DCLM Daily Manna 26 September 2026: Blindness of Selfishness
KEY VERSE: “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” (Ruth 4:6).
TEXT: Ruth 4: 1-12
Now Boaz went up to the gate and sat down there; and behold, the close relative of whom Boaz had spoken came by. So Boaz said, “Come aside, friend, sit down here.” So he came aside and sat down. 2 And he took ten men of the elders of the city, and said, “Sit down here.” So they sat down. 3 Then he said to the close relative, “Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab, sold the piece of land which belonged to our brother Elimelech. 4 And I thought to inform you, saying, ‘Buy it back in the presence of the inhabitants and the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, redeem it; but if you will not redeem it, then tell me, that I may know; for there is no one but you to redeem it, and I am next after you.’ ”
And he said, “I will redeem it.”
5 Then Boaz said, “On the day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you must also buy it from Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, to perpetuate the name of the dead through his inheritance.”
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.”
7 Now this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning redeeming and exchanging, to confirm anything: one man took off his sandal and gave it to the other, and this was a confirmation in Israel.
8 Therefore the close relative said to Boaz, “Buy it for yourself.” So he took off his sandal. 9 And Boaz said to the elders and all the people, “You are witnesses this day that I have bought all that was Elimelech’s, and all that was Chilion’s and Mahlon’s, from the hand of Naomi. 10 Moreover, Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of Mahlon, I have acquired as my wife, to perpetuate the name of the dead through his inheritance, that the name of the dead may not be cut off from among his brethren and from his position at the gate. You are witnesses this day.”
11 And all the people who were at the gate, and the elders, said, “We are witnesses. The Lord make the woman who is coming to your house like Rachel and Leah, the two who built the house of Israel; and may you prosper in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem. 12 May your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, because of the offspring which the Lord will give you from this young woman.”
READ OTHER DCLM DAILY DEVOTIONAL HERE
In 1912, as the RMS Titanic sank into icy waters, first-class passenger Benjamin Guggenheim helped women and children into lifeboats. Offered a seat, he refused. Instead, he changed into formal wear, saying, “We are dressed in our best and are prepared to go down like gentlemen.” His selflessness became a legacy. He perished, but his honour lived on.
In the text, a nameless kinsman declines his lawful opportunity to redeem his due and marry Ruth. “I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I mar mine own inheritance.” He feared the cost, knowing that the first son from the union would carry the name of the deceased, not his (Deuteronomy 25:5, 6). To protect his estate, he stepped aside.
He chose self over sacrifice, and in doing so, stepped out of the divine record. His name was erased from history. Boaz, however, accepted the duty. He embraced what looked like loss. And God engraved his name in glory. Ruth bore Obed, father of Jesse, father of David, forefather of Jesus Christ.
Selfishness always loses. It may preserve a name on earth, but it forfeits eternal honour. The nameless relative wanted to keep his legacy pure, but in trying to save it, he lost it. Boaz gained not just a wife, but also a place in prophecy. Beloved, how often do we shy away from what appears to “mar our inheritance”? We avoid sacrificial obedience because it seems costly. We withhold forgiveness, reject hard assignments, or decline kingdom duties because they do not serve our narrative. But heaven writes history through selfless hands. Your sacrifice may go unnoticed on earth, but eternity will echo your obedience. The path of Boaz is not always paved with applause, but it leads straight to Bethlehem, where the Saviour of the world emerged.
Do not let fear of personal loss rob you of divine honour. The selfish man saved his estate but missed destiny. Boaz gave his name, and God exalted it.
Thought for the day: Sacrifice writes the names God remembers.
The Bible in one year: James 1-5
DCLM Daily Manna 26 September 2026
