The Kinsman-Redeemer

I've been itching to get a post about Psalm 103 up for what seems like forever. And I just kept finding other things to write about instead. So I finally decided to get it done, and as I started looking into the verses I wanted to expound on, I saw something even better than what I originally intended to write about.

But, I just can't leave these verses alone, so humor me and read through these few verses just to appreciate their beauty and richness. Then keep reading and I'll show you something that I thought was "cool" (as one of my children is fond of saying lately.)

Psalm 103:2-5

"Praise the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits--
who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,
who redeems you life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's."

(Be sure to note the secret to eternal youth there in that last line. And here you were thinking it lay in Botox and plastic surgery!)

This is the part that knocked me over. I started looking at the original Hebrew language in these verses, and the word for redeems held a treasure trove of layered meaning. The word is gaal and here is the definition for it according to Strongs Hebrew and Greek Dictionary: A primitive root, to redeem (according to the Oriental law of kinship,) that is, to be the next of kin (and as such to buy back a relative's property...)

There are other Hebrew words throughout the Old Testament that are translated as redeems, redeemed, or redeemer, but this particular word gaal has a specific meaning that proves to be prophetic. How? Well, let me show you. To get a full sense of what I mean, we need to take a quick look back at some of the Levitical law that God handed down to the Jews through Moses. I know that the Levitical law makes many people hit the snooze button and roll over, but bear with me here, I think you will like this!

We see an example of this kinsman-redeemer principal in Leviticus 25:25,

"If one of your countrymen becomes poor and sells some of his property, his nearest relative is to come and redeem what his countryman has sold."

It is also one of the main plot points in the story of Ruth and Naomi. If you will remember, Boaz is the kinsman-redeemer who buys back a plot of land that Naomi has sold, and also acquires Ruth as his wife in the transaction. Part of the kinsmen-redeemer's responsibility was to marry the widow of a dead relative, and produce offspring through her, and those offspring would be considered the children of the dead relative. In that way, the dead relative's family line would still continue. That was extremely important to the Jews.

The basic idea of the kinsman-redeemer is that a brother, or the next closest male relative, would buy back, or pay the price required, for the relative to keep his inheritance. In that way, even if someone became poor or otherwise unable to keep his property, it would not be lost, because someone else would pay the required price. And not just any someone, but a close relative.

OK, got that? Now, check this out:

Romans 8: 16-17

"The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory."

So, applying the principal of the kinsman-redeemer, let's look at our own situation for a moment. Mankind was created without sin, we were meant to inherit a perfect, unblemished relationship to God. But through the sin of Adam, all of mankind lost this inheritance. We became in a sense, the poor relative who was unable to buy back what was lost-perfect fellowship with the Creator, God.

Now, if we believe what we are told there in Romans 8, we will see that Christians are called children of God, and joint heirs (siblings) of Christ. Do you see where I am going with this? Jesus is THE kinsman-redeemer who paid the price and bought back our inheritance! We couldn't provide a way for ourselves, so our brother paid the ultimate price-the sacrifice of himself on the cross-in order to give us back what was lost. Like I said earlier, now that is cool!

Looking back at Psalm 103 for a moment, David was prophesying when he said about God in verse 4, "who redeems (as the kinsman-redeemer) your life from the pit." The italics is mine. And David probably didn't even realize it! The Old Testament believers did not have a clear understanding of what exactly God's plan was to redeem their lives. We, who live after the events in the New Testament, can clearly see the foreshadowing of the kinsman-redeemer throughout the Old Testament.

But there is the hand of God, creating his living and active word, the Bible, down to the last minute detail in the specific word that David choose to call God the redeemer. Because, like I said, there are other Hebrew words that mean "redeem."

It's hard to imagine that I ever thought the Bible was boring. And you know, even that confusing and archaic seeming Levitical law has some foreshadowing of Christ in it. God is certainly a God of details.