time and he has nothing to show for it". Now I must mention that there was almost a 10 year age difference between us. From where he stood close to 40, I may have accomplished so much more in life at the age of 29 than he had. In my heart I simply believed that his life was not over and it was never too late. I had the heart and compassion to be understanding and supportive, yet that is not what he wanted. I was trying to help a man who did not want a HELP MEET! So I had to step away.

Today I am at peace with walking away from the situation. I believe that God has someone so much better for me and I do not have to settle for just anything or anyone. There were things said/done that did not reflect Christ. The entire time I felt something was missing from the entire courtship. Something that was of value and merit. Something that was the glue to us being around each other. Despite him being a believer, he still did not have the key ingredient to unlock my heart. He was not a man that reflected Christ as it relates to the man God has for me.

 I serve a God who loves me and provides for me on a daily basis. I am not asking God to send me a man who will try to replace God because that will NEVER happen, but I am asking God that since His word cannot come back void...then Ephesians 5 still holds true to its power even on this eve of Valentine's Day. With God EVERYDAY is a day of action in which He continues to show me His undying love and affection as my provider. So at the end of the day I further realize God is sending me a man who has a heart after his own and understands what it means when the Bible says...25 For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her