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The English concept of "redemption" is simple enough: it is an act of repurchasing something, such as when somebody buys back his pawned ring. But the Biblical concept goes much deeper than this. Through the laws and examples of the Old Testament, God gives "redemption" a scope and beauty that is touching, personal and prophetic. Jesus not only fulfills this beautiful picture, He excels it in ways that are glorious and praiseworthy-- and which bear directly on us.Redemption of firstborn. We get an early glimpse of redemption in the Book of Exodus, around the time of the plague on the firstborn (Ex 13:11-16). Just prior to this, God had set forth the principle that the first and best are His, hence commanded that all the firstborn be given to Him via sacrifice (vv. 1-2). But lest His Name be defiled by the literal sacrifice of humans or unclean animals (namely donkeys), He stipulated that these were to be bought back at the price of a lamb (vv. 13-15). Through this transaction, at least three things happened: the owner incurred a cost (the lamb was lost to him); God accepted a substitute (the lamb "became" the baby or donkey in the flames of sacrifice); and the baby or donkey was liberated or loosed from the state of sacrifice (he reverted to the ownership of his parent or owner). Similar acts of buying something back from sacrifice are found throughout the Old Testament (e.g. Lev 27:9-34). These principles of "liberation," "cost", and "substitution" are foundational to the Gospel of Jesus.
Redemption of property sold by an impoverished relative. The picture gains significance with the use of the word "ga-al". Although this word literally means "to act as a close kin", it is logically rendered as "redeem", "purchase" or "ransom" most of the time it appears in the Old Testament. Why might this be so? It looks like God is offering sacrificial redemption as one of the highest evidences of close kinship-- almost a litmus test or synonym for close kinship, and certainly a picture of Jesus. In the commandments of Lev 25:24-38, God uses "ga-al" to describe redemption on behalf of an impoverished relative who has sold his family plot. As in the redemption of the firstborn, a price had to be paid so that the property would revert to its original owner-- but here that price is paid by a compassionate "Kinsman-Redeemer" rather than by the debtor himself. Consider also that the land in question was intended as an everlasting family heritage in the Land of Promise, allotted by God in perpetuity as a place of occupancy, a means of income, a provision for future generations, a permanent place within the nation, and a channel for God's blessing in the form of crops and livestock (Gen 13:15, Lev 25:23, Dt 4:40). Selling it, then, signaled a desperate level of debt that was beyond repayment, making "ga-al"-redemption a life-changing gift of compassion and hope-- and making the "ga-al" himself a selfless savior beyond repayment. Here, then, are some additional concepts to apply to the Gospel of Jesus: "insurmountable debt", "a compassionate kinsman paying that debt for us," and "restoration to an eternal inheritance".
Redemption of a hired servant. The picture becomes richer still when the item being redeemed is the impoverished relative himself. Consider the Israelite who, having previously sold his possessions and his inheritance, has now sold his very body and self into service (Lev 25:39-55). In this case, the act of redemption by the Kinsman-Redeemer results in both the freedom of the impoverished relative and restoration to his inheritance. It is not insignificant in this picture that poverty in Israel was a consequence and sign of sin (Dt 11:8-17, 28:1-19), hence the law of redemption was a sign of God's unmerited grace and willingness to forgive and restore. God has now added "grace", "liberation" and "restoration" to the picture of redemption.
Redemption of Naomi and Ruth. The next step comes in the account of Ruth, where Boaz performs the role of the Kinsman-Redeemer. Naomi and Ruth had returned to the Land of Promise widowed and impoverished-- destitute of property, inheritance, provision and offspring (Ruth 1:1-18). Their situation looked so bleak that Naomi renamed herself "Bitter" instead of "Pleasant" (Ruth 1:19-22). Happily, God arranged that Ruth should attract the attention of Boaz, a near relative of Naomi's (Ruth 2:1-23). The end is that Boaz redeemed both Naomi and her inheritance-- purchasing Ruth as his wife in the act (Ruth 4:1-13). Through this act of "ga-al"-redemption, Ruth gained protection, provision, fellowship, and fruitfulness-- and she became a full partaker and citizen in God's chosen nation rather than an alien. By way of contrast, notice the near relative who declined the right of redemption in Ruth 4:1-8, and compare him to the man described in Dt 25:5-10-- although he is a nearer kinsman than Boaz, his self-interest prevents him from acting the part, and he garners God's contempt. In contrast, acting as "Ga-al" is the very character and desire of God-- He is willing to act selflessly according to our need (Isa 63:7-9). The image of the Gospel of Jesus becomes clearer and clearer!
Other References to Redemption. Besides these specific references, God scattered the concept of redemption throughout the Old Testament. Jacob credited God with "ga-al"-ing him from evil (Gen 48:15-16). God promised to "ga-al" the Israelites from their slavery in Egypt (Ex 6:6), and they praised Him for doing so (Ex 15:13, Ps 106:10). "Ga-al" is used to describe buying back people or items that have been vowed to the Lord's service (Lev 27). Job expressed faith in his "Ga-al" to rescue him from his trouble (Job 19:25). The Psalmist pictured Solomon as one who would act in "ga-al" toward those who were oppressed through deceit and violence (Ps 72:12-14). God revealed a future, joyous state in which His redeemed people would be "ga-aled" from bondage to the Babylonians (Is 48:20, Mic 4:10), a yet more future state when they would be "ga-aled" from exile throughout the nations (Is 49:7, 51:10-11, 60:15-16, 62:12) and an even more future state when they would be "ga-aled" from all sin and danger (Is 35:8-10, 52:1-3, Jer 31:10-14, Hos 13:14). God encouraged Israel that their Ga-al was holding their hand and helping them (Is 41:13-14, 43:1-6, 44:6-8, 44:24-28, 48:17, 63:8-9). Throughout these references, God shapes the picture of Redemption so that it naturally describes the grace-based salvation provided by Jesus.
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Jesus Fulfills the Picture of the Kinsman-Redeemer. The ultimate owner of everything is God-- heaven and earth are His, as are all souls (Ps 24:1, Ez 18:4, Ex 19:5-6, 1Cor 6:19-20). But He describes our sinful state as being "sold to sin" (Rom 7:14); that is, we are slaves of sin and depravity (Jn 8:33-35, 2Ptr 2:19), in bondage to corruption and fear of death (Rom 8:20-21, Heb 2:15). Can we redeem ourselves from this bondage (Mt 5:25-26)? No. God ascribes a high value to the human soul-- too high for us to buy ourselves, too permanent to be paid for with perishable gold or silver, too important to trade for the wealth of the whole world (Ps 49:5-9, 1Ptr 1:18-19, Mat 16:26). We are helpless and powerless to help ourselves-- but in the picture of redemption, God has given us hope that Someone Else can act on our behalf (Jn 8:36, Rom 5:8).
Who is this Redeemer that will act on our behalf, and what is the price of our redemption? Nowhere in the Old Testament is He described more vividly than in Isaiah 52-54. The description begins with what sounds like the temporal redemption of Israel from the nations (Isa 52:3, 7-9), but it ends in the terms of an eternal marriage covenant (Isa 54:10). It is accomplished when God bares His own arm (Isa 52:9-12), an act that involves a servant of marred appearance (v 13-14). In fact, the "arm of the Lord" is that suffering servant (Isa 53:1): the one who is despised and rejected by men (vv 2-5), upon whom God lays the iniquity of all men (v 6), who is led like a lamb to slaughter (v 7), who pours out His life and soul as an offering for sin (vv 8-10), but who is exalted, joyful and victorious even after making his grave with the wicked (vv 10-12). The redemption purchased by this suffering servant is like the redemption of Ruth, ending in a joyful, fruitful and eternal marriage covenant (Is 54:1-10). We need only put a name on this servant to make the story explicit, so let's turn to Jesus!
Although New Testament Greek lacks the exact equivalents of the Hebrew words above, there are two Greek words that express the concept of redemption: "exagorazo" ("bought", or "taken out of the marketplace"; as in Gal 3:13) and "lytroo" ("ransomed" or "liberated at a price"; as in Lk 1:68, Lk 24:21). Using these words, we can apply the picture drawn above to Jesus. Our souls and selves are the item that is bought and sold (1Cor 6:20). God is our father-- our close kinsman-- by creation (Mal 2:10, Eph 4:6); He defines our value and chooses to pay the price for our purchase (Gal 4:4-7). Jesus' lifeblood is that price; He took on flesh and blood for the express purpose of becoming our brother (also a close kinsman), and He offered that body and blood as an expenditure and a substitute (Heb 2:11-17, Acts 3:22-26, 7:37, 1Ptr 1:18-19, Tit 2:13-14, 1Ti 2:5-6; see study of Blood). Praise God, we are purchased out of slavery and given the adoption of sons through that act of redemption (Gal 4:5-7, Rom 8:23)! In fact, we gain even greater intimacy than sons-- we become the very bride of Christ (Eph 5:25-30).
Although the Old Testament picture gives us great insight into the redemption of our souls through Jesus' sacrifice, it is limited by temporal words and imagery. Happily, the reality to which it points doesn't have those limitations! For example, in the earthly picture, the sacrificial lamb used to redeem the firstborn was consumed forever; in contrast, Jesus overcame death and lives forever (Is 53:7-12, Heb 10:8-14, Heb 7:25). In the earthly picture, the money or the lamb had no will about participating in the redemption, whereas Jesus willingly chose to give Himself (Gal 1:4, 2:20, Jn 10:17-18). In the earthly picture, the purchaser and the price were two different things, whereas Jesus acts as both purchaser and price (Tit 2:14, 1Ti 2:5-6). In the earthly picture, the state of bondage or disenfranchisement could be repeated every 7 years, whereas the inheritance and freedom purchased by Jesus is eternal (Heb 5:9, 9:12). No wonder Heaven is filled with praise for Jesus and His act of redemption (Rev 5:9-14)!
But there is an interesting postscript to this picture that includes a solemn warning to us....
The Avenger of Blood. A surprising aspect of the Old Testament word "ga-al" is that it encompasses the repayment of intentional violence as well as debt. Under the Law of Moses, God set forth the principle that crimes were to be repaid in kind-- "eye for eye"-- so that those who hear should fear and be deterred from committing them ( Lev 24:19-21, Dt 19:18-21, Ex 21:23-25). This "payback time" was a duty of a near relative of the victim-- hence, it was an act of "ga-al" (Num 35:19). When used in this sense of pursuing and paying back a violent offender, it was usually translated "avenger" (e.g. Num 35:10-28; Dt 19:3-13, Jsh 20); if no seeking or violence was required, it could be simply translated "kinsman" or "relative" (e.g. Num 5:6-8).
God acts in "ga-al" when He avenges crimes against His sons. "It is mine to avenge; I will repay", He promises (Dt 32:35-43, Isa 59:18, 63:1-6). This can give us great peace and patience when facing the sinful actions of others (Rom 12:19). But, on the other hand, it can also give us great cause for fear if we willfully sin against others. Consider the implications of God acting as the Avenger of Blood on behalf of His people (Is 49:26; Jer 50, esp v34). Worse still, consider facing God as the Avenger on behalf of His beloved Son! If we reject Jesus and trivialize His blood, we are participants in His crucifixion and are subject to the full vengeance of Almighty God (Heb 2:1-3, Heb 10:28-31)!
Our Response and Emulation. In the picture of Redemption, then, we have both a strong incentive to embrace Jesus, and a strong motivation to avoid His vengeance. How should we respond?
Firstly, of course, we should embrace Him, allowing His purchase to change our ownership (Ps 2:19)! Acknowledge that Jesus paid a high price for our purchase by glorifying God with our actions, our speech and our thoughts (1Cor 6:20, Ps 19:14). Allow God to define our identity and service, not men (1Cor 7:22-23). Rejoice and bless God that He counted us valuable enough to purchase (Ps 107:1-2, 103:2-5, Is 44:23), and pray to Him as though that were the case (Rom 8:32, Ps 119:154, Is 63:15-16, Ps 77:14-15, Ps 74:2, 78:34-35, Is 43:1-4, Lam 3:55-59). Don't be afraid of what man can do, knowing that our Ga-al is mighty to defend us (Is 43:11-14). At the same time, be afraid to oppress others, because THEIR Ga-al will defend them (Pr 23:10-11). If we have sinned against the Ga-al who loves and redeems us, return to Him (Is 44:21-22).
We can make the picture of a "Kinsman-Redeemer" more tangible to a watching world by being the kind of kinsman that cares enough to be sacrificially involved in the needs of his family and Christian brothers (2Cor 8:7-9, Php 2:3-4, 4:10-19, 1Ti 5:8, Gal 6:10, Rom 12:10-13). If we can grasp the scope of our sin and the magnitude of our redemption, these acts of giving are amongst the highest ways we can praise and thank our own Redeemer.
Go to study of Blood.
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