A Friend in Need

Is the parable of Luke 11 about a friend seeking bread at midnight be a reference to the church in tribulation?

THE KINSMAN REDEEMER

Ru 4:1 Then went Boaz (Christ) up to the gate, and sat him down there: and, behold, the kinsman of whom Boaz spake came by; unto whom he said, Ho, such a one! turn aside, sit down here. And he turned aside, and sat down.

Ru 4:3 And he said unto the kinsman, Naomi, that is come again out of the country of Moab, selleth a parcel of land, which was our brother Elimelech’s:

Ru 4:4 And I thought to advertise thee, saying, Buy it before the inhabitants, and before the elders of my people. If thou wilt redeem it, redeem it: but if thou wilt not redeem it, then tell me, that I may know: for there is none to redeem it beside thee; and I am after thee. And he said, I will redeem it.

Ru 4:5 Then said Boaz, What day thou buyest the field of the hand of Naomi, thou must buy it also of Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance.

De 25:7 And if the man like not to take his brother’s wife, then let his brother’s wife go up to the gate unto the elders, and say, My husband’s brother refuseth to raise up unto his brother a name in Israel, he will not perform the duty of my husband’s brother.

De 25:10 And his name shall be called in Israel, The house of him that hath his shoe loosed.

Ru 4:6 And the kinsman said, I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I mar mine own inheritance: redeem thou my right to thyself; for I cannot redeem it.

Ru 4:7 Now this was the manner in former time in Israel concerning redeeming and concerning changing, for to confirm all things; a man plucked off his shoe, and gave it to his neighbour: and this was a testimony in Israel.

Ru 4:8 Therefore the kinsman said unto Boaz, Buy it for thee. So he drew off his shoe.

LEND TO HIM THAT ASKETH

1Jo 3:17 But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up <2808> his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?

De 15:7 If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother:

Mt 23:13 But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up <2808> the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.

De 15:8 But thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need, in that which he wanteth.

Mt 5:42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.

Lu 11:5 And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend <5384>, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves;

Lu 11:7 And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut <2808>, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee.

Lu 21:16 And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends <5384>; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death.

THE PARABLE OF THE UNJUST JUDGE

Lu 18:1 And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;

Lu 18:2 Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man:

Lu 18:3 And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary.

Lu 18:4 And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man;

Lu 18:5 Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming (importunity) she weary me.

Lu 18:6 And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith.

Lu 18:7 And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?

Re 6:10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?

Ps 13:1 How long wilt thou forget me, O LORD? for ever? how long wilt thou hide thy face from me?

Ps 102:2 Hide not thy face from me in the day when I am in trouble; incline thine ear unto me: in the day when I call answer me speedily.

Lu 18:8 I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

PARABLE OF THE TWO SONS

Mt 21:28 But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard.

Mt 21:29 He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went.

Mt 21:30 And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not. (the second son – church – does not repent) and therefore did not do the will of the father?)

Mt 21:31 Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.

Mt 21:32 For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him.

A FRIEND IN NEED: ELECT LOOKING FOR REDEMPTION IN TRIBULATION?

Lu 11:5 And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves;

Ac 20:7 And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.

Mr 13:35 Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning:

Joh 9:4 I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.

Lu 11:6 For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him?

Am 8:11 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD:

Am 8:12 And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it.

Lu 11:7 And he from within <2081> shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee.

Mt 7:15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly <2081> they are ravening wolves.

Mt 23:25 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within <2081> they are full of extortion and excess.

Mt 23:27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within <2081> full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness.

Mt 23:28 Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within <2081> ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.

Mr 7:21 For from within <2081>, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,

Mr 7:23 All these evil things come from within <2081>, and defile the man.

Lu 11:39 And the Lord said unto him, Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part <2081> is full of ravening and wickedness.

Re 2:22 Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.

Ps 36:12 There are the workers of iniquity fallen: they are cast down, and shall not be able to rise.

La 1:14 The yoke of my transgressions is bound by his hand: they are wreathed, and come up upon my neck: he hath made my strength to fall, the Lord hath delivered me into their hands, from whom I am not able to rise up.

Ps 18:38 I have wounded them that they were not able to rise: they are fallen under my feet.

Lu 11:8 I say unto you, Though he (unsaved body) will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity (persistence, patience, continual coming) he (Christ) will rise and give him as many as he needeth.

Ro 2:7 To them who by patient continuance <5281> in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:

Lu 21:19 In your patience <5281> possess ye your souls.

2Th 3:5 And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting <5182> for Christ.

OPENED DOOR: THE LATTER RAIN – A COLLECTIVE SALVATION?

Lu 11:9 And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

Re 3:8 I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and NO MAN can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.

Ge 7:16 And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the LORD shut him in.

Zec 10:1 Ask ye of the LORD rain in the time of the latter rain; so the LORD shall make bright clouds, and give them showers of rain, to every one grass in the field.

Jas 5:7 Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the earlyand latter rain.

Da 12:12 Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days.

Mr 13:13 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

Joe 2:28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:

Isa 11:11 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.

Jer 30:7 Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.

Re 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

Mt 25:32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:

Re 7:2 And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea,

Re 7:3 Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.

Lu 16:26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.

SUMMARY CONCLUSION

The Bible appears to be equating the account of a friend in need at midnight to the famine of the great tribulation. God first looks to the church as the kinsman redeemer to rise and provide bread, but being under judgment he cannot not rise to give. However Christ (next kinsman, typified by Boaz) had to step up and avenge the widow (elect) of her adversaries and provide the bread of redemption to gather the elect out of Babylon.