From: Jim Faires
To: heb_roots_chr@geocities.com
Subject: THE KINSMAN REDEEMER Lev. 25:48-49
THE KINSMAN REDEEMER
(Lev.
25:48-49)
Verse 47-49 says, "And if a sojourner or stranger wax rich by thee, and thy
brother that dwelleth by him wax poor, and sell himself unto the stranger
or sojourner by thee, or to the stock of the stranger's family: After that
he is sold he may be redeemed again; one of his brethren may redeem him:
Either his uncle, or his uncle's son, may redeem him, or any that is nigh
of kin unto him of his family may redeem him; or if he be able, he may
redeem himself."
The Old Testament is full of pictures of salvation. One of the most
thrilling pictures is that of the kinsman redeemer. It all pictures Jesus
as our Kinsman who became one of us that He might redeem us and set us free
from bondage. In order to get this truth before us I want us to notice
three things about the work of the kinsman redeemer. First, let's notice . . .
THE KINSMAN REDEEMER COULD REDEEM FROM BONDAGE
This is brought out in our text. It was possible for a brother to become
poor and sell himself to one of another race. The word "stranger" means
"foreigner." This is a powerful picture of Adam selling himself and his
descendents to Satan and becoming a slave to him.
When this happened, God made provision for his redemption. Verse 48 says,
"After that he is sold he may be redeemed again . . . " This is
"after" the
fact. This verse also states a possibility in the words, "he may be
redeemed." God has made it possible for the redemption of mankind. The
words "redeemed again" speak of getting something back that has been lost.
Note the following:
1. He may be redeemed by one of his brethren; vs 48. "One of his
brethren may redeem him." Verse 49 goes on to explain. After the Scripture
names those who might possibly redeem him, it is understood that the one
redeeming must be able. This is graphically illustrated in the Book of
Ruth. Ruth was widowed by the death of her husband and had no son to carry
on his name. The book of Ruth illustrates the truth of the kinsman redeemer
when Boaz, a near kinsman, marries her and raises up a son to carry on the
family name. King David and ultimately Jesus our Saviour come as a result
of the marriage of Boaz and Ruth.
2. He may redeem himself; vs 49. The Scripture says, "
. . . or if he
be able, he may redeem himself." The way is cleared by the Word of God from
the man to redeem himself with the qualifying words, "IF HE BE ABLE."
Jesus is the one pictured in this truth of the kinsman redeemer. Note the
following about Jesus:
The virgin birth qualifies Jesus as A KINSMAN.
Hebrews 2:16-17
says, "For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on
him the seed of Abraham. Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made
like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high
priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of
the people." He was made "like unto his brethren." He was truly man without
a sinful body. Romans 5:12 says, "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into
the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all
have sinned:" The word "passed" translates "dierchomai" and
means, "to go
through, pass through." This means that Adam's children inherited death
from him. There is no death without sin. So the cause of death was also
inherited, i.e., man's old sin nature. If a man has an earthly father, he
is a sinner by nature as well as by choice. He is born headed for the
grave. Death is as certain as sin. There are those who have claimed sinless
perfection. If you'll just keep reading the obituary, they will show up in
it. You can count on it.
When Jesus was born, His birth was different.
When you begin
reading in Matthew chapter one you read that "so and so" begat "so and
so"
until you come to verse 18 and there is a definite change. It says, "Now
the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was
espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of
the Holy Ghost." Chapter one explains how the conception of Christ took
place. It was not in the normal way. He had no earthly father and therefore
was not a sinner by nature. He became a man to qualify Himself as the
eternal Son to be man's Kinsman Redeemer.
Not only was He our kinsman, which qualified
Him in that way, HE
WAS ABLE. Hebrews 7:25 says, "Wherefore he is able also to save them to
the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make
intercession for them." The word "able" translates "dunamai" and
means, "to
be able, to have power by virtue of one's own ability and resources." Jesus
is the STRONG SON OF GOD. He is able to redeem. This is vividly brought out
in Revelation 5:1-7. Jesus is pictured there as the Kinsman Redeemer who
had prevailed to take and open the book which is the title deed of man's
redemption. At least this is what the scholars say, and I agree with them.
John cries in this passage of Scripture because at first there appeared no
one able to take the book and to open the seals thereof. Study this passage
carefully and remember that you have to go through chapter five of The
Revelation to get to chapters 21 and 22. There has to be a kinsman redeemer
for us to get back what Adam lost. Next . . .
THE KINSMAN REDEEMER COULD REDEEM FROM POVERTY
This truth is brought out in Leviticus 25:25-28: "If thy brother be waxen
poor, and hath sold away some of his possession, and if any of his kin come
to redeem it, then shall he redeem that which his brother sold. And if the
man have none to redeem it, and himself be able to redeem it; Then let him
count the years of the sale thereof, and restore the overplus unto the man
to whom he sold it; that he may return unto his possession. But if he be
not able to restore it to him, then that which is sold shall remain in the
hand of him that hath bought it until the year of jubilee: and in the
jubilee it shall go out, and he shall return unto his possession."
In these verses we find the law of the kinsman redeemer relative to
poverty. I won't go into all that is said in this passage. The thing I want
us to look at is that this has to do with possessions. When Adam sinned in
the Garden of Eden he not only became a sinner that needed redemption, he
lost his possessions. He was created to be the ruler of this world. Genesis
1:26 says, "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness:
and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of
the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every
creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth." I'll let you go on and read
the rest of the verses in this chapter. Man was created to rule. He is not
only lost himself but he lost his headship. Satan, through the fall, has
become the "prince of the power of the air" (Eph. 2:2) and the "god of this
world" (2 Cor. 4:3-4). Jesus does not only purchase us out of the slave
market of sin, He buys back our possessions.
1 Peter 1:3-5 says, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a
lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an
inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away,
reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith
unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time." Redemption involves
restored possessions.
We are poor lost sinners until Jesus comes into our lives. Man by nature
thinks he is something. He is less than nothing. Let him attempt to redeem
himself and he will find out how poor he really is. You say, "Why do these
passages of Scripture that you are using give man the opportunity to redeem
himself and his possessions, if he is able, if there is not a possibility?"
Some men will not take God at his Word. They have to try it for themselves.
I have heard many a man testify to the saving grace of God where they said,
"I thought I was saved for years because I was living a life as good as
those around me. When I saw the truth that God says, all are sinners and
must be born again' it finally dawned on me that no matter how good I was,
I was still a poor lost sinner and needed the mercy of God." If anyone
reads these lines and you say, "Preacher, I don't believe what you are
saying. I am a good man and I believe I am good enough to go to heaven." I
want to challenge you to do one thing. I want to test your heart. I want
you to get on your knees and in your heart of hearts go to God in prayer
and pray this prayer, "God, I don't need your Son, Jesus Christ, I am good
enough without Him, I do not believe He is necessary. I am good enough like
I am. GOD GIVE ME WHAT I HAVE COMING TO ME." Listen, we need mercy and not
what we have coming to us. I prayed and still do, "God be merciful to me a
sinner."
Jesus came to redeem the poor. Not only did He come to redeem man because
of his slavery to sin, and redeem him, because in his poverty he lost his
inheritance, but as our near Kinsman . . .
THE KINSMAN REDEEMER COULD REDEEM FROM DEATH
Deut. 15:5-6 says, "If brethren dwell together, and one of them die, and
have no child, the wife of the dead shall not marry without unto a
stranger: her husband's brother shall go in unto her, and take her to him
to wife, and perform the duty of an husband's brother unto her. And it
shall be, that the firstborn which she beareth shall succeed in the name of
his brother which is dead, that his name be not put out of Israel."
God gave the land to the Jews when He brought them out of Egypt into
Canaan. Each family was given a portion of the land. This land could not be
sold permanently. If a man sold his land, it had to come back to him in the
year of Jubilee. It was a possession of his forever. What if a man died and
he had no son to inherit his land? Our passage is God's remedy for a
situation like this. If you will compare the above verses to the Book of
Ruth you will have the perfect illustration. This is not buying back the
land, this is raising up a seed to take the place of the DEAD. Man by
nature is spiritually dead (Eph. 2:1; Rom. 5:12). Jesus came to raise up a
seed for ADAM'S race (us) and this is what He did when He died and was
raised again in the resurrection.
We are born again spiritually and the new man in Christ will be restored to
the restored land (Heaven and all that goes with it). 1 Peter 1:23 says,
"Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the
word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever."
Jesus came as our Kinsman Redeemer. As our Kinsman Redeemer He redeems us from
the slave market of sin, He redeems us from the poverty sin brought, and He
redeems us out of death: John 5:24 says, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He
that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath
everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from
death unto life." I have a spiritual life in the present tense. Notice the
phrase "hath everlasting life." That everlasting life is life back from the
dead. That is where the unsaved man is. He is dead in trespasses and sins.
Thank the Lord we have a Kinsman Redeemer who came and has redeemed us to
God by His blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation
(Rev. 5:9).
Jesus is our Kinsman Redeemer. May the Lord bless these words to our
hearts.
In Christ,
Bro. Earl White
**********************************************************************
To educate, train and equip for study both the Jew and
Non-Jew in the Rich Hebraic Heritage of our Faith.
Please visit the Hebraic Roots Global Network
Web Site located at:
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HEBRAIC
ROOTS SEMINAR
Hebraic Heritage Ministries is having a Hebraic roots seminar in
Houston, Texas, September 11-13, 1998. For more info, see the
Website:
http://www.hebroots.org/houston.html
Eddie Chumney
Hebraic Heritage Ministries Int'l