2002-01-01
Good Morning Faithful Ones,
Any discussion of the concept of the kinsman-redeemer needs to begin with the basics of the ancient laws of Judaism handed down on this subject. Yesterday, I cited LV 25: 47-55 and ask your patience here reiterating this important passage as it relates to the Year of Restoration. We must understand that the land that God set aside for Israel is hers by divine right. This is the basis for many of the laws and practices, which were designed to see to it that this land remained in Jewish hands. It is also the reason why I personally think God is very upset at the specious Islamic claims on that land, particularly the Temple Mount area, just because their prophet Mohammed was supposed to have stepped up to heaven (according to their writings) from the rock housed within the Dome of the Rock. God gave the land to Israel 3000 years ago, and the Muslim claim dates back to 691 AD. It must be remembered that this is the same rock upon which Abraham was willing to obey God and sacrifice his son of the promise, Isaac [GN 22: 1-19]. IS 31: 4-5 makes God’s will here very clear. “The Lord said to me [Isaiah], ‘No matter how shepherds yell and shout, they cannot scare away a lion from an animal that it has killed; in the same way, there is nothing that can keep Me, the Lord Almighty, from protecting Mount Zion. Just as a bird hovers over its nest to protect its young, so I, the Lord Almighty, will protect Jerusalem and defend it.” God’s dictates on the Year of Restoration, discussed in LV 25: 8-17 make it clear that there is to be a way that land lost by an Israelite family in Israel will be returned to that family, during a period which happens every seven years.
Now, let’s take a closer look at LV 25: 47-55. In (47-49) we learn that if adversity leads an Israelite to become a slave to a foreigner or a member of the foreigner’s family, the slave still has the right to be bought back, or if he earns enough, to buy his own freedom. In (50-52), we see that the redemption price is calculated based on the wages that would be paid a hired man until the next Year of Restoration and a refund of part of the original purchase price for that Jewish slave. Verses 53-55 state that his master must not treat the Jewish slave harshly. If he is not set free beforehand in the way mentioned above, then he must be set free on the next Year of Restoration. And Israelite cannot be a permanent slave, because he is already a slave of God. The redeemer who was to buy him back had to be a blood relative of the one sold in slavery.
At this juncture we must ask: What can we learn that applies to us today from the law of the kinsman-redeemer? Since slavery is no longer practiced in the western countries, we might wonder how this fits our lives. However, it is not in the physical sense that it does. Instead, it is in the spiritual sense, giving us another example of how OT practices foreshadow NT truths. JN 8: 34-36, “Jesus said to them, ‘I am telling you the truth: everyone who sins is a slave of sin. A slave does not belong to a family permanently, but a son belongs there forever. If the Son sets you free, then you will be really free.” In other words, when the original sin occurred, Satan took control of the souls of mankind in a way that his evil would spread to all men. However, with Christ’s death on the cross and mankind’s willingness to repent and come to faith in Him, Satan loses control. Instead, it is yielded up to Christ, Who is perfect and always-righteous. Christ has paid the price of redemption, and the soul of the believer is no longer under Satan’s domination. RO 6: 11, “In the same way you are to think of yourselves as dead, so far as sin is concerned, but living in fellowship with God through Christ Jesus.”
Can we pay this redemption price for ourselves? Absolutely not! Now, that may surprise some people in view of the fact that the ancient Jewish slave sometimes was able to earn enough money to redeem himself. However, spiritual redemption could only be paid by Christ’s Atonement. That was the only redemption price acceptable as full payment by God. It was a once-for-all everlasting payment [HE 10: 10; RO 3: 24-25] made possible by God’s grace and God’s grace alone. That is why we must question belief systems that teach that we can earn our way to salvation by some religious rite or the doing of good deeds. Rites like circumcision or baptism are outward symbols of inward transformations that were carried out by God, not sources of salvation in and of themselves. Good deeds are natural outgrowths of that inward transformation, but they too are not sources of salvation. Only God is. Praise God that those who believe no longer have no choice but to sin!
PRAYER: O Lord, through the death of Your Son on the cross, You have allowed the redemption price to be paid in full for our slavery to sin’s domination. While we can still sin, we now have the choice not to sin. This is one of the many gifts You give us out of Your grace, and we are grateful for it. The Psalmist in PS 111: 1-10 best expresses the contents of our hearts today. “Praise the Lord! With all my heart I will thank the Lord in the assembly of His people. How wonderful are the things the Lord does! All who are delighted with them want to understand them. All He does is full of honor and majesty; His righteousness is eternal. The Lord does not let us forget His wonderful actions; He is kind and merciful. He provides food for those who have reverence for Him; He never forgets His covenant. he has show His power to His people by giving them the lands of foreigners. In all He does He is faithful and just; all His commands are dependable. They last for all time; they were given in truth and righteousness. He set His people free and made an eternal covenant with them. Holy and mighty is He! the way to become wise is to have reverence for the Lord; He gives sound judgment to all who obey His commands. He is to be praised forever.” Despite our being so undeserving, You loved us enough to sacrifice Your Son, give us the gift of the Holy Spirit, and honor us by inviting us to join You in Your work. No ordinary human words are sufficient to express the thanksgiving we offer You and praise we have for You, Dearest Abba. Today, we confess our sins with the hope of expunging them, present ourselves to You with emptied spiritual vessels, and plead with You to fill them with the Holy Spirit, so we can faithfully carry out Your commands in a way which pleases You. You have our worship, adoration, loyalty, diligence, honor, glory, trust, and obedience pledged. In Christ’s name, amen.
The basis of many of the laws of ancient Israel was to keep land in Jewish hands. Tomorrow, I am led to write about another law regarding the care of widows and orphans that will allow us to see another aspect to the concept of a kinsman-redeemer. When we understand this law, we will see more of the basis for being able to assert with confidence that God is consistent and a Keeper of His promises. The better we know the God Who created us, the better we know what real love really is. Learning about Him is a wonderful spiritual journey with some adventure along the way. Come aboard with me, so we can take this ride together. I know none of us will regret it. Peter and I send you our love too.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn