Passover: The Third Cup of Redemption

First, freedom.
Second, deliverance.  We are delivered from ourselves to Him.  We are delivered from Egypt to the wilderness.  We are delivered from the judgments in Egypt, but we are not delivered from the judgments on the Egypt in us that we carry forth into the wilderness.  There we will utter the same words that the so-called wise-men (magicians) of Egypt uttered to Pharaoh:  "Do you not see Egypt (and we) are all ruined?"  When the fire of God comes off the altar and touches us, will we not say as the prophet Isaiah, "Woe I am a man of unclean lips"?  We are ruined, impoverished, at the end of ourselves...utterly undone, bereft of hope, riches, status, husbandless...like the Moabite woman Ruth.
Then, and only then can the third phase of our Passover begin:  my redemption, our redemption, the redemption of all Israel, draws nigh in the wilderness.
If the cattle on a thousand hills are his, he is rich indeed.  If all the gold and silver of Egypt are his, he is rich indeed.  Not in Egypt, but in the wilderness, we meet our Kinsman-Redeemer.  Just as Boaz provided for Ruth a special portion of his fields for her gleaning...so he, our Kinsman-Redeemer, will have a special provision for us in the wilderness.  And even in the "night" at the threshing floor, she was sent forth with a sack of grain.  His redemption had already begun when he first spotted her laboring for Naomi in his fields.  Now his plan proceeded toward the "moed", the appointed time, of her full and public redemption.  But first a night of darkness at the threshing floor...
He was utterly mindful of her, her beauty, her choices, all she had left behind, her lack of status, her hope, her love of Naomi...  Now, in-deed, he "deemed" her special.  Now, in-deed, he would "re-deem" her.  He would pay and satisfy all claims for or against her;  out of his riches he would buy up all that might stand in the way of him claiming her for himself.  All this was to happen first, in the wilderness, simultaneously, in the the darkness of the night, then finally at the wedding feast publicly.
Why did the redemption of Israel fail in the wilderness?  They, in fact, were not free of Egypt; they, in fact, were not delivered of Egypt and themselves...so they could not, even at Mt. Sinai, "see" their Redeemer-Kinsman.  In the midst of the shakings, signs, and wonders they could not "see" anything but the gold of Egypt re-cast into a calf.  This was their god, and it was an Egyptian god.  They could not see the manna as the grain of the wilderness (threshing floor).  The "moedim", that is the appointed times, were utterly missed.  They could not and did not see themselves as free and delivered:  grumbling, complaining, strange fire, rebellion..."You have brought us out into the wilderness to slay us"  "Can the Lord set a table in the wilderness?"  "You have not brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey..."
Nothing was lacking or amiss in the "strong arm" of the Redeemer-Kinsman.  But the state of "being" of the Israelites in the wilderness was anything but the state of being of a "redeemed" people.  "Seeing" yourself as free, seeing yourself as delivered, and seeing yourself as Israel, Bride...whatever...that is in fact Redemption.
Ruth no longer sees herself as a Moabite!  She sees herself as her Kinsman-Redeemer-Husband (to be) sees her.  What you see determines your redemption.  Most Israelites, after the spying out of the Land, saw themselves as "grasshoppers."  Totally, un-redeemed.  They are not mindful of their true status, they are not mindful of their God...finally, they have no real sense, in body, soul, or spirit, of their Redeemer or their Redemption.  And so sadly, what one sees is what one gets!  It is not enough for someone else to see you as...you have to see yourself as...!  Boaz remains only a Kinsman until Ruth enters into, sees herself, as redeemed by him as Redeemer.  So her "seeing" is clearly righteous (for which he commends her) for in faith she sees herself as part of Israel, redeemed, and him as her possible Husband.  The fourth stage of our Passover journey cannot take place, unless, and until, the first three cups of wine of the Seder are drunk:  Freedom, Deliverance, and Redemption.  Why was Boaz drinking and rejoicing at the threshing floor?  He perhaps already could see the possibility of the Feast of the Fourth Cup.  Can you "see" the full cup of wine waiting for you?