2002-01-01
Good Morning Dear Ones,
From the citations we’ve been examining in the last two messages, it is clear that there is no way that we could have extricated ourselves from slavery to sin. We needed a Kinsman-Redeemer, Jesus Christ to do that. Because God loves us so much, He was willing to sacrifice His only begotten Son on the cross, so that any person who repented and came to faith could be saved and have eternal life [JN 3 :16]. Today the Holy Spirit directs me to write about a wonderful story from the Bible that demonstrates the principles behind the concept of a kinsman-redeemer and God’s love toward those who really can’t help themselves-in this case, widows and orphans.
As most of you know by now, Leviticus is the book in which many of the laws and practices of ancient Judaism are found. God, through Moses, laid down some specific rules to deal with the sustenance of widows and their protection. LV 19: 9-10, “When you harvest your fields do not cut the grain at the edge of the fields, and do not go back to cut the heads of the grain that were left. Do not go back through your vineyard to gather the grapes that were missed or to pick up the grapes that have fallen; leave them for poor people and foreigners. I am the Lord, your God.” Those poor people included widows who had no other means of support. In some versions, you will see these leftovers referred to as “corners and gleanings.” The same thing is repeated in LV 23: 22.
Our understanding of Jewish law, with which Christ was raised, is deepened in DT 25: 5-10 which deals with one’s duty to a dead brother. “If two brothers live on the same property and one of them dies, leaving no son, then his widow is not to be married to someone outside the family; it is the duty of the dead man’s brother to marry her. The first son that they have will be considered the son of the dead man, so that his family line will continue in Israel. But if the dead man’s brother does not want to marry her, she is to go before the town leaders and say, ‘My husband’s brother will not do his duty; he refuses to give his brother a descendant among the people of Israel.’ Then the town leaders are to summon him and speak to him. If he still refuses to marry her, his brother’s widow is to go up to him in the presence of the town leaders, take off one of his sandals, spit in his face, and say, ‘This is what happens to the many who refuses to give his brother a descendant.’ His family will be known in Israel as the family of the man who had his sandal pulled off.” Now, this may seem very harsh in today’s societal order, but refusing to comply with this rule might lead to the loss by Israel of land given to it by divine right. Nor, would the land remain in the family. The other consequence should the widow marry outside of the family is intermarriage with non-Jews, which was definitely frowned upon at that time. Should that have happened on a larger scale, it could have meant the dissolution of the Jewish nation itself, since it would introduce the sin God hates the most, idolatry. Should the widow not marry the brother, then she and any children she had would be subjected to having to subsist on corners and gleanings only. In those days, women weren’t paid for the work they did.
The story which best showcases the importance of the concept of kinsman-redeemer is that of Ruth in the Scriptures. We all know that Ruth, a Moabitess, was left a widow, as was her Jewish mother-in-law, Naomi. When Naomi told Ruth to go back to her family in Moab, Ruth refused, swearing her faith in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Her loyalty to her mother-in-law and to Him really touched God’s heart. We see this in what eventually happened to Ruth. Ruth began to collect food from the corners and gleanings of a field owned by a close relative of her deceased husband, a rich and influential man by the name of Boaz. Over a period of time, Boaz noticed Ruth and fell in love with her. It was at a meeting of the town leaders in RU 4: 1-12 that we see how Boaz eventually took the sandal of the man who would have had to marry Ruth and bought the right to marry his beloved along with the fields her dead husband had owned.
The significance of this event can’t be understated. The reason for that is the gift of God’s grace all of us received from Ruth’s magnificent faith and Boaz’s willingness to be her kinsman-redeemer. You see this gift can be understood from examining their genealogy. Ruth and Boaz married and then produced a son, Obed. Obed was the father of Jesse, and Jesse was the father of King David. You know the rest. Christ is a direct Descendant of King David. IS 11:1, “The royal line of David is like a tree that has been cut down; but just as new branches sprout from a stump, so a new King will arise from among David’s descendants.” RO 1: 3, “It is about His Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ; as to His humanity, He was born a Descendant of David according to the flesh…” Since Christ saved us with His death on the cross, He is our Kinsman-Redeemer. Hallelujah!
PRAYER: O Lord, when we look at the citations mentioned in today’s message, we see Your magnificent plan in action. You love us so much that You weren’t willing to let the serpent in the Garden of Eden prevail in his evil. Instead, You sacrificed Your only Son after allowing Him to suffer enough to take on the whole world’s sin on the cross. Once this task was accomplished, You honored Him and us by bringing Him from the world of the dead after three days up to be resurrected. To be sure we would believe and understand the significance of this mighty act of compassion toward Him and us, You saw to it that many human witnesses saw the resurrected Christ, before He ascended into heaven to sit at Your right hand [1 COR 15: 1-8]. Long ago You revealed to Your chosen ones [PS 110: 1] that You would put all His enemies as a footstool under His feet. Then, You sent the Holy Spirit to dwell within those of us who had come to faith in Christ, and He encouraged us to live holy lives and to bring others to where He could cause them to have faith too. Your Spirit joined the Son in being our Advocate in taking our prayers to You [RO 8: 26-27 and HE 8: 1-2]. Christ is truly our Kinsman-Redeemer, with human and divine qualities. He is set apart from us in that He never sinned, nor deserved Your condemnation. Your compassion for Him and us is so great that it was Your plan from the beginning that He should redeem us [COL 1: 19-20]. He is now honored in heaven and on earth (by all who believe). He has left us with the hope that we too will also be resurrected to eternal life with honor if we endure in obedient, trusting faith [RO 8: 29]. Dearest Abba, today we pledge You that faith and confess any sin we have. We thank You for the gift of His sacrifice and the Holy Spirit. We believe that Satan will be permanently defeated and feel honored in accepting Your invitation to join You in this work. In humility we offer You our adoration, worship, diligence, loyalty, trust, obedience, glory, honor, praise, and thanks. In Christ’s name, amen.
Tomorrow, I am led to discuss citations that reveal the picture of why Christ is our Redeemer. The details we learn from the Scriptures about God’s plan and how He implements it show us example after example of how much we are each loved by our Deity. It leads one to reflect on how much He deserves our praise, obedience, trust, and thanksgiving too. As we meditate on our own individual lives, our relationship with Him and how it can be improved, and on his magnificent attributes and deeds on our behalf, we can get a fuller picture of what a powerful and loving force for goodness God really is in them. Peter and I send you our love too.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn