There is a vast difference between FATE and DESTINY.
Fate is usually thought of as a predetermined course of events beyond the human control.
A typical response of a person who believes in fate is resignation - if we can't change destiny, then why even try?
Whatever happens, happens and we can't do anything about it.
This is called fatalism and it is not biblical.
Fatalism is a major premise of many religions such as Hinduism.
In fact, it is this fatalistic view of life that helps keep India's caste system in place.
Because you have been born poor, you will die poor, and you cannot do anything about it.
It is beyond human control.
That is fate and it is not Biblical.
What is Biblical is that God is Sovereign over all and man has a freewill to choose to submit to God's plan or not.
We have been created with the ability to make moral choices and we are responsible for those choices.
For instance, in the book of Genesis we read that when Adam and Eve fell in the garden of Eden, it was because they chose to disobey God's Word rather than submit to God's will.
And so, they had to face the consequences of their action and thereupon were thrown out from the Garden which became their ultimate destiny bringing the entire humanity with them.
We cannot blame fate for that.
It was their own choosing that brought the ultimate destiny for their lives.
In the same manner, God has a wonderful purpose for our lives written in God's Word.
He wants us to commit our lives for that very purpose so that we will enjoy our fellowship with God.
This free will is the ability to choose to submit or to reject to God's plan.
And our choice will become our ultimate destiny in this life and in the life to come.
And so, in this message, we are going to learn from the life of Ruth how she discovered her destiny and overcame helplessness and poverty.
You see, Ruth when she arrived in Judah, did not rely on FATE - whatever happens, happen.
"I am a poor widow and I will die in such a poor state. Oh, poor me." NO!
She relied on her FAITH on God and made right decisions to become better and improve her life.
Ultimately, she received what she hoped for and changed her destiny.
In the same manner, we could choose our destiny and improve our situation for the better because of the choices we make each day.
And so, brothers and sisters, I hope you will listen carefully because at the end of this message, I will ask you to make an active response or decision to commit your life to Christ so that you will discover your wonderful destiny as a Christian.
The truth is, so many people from various generations have improved their outlook and their situations in life because of Christ and you can do the same.
How do you discover your destiny?
So far, we have learned about the different characters in this beautiful love story.
Naomi was a woman who was once bitter and full of resentment because of the loss of her loved ones.
She even blamed God for the difficult circumstances she experienced in her life.
But eventually, after examining the godly character of Ruth, her daughter in law, her attitude changed for the better.
She began to dream again and came up with a wonderful plan on how Ruth can have a better future.
She did not rely on fate, but discovered her own destiny through the testimony of another person close to her.
In the same way, we can discover our destiny on he basis of what we can learn from the lives of other Christians who have improved their spiritual lives in Christ.
We must not allow our resentment or bitterness to define our future.
Life has a lot to offer than these.
Believe that God has something better in store for your life.
The next character we have studied is Ruth, the widow who refused to give up in spite of the overwhelming poverty in a foreign land.
Others might have resigned and say, "Whatever happens, happen." but not Ruth.
She is a woman who worked with godly work ethics and unknowingly impressed people around her.
Her humility and self-sacrifice in order to serve and provide for her mother in law was an outstanding example of the moral integrity worthy of respect that defined her destiny.
Hence, her godly character inspired life and confidence in the life of Naomi and developed a love romance with Boaz.
I hope and pray that there are also many women of such character like Ruth among our congregation with exceptional faith in God.
Always remember that people see our character and are being inspired by the example of our words and conduct.
In order for us to discover our destiny, we must not give up in spite of the overwhelming odds against us.
We must maintain our humility and self-sacrifice for eventually, our lives will become better.
Then, the last character we have examined is Boaz, the kinsman redeemer who had great wealth and good reputation among his workers.
He is the patient kinsman redeemer who waits patiently for things to happen rather than manipulate events according to his own advantage.
Boaz was also inspired by the life of Ruth and developed a love relationship with her not just based on the physical appearance but primarily on the beauty of the heart.
Through the example of Boaz, we can see the life of Jesus Christ, our real Kinsman Redeemer, full of love and kindness in spite of our sinful condition.
Christ redeemed us from the penalty and the punishment of the law and gave us an abundant life of victory and success.
Of course, in order for us to discover our destiny, we must allow Christ to be the Lord and Savior of our Lives.
Receive Christ in your life.
Surrender it all to God and you will be guided to a great future.
My prayer is that we will all be redeemed spiritually by Christ from all our sins so that we can be a blessing to others.
In this fourth and last chapter of the Book of Ruth, we will find Boaz sitting at the town gate and waiting for the kinsman redeemer to arrive.
This was the same kinsman redeemer he mentioned to Ruth who was more closely related than him.
He wanted to give him the chance to redeem Ruth in the presence of the elders of the town.
And so, Boaz began to speak to him about the plan of Naomi to sell the piece of land that belonged to their relative Elimelek.
He suggested to buy it and thereby fulfill his part as the kinsman redeemer of the family in the presence of the elders.
However, if he does not agree, he made it known that Boaz himself is willing to do so.
The man initially replied, "I will redeem it." thinking that it was only the land that was being transacted.
But Boaz explained further the extent of the redemption process.
"On the day you buy the land from Naomi, you also acquire Ruth, the Moabite and the dead man's widow in order to maintain the name of the dead with his posterity."
Upon hearing this, the man backed out of his responsibility.
He said that he cannot redeem it because he might endanger his own estate.
He then suggested for Boaz to redeem it himself.
He removed his own sandal and gave it to Boaz in order to formalize the transfer of property.
Boaz then announced to the elders and all the people that it was now a done deal.
They are all witnesses that he has bought from Naomi all the property of Elimelek and has acquired Ruth, the Moabite as his wife.
Because of this, the name of Elimelek will not disappear from among his family or from his hometown.
Then, the elders of the town and all the people present at that time declared their unified public blessings upon this union.
Soon, Boaz took Ruth and became his wife and they gave birth to a son named Obed who became the father of Jesse, the father of David.
You can see more clearly the inclusion of the names of Boaz, of Obed, of Jesse and David as part of the genealogy of Christ starting with Abraham up to the time of Joseph in Matthew chapter one.
Ruth discovered her wonderful destiny in the land of Israel.
Ruth waited and remained patient, and at the end, God rewarded her with the kinsman redeemer named Boaz who gave her a son.
Her destiny to be part of the genealogy of Christ was finally fulfilled because she allowed God to take control of her entire situation from beginning to end.
Regardless of her difficult circumstance as a poor widow in a foreign land, she maintained her faith and she manifested her godly character.
But during the course of her earthly struggles, she was not even aware that in the end, all things would work out for good.
She could only see the present struggles but God sees her future glory.
This is how God's providence is at work in our lives.
He has an over-all plan for our lives and everything that happens fit in perfectly to this majestic plan and purpose.
But we have to make a choice to submit to His plan which will be revealed to us.
The Scripture makes this clear in Habakkuk 2:3 (NIV) "For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it lingers, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay."
Our task is to wait, to be patient and keep on trusting God for eventually, the full revelation will come at an appointed time.
Even though it may be delayed for some time, yet, eventually, it will come and will be fulfilled.
And so, whatever difficulties you are going through today, always remember that everything has a purpose and part of a great plan ahead.
We are going to study today three things.
First,we will look at the reason why the guardian redeemer who was closer than Boaz refused to redeem Ruth.
Then, we will see the impact of Boaz's acceptance of such responsibility and lastly, we will look at the time when Boaz married Ruth.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE FOURTH CHAPTER OF RUTH.
1. THE GUARDIAN REDEEMER REFUSED TO ACCEPT RUTH
Ruth 4:5-6 (NIV) 5 Then Boaz said, “On the day you buy the land from Naomi, you also acquire Ruth the Moabite, the dead man’s widow, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property.” 6 At this, the guardian-redeemer said, “Then I cannot redeem it because I might endanger my own estate. You redeem it yourself. I cannot do it."
The first thing we can learn from this is that the Guardian Redeemer who was next in line refused to accept Ruth.
That means he rejected and denied the opportunity to be the kinsman redeemer of Ruth and Naomi.
His reason was that this transaction "might endanger his own estate."
Endanger his own state? That is a poor reasoning.
Let us look at the background of the story.
Boaz initially proposed to this kinsman the redemption of Naomi's land.
Probably, it has been mortgaged by Elimelek for money to buy bread when the famine was in the land.
After many years, the equity of the mortgaged property has made great evaluations and when Naomi returned to Judah, she wanted to sell it instead because they were in desperate need.
Hence, before it can be sold, it has to be redeemed first and Boaz gave the kinsman the legal notice to redeemer it if he is willing.
He wanted to make this transaction as fair, as transparent and as honest as possible to his nearest of kin.
This teaches us a lesson in life that whatever business transaction we do must always be above-board, it means we must do it with utmost integrity and honesty.
God does not want us to have any hint of corruption in any business dealings we have with our fellow men.
At first, the man agreed to redeem the land until he was told that in this transaction, he must marry Ruth, the widow from Moab.
Upon hearing this and after thinking of the matter carefully, he refused and turned the responsibility over to Boaz.
He said, "I cannot redeem it for myself because I might endanger my own estate."
This means he wanted only the land to redeem, but he does not want anything to do with the widow to be attached to it.
Perhaps he thought that it would be inappropriate for him to marry a poor widow from a foreign country like Moab.
This might blemish the reputation of his own family and disgrace his posterity.
Also, the problem of dividing that inheritance among the future children with Ruth coming in would create more problems than he could handle.
What would the fellow Israelites say of him, incorporating a foreigner into his estate?
Hence, his refusal was more due to his love for his estate and his love for his wealth, rather than to assist a needy relative who was in trouble.
In doing this, he missed an important opportunity in his life to be part of the genealogy of the Messiah.
And so, it wasn't really endangering his own estate.
If he agreed, God would have blessed him with more.
He had the right to claim it but it was instead given to Boaz, the next in line.
In the same manner, we all have an important part to do for God's kingdom if we agree to receive His call.
But there are those who refuse to heed his call and thereupon relinquish their responsibility to others.
This leads us to the first life lesson.
DON’T REFUSE HIS CALL. Proverbs 1:24-26 (NIV) 24 But since you refuse to listen when I call and no one pays attention when I stretch out my hand, 25 since you disregard all my advice and do not accept my rebuke, 26 I in turn will laugh when disaster strikes you; I will mock when calamity overtakes you."
We must pay attention when God calls us to do ministry work in the church.
We must pay attention when God stretch forth His hands to choose us to serve Him.
We must pay attention when the Holy Spirit prompts us to obey Him.
Don't ignore God's call.
If you want to discover your destiny, you must receive God's call for your life.
God's call for service to God and to others is more important than all the material things in this world.
People are more important than things such as real estate.
The reason why we minister is not to get things but to serve people.
If you refuse God's call for your life, He will give it to somebody else who is more willing to obey God.
Hence, you will miss that most important opportunity to be a blessing to others.
And so, when disaster comes, the text says that God will not listen because you have not obeyed God's call.
That means, when disaster comes, you are on your own with no shield of protection from God because you have rejected His call.
This leads us to the next life lesson.
RECEIVE GOD’S COUNSEL AND INSTRUCTIONS. Psalms 32:8 (NIV) 8 “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you."
God calls us to do something for Him. We all agree to that.
During that call, He will give us godly counsel and daily instructions in order to be able to fulfill or accomplish that particular call in our lives.
He will not let us alone all by ourselves.
He will be there by our side during good times and in bad.
In order to discover our destiny in Christ, you and I must receive God's counsel and God's instructions for our lives.
And so, when disaster and calamities come in your life, God is always there to give you spiritual wisdom and support.
His counsel will always be upon you.
His loving eye will always be upon you.
Let us hear Him speak to us.
Let us listen to His voice intently.
Story.
Writer Charles Swindoll once found himself with too many commitments in too few days.
He got nervous and tense about it. "I was snapping at my wife and our children, choking down my food at mealtimes, and feeling irritated at those unexpected interruptions through the day," he recalled in his book Stress Fractures.
"Before long, things around our home started reflecting the patter of my hurry-up style.
It was becoming unbearable. I distinctly remember after supper one evening, the words of our younger daughter, Colleen. She wanted to tell me something important that had happened to her at school that day. She began hurriedly, 'Daddy, I wanna tell you somethin' and I'll tell you really fast.' "Suddenly realizing her frustration, I answered, 'Honey, you can tell me -- and you don't have to tell me really fast. Say it slowly."
"I'll never forget her answer: 'Then listen slowly.'"
Brothers and sisters, we need to listen to God very slowly and clearly if we want to hear His daily instructions for us and not missed His over-all plan.
Taken from Bits & Pieces, June 24, 1993, pp. 13-14.
First, the Guardian redeemer refused to accept Ruth and thereupon missed the opportunity to be part of God's plan.
2. BOAZ AGREED TO REDEEM RUTH
Ruth 4:7-10 (NIV) “7 (Now in earlier times in Israel, for the redemption and transfer of property to become final, one party took off his sandal and gave it to the other. This was the method of legalizing transactions in Israel.) 8 So the guardian-redeemer said to Boaz, “Buy it yourself.” And he removed his sandal. 9 Then Boaz announced to the elders and all the people, “Today you are witnesses that I have bought from Naomi all the property of Elimelek, Kilion and Mahlon. 10 I have also acquired Ruth the Moabite, Mahlon’s widow, as my wife, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property, so that his name will not disappear from among his family or from his hometown. Today you are witnesses!”
The second thing we can notice in this chapter is that Boaz agreed to Redeem Ruth himself.
This was actually what he was hoping for in the entire process because he fell in love with Ruth.
When the other man refused, the way is now clear for Boaz to fulfill his promise to redeem Ruth, the widow of Mahlon, the son of Elimelech thus preserving his name in the official registry of Israel for posterity's sake.
Boaz however, did not just acquire a piece of land as added property but he also acquired a virtuous wife of noble character more precious than gold.
You see, house and riches are the inheritance from the fathers, but a prudent wife is more valuable and is a special gift from the Lord.
And Boaz found such precious treasure in the life of Ruth.
Hence, Boaz not only honored the legacy of the dead relative but also shown kindness to the living who was in great need for assistance.
Such action of kindness was honored by God through the genealogy of the Messiah whereby his family was dignified above all the families of Israel.
The other kinsman on the other hand in rejecting Ruth because he was so much afraid of diminishing his estate is now forgotten.
Here is the truth. Every act of comfort and kindness we share to the poor widows and to strangers we come in contact with in this world will find favor with God and will always be rewarded in this life and in the life to come.
And so, let us continue to show kindness to everyone specially to those who are in the household of faith.
Because such character is acquired from our relationship with Christ, our everlasting Redeemer who has shown compassion in spite of our fallen and deplorable state.
We have received this from Christ who has redeemed us from the penalty of sin and has given us a heavenly inheritance.
We have obtained this truth from Him who has done for us what we cannot have done for ourselves.
Christ is our example for godly living.
We must remember that we were despised strangers and foreigners in this land but He made us to be his very own peculiar people through the Redemption process at the cross.
Though he was rich, yet, for our sakes, He became poor that we might be rich in Christ.
Christ therefore is our Kinsman Redeemer, who has humbled Himself, thereby God has highly exalted Him and given Him a name above every name.
Notice how the elders of the town responded when Boaz announced his marriage to Ruth.
They all joined together in public prayer of blessing for the couple.
1. They prayed for Ruth that she will be a blessing to the family she had come into. "May she be flourishing, fruitful vine in the house."
2. They prayed for Boaz that he might continue to be a blessing in the public business of the town.
3. They prayed for the family that it will be numerous and greatly increase in number.
This bring us to the next life lesson.
RECEIVING GOD MEANS AGREEING TO HIS GREAT PLANS FOR US. Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV) 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
When we agree to receive Gods call for our lives, we may not be aware of it but actually, an entire plan has been opened for us by God.
Of course, initially, we have no knowledge about such plan, but as we take one step at a time each day in submitting to His will, the plan of God becomes clearer and better.
That is what happened to Ruth and Boaz. They agreed and received God's call and they were blessed.
And so, what is keeping you to receive God's call for your life?
Don't allow material things to be an obstacle to God's plan for your life.
Don't allow your own prejudice, your own narrow-mindedness to hinder you from fulfilling God's plan for your life.
Be receptive to God's plan. Receive Christ as Lord and Savior.
Submit to His leading for your life.
Let Him take control of every area of your life.
His plan for you is to always good, to prosper you and to give you hope and a great future ahead.
This leads us to the next lesson.
RECEIVING GOD MEANS PERSEVERING TO DO GOD’S WILL. Hebrews 10:36 (NIV) 36 You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised."
That word "persevere" means you endure, you pursue your goal, you keep going even if others have given up.
Persevere in doing God's will for your life.
Press on in maintaining you godly character to others.
Carry on that good work to serve others with joy.
Stand firm in your faith.
Never be weary.
Never falter, for at the end, you will receive what He has promised.
He will never delay.
Story.
Young William Wilberforce was discouraged one night in the early 1790s after another defeat in his 10 year battle against the slave trade in England. Tired and frustrated, he opened his Bible and began to leaf through it. A small piece of paper fell out and fluttered to the floor.
It was a letter written by John Wesley shortly before his death. Wilberforce read it again: "Unless the divine power has raised you up... I see not how you can go through your glorious enterprise in opposing that (abominable practice of slavery), which is the scandal of religion, of England, and of human nature. Unless God has raised you up for this very thing, you will be worn out by the opposition of men and devils. But if God be for you, who can be against you? Are all of them together stronger than God? Oh, be not weary of well-doing.
Go on in the name of God, and in the power of His might."
After many years and a lot of struggles, he finally succeeded and slavery was finally abolished in England because he did not give up.
Taken from Daily Bread, June 16, 1989.
First, the Guardian redeemer refused to accept Ruth and thereupon missed the opportunity to be part of God's plan.
Secondly, Boaz agreed to redeem Ruth thereby becoming part of the genealogy of the Messiah.
3. RUTH BECAME BOAZ’S WIFE
Ruth 4:13-17 (NIV) 13 So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. When he made love to her, the Lord enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son. 14 The women said to Naomi: “Praise be to the Lord, who this day has not left you without a guardian-redeemer. May he become famous throughout Israel! 15 He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. For your daughter-in-law, who loves you and who is better to you than seven sons, has given him birth.” 16 Then Naomi took the child in her arms and cared for him. 17 The women living there said, “Naomi has a son!” And they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David."
The third thing we can learn from this chapter is that Ruth finally became Boaz's wife.
She discovered her destiny in the God of Israel.
Her godly character paid off in the long run.
Her courage and faith in God paid off.
Her decision of leaving her city and clinging to Naomi paid off.
She was richly rewarded by God.
The Lord allowed her to conceive that brought joy and gladness to the family.
God sometimes make a barren woman to be a joyful mother of many children.
In the same manner, a person that forsakes all for the sake of serving Christ will find true fulfillment in Him.
Have you forsaken the life of sin?
Have you find fulfillment in Him?
He you received the peace from God?
Lesson: BE PATIENT AS YOU WAIT FOR THE LORD. Lamentations 3:25 (NIV) The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him.”
BE STRONG AS YOU WAIT FOR THE LORD. Psalms 27:14 (NIV)14Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”
It is time for each of us to make a response to God's Word that you have heard today.
It is time for you to make a response of the things you have heard today.
I want you to think about these words very carefully, and obey what the Lord wants you to do.
We must be able to discover and fulfill and our own individual destiny in the very short time we live on earth.
Even though we go through the present day to day struggles and difficulties, but all these point out to God's better plan ahead.
Remember that He never makes a mistake.
And so, let us do something right now.
You can do something to improve your current spiritual condition.
Are you willing to receive your God-given destiny in Christ?
Are you willing to receive Christ as your Savior and submit to His Lordship.
Do you want to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit to guide you every single day?
Do you want to serve Him for the rest of your life?
It is time to make a decision.
Stand from your seat and come over in front so that I can pray and anoint you with oil.
We will also pray the sinner's prayer and the prayer of surrender.
END...
