LONG TERM CONSEQUENCES

So the kinsman redeemer said, ‘I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I ruin my own inheritance.’ Ruth 4:6a

Triple Creek Peak, Montana is famous for being the hydrological apex of North America. From this location, depending on which way a drop of rain rolls, it can travel to one of three different oceans: the Pacific, the Arctic, or the Atlantic. Just a slight change of location from the beginning can result in a vastly different destination.

The same principle applies spiritually. Your choices today set the course of direction for the rest of your life. This principle is well illustrated by the relative who was closer to Ruth than Boaz. When offered the opportunity of a lifetime – more land and a part in the genealogy of the future kings of Israel culminating in the Messiah – he rejects it by emphatically stating quite literally “I can never do that”. It was not that he was unable because earlier he had every intention of redeeming the land (v. 4). It was purely because he would not redeem it. To redeem it meant that he would have to marry Ruth and raise up a name for the family of Elimelech - something he was unwilling to do. Sadly, this decision set the course of direction for the whole remainder of his life. By rejecting the role of kinsman redeemer, he was rejecting any possible involvement in God’s plan of redemption for mankind. By rejecting the role of kinsman redeemer, he quietly disappears from Scripture with only one more reference to his existence (v. 8). By rejecting the role of kinsman redeemer he disappears from Scripture without the reader ever even learning his name. Your choices matter, so be careful what you choose.

Philip Moeller