Lessons from the unknown redeemer – Ruth 4: 2-12
1. He responded with a qualified ‘Yes’.
v4 “I will redeem it,” he said.
He had a personal agenda that was hidden behind his Yes. Naomi was known in the town, he knew that she was no longer a woman of child-bearing age.
“… Am I going to have any more sons, who could become your husbands? Return home, my daughters; I am too old to have another husband ..” 1:11-12.
Therefore Naomi would be a safe buy, there would be no chance of a levirate son, the land would be his and stay within his own family and so he says ‘Yes, I’ll redeem it.’
The kinsman – redeemer was under no obligation, he had to be willing to sacrifice. But this man was operating out of his own selfish desires.
We must stop qualifying our commitments to God. I will do this if you do that.
There is in the body of Christ a developing worldly doctrine of self-esteem, a feel-good sense of fulfilment as being the aim of Christianity. Pleasing self is on par with pleasing God. As a result no one talks about sacrifice anymore. When they do, it bears no resemblance to the sacrifice of two generations ago. So we hear of people sacrificing by giving their tithe to God, by witnessing, by turning the television off and praying instead or going to church as being a sacrifice of something. It is no such thing. Such sacrifice never existed in our grandparents nor does it in many parts of the world today.
Where has true sacrifice gone in the body of Christ? It has been replaced with personal agendas, with selfish living, with conditional commitment.
Missions Paul 