Lost Blessings

Verse of the day: Ruth 4:6, And the close relative said, “I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I ruin my own inheritance. You redeem my right of redemption for yourself, for I cannot redeem it.”

How often have we had opportunities to serve or be a blessing to someone, only to respond with, “Let me pray about it and I’ll get back to you”, but then never follow through? Maybe we were intimidated or decided we did not want to sacrifice the time or material resources to serve the Lord by serving others. What blessings did we pass up on? What future, unseen, blessing did we forfeit? I am afraid that far too many of us will stand before the Lord and to our dismay find out that our choices not to take opportunities to serve caused us loss of reward. This relative that was closer in relation to Elimelech than Boaz was lost a tremendous blessing. I am not talking about the material blessing of gaining more land. I am not talking about the blessing that Ruth would have been to him as a wife. I am talking about the blessing that is stated in verse 17, “Also the neighbor women gave him a name, saying, ‘There is a son born to Naomi.’ And they called his name Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David.” What greater blessing could he have received than to have his name recorded in the lineage of Jesus, Israel’s Messiah, and the world’s Savior? Instead, he chose to pass up what was legally, by God’s Word, his duty to perform, and as a result, God chose to not even name him in this account. In verse 1 he is referred to as “the close relative” and Boaz calls him “friend”. Throughout the rest of the chapter he is referred to as “the close relative”, the nameless relative; whereas, Boaz is specifically named in the lineage of Jesus (v.21, Matthew 1:5). The Israelites missed out on the great blessing of going in and possessing the Promise Land, after so many years of suffering in Egypt, because of unbelief (Numbers 14; Deuteronomy 1:19-45; Hebrews 3). How many opportunities to gain heavenly blessings have we missed because of unbelief? This close relative of Elimelech was near sighted in his decision. We must be careful to not just see situations and circumstances for what we see in front of us. Although we cannot see the future, and are not promised tomorrow, we must remember that our decisions today will affect how we will stand before the Lord. Romans 14:12 clearly tells us, “So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.” Will we hear, “Well done good and faithful servant” or “Depart from me, I never knew you”? I would be remiss if I did not remind us that God is not surprised, and His plans are not thwarted, simply because we refuse to be obedient to His Word or because we refuse opportunities to serve. Just as easily as the Spirit puts a burden on our heart to serve the Lord in some way, He can do that in the heart of another. Boaz had already surrendered to be Ruth’s kinsman redeemer, and the close relative’s refusal to take on that role did not hinder God’s plan one bit. In the end, the close relative was the grand loser in all of this. In Judges 4, when Barak refused to go against the enemies of Israel, as God commanded, the Lord used Deborah instead. When Moses debated with God about going before Pharaoh as God’s mouthpiece, the Lord used Moses’ brother Aaron (Exodus 4 & 6). The bottom line is that when we refuse to serve God in any manner He calls us to, and when we pass up opportunities to serve Him by serving others, we forfeit unforeseen blessings. Any blessing God has for us, whether here or when we stand before Him, will always be far greater than anything we think we can gain from this world. The choice is ours. We must choose wisely and with a desire for heavenly results that glorify God.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).