Redeemed

Last week we looked at Leviticus 25:47-49 which says, “Suppose a foreigner or temporary resident becomes rich while living among you. If any of your fellow Israelites fall into poverty and are forced to sell themselves to such a foreigner or to a member of his family, they still retain the right to be bought back, even after they have been purchased. They may be bought back by a brother, an uncle, or a cousin. In fact, anyone from the extended family may buy them back. They may also redeem themselves if they have prospered.”

We also talked about the story of Naomi, Ruth and Boaz their kinsman redeemer. This week, we will now consider the scriptures that talk about Jesus as our kinsman Redeemer. Galatians 4:3-9 says, “…When we were juveniles we were enslaved under the hostile spirits of the world. But when the time of fulfillment had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman,  born under the law. Yet all of this was so that he would redeem and set free those held hostage to the law so that we would receive our freedom and a full legal adoption as his children.

And so that we would know that we are his true children,  God released the Spirit of Sonship into our hearts—moving us to cry out intimately, “My Father!  My true Father!”

Now we’re no longer living like slaves under the law, but we enjoy being God’s very own sons and daughters! And because we’re his, we can access everything our Father has—for we are heirs because of what God has done!

Before we knew God as our Father, we were unwitting servants to the powers that be, which are nothing compared to God. But now that we truly know him and are intimately known by him, why would we for a moment consider turning back to those weak and feeble principles of religion, as though we were still subject to them?”

The word “redeem” used in this verse is the Greek word “exagorazō” being Strong G1805 which means “to redeem by payment of a price to recover from the power of another, to ransom, to buy off”.

We were once slaves to the law and powers of the world. That is, in the garden we had power and authority given to us and we were to rule and reign on the earth. The snake (devil) came and usurped that power and authority from us and became like the rich foreigner living among us as described in Leviticus 25 and made us all his slaves. As slaves, we were powerless to save ourselves from the enemy and we could not pay for our own freedom. The only way out was if a brother, an uncle, a cousin or a member of our extended family could come and be our kinsman redeemer. But who could do that for us since we were all born into slavery to sin and the powers of this world?

Then came Jesus, who was born of a woman under the law so He could become one of us, a brother to us. At last there was one like us, but not a slave since His Father was God and not a human father.  For redemption to have its full effect not only did Jesus have to pay the price for us on the cross, Papa God adopted us as His children so Jesus could be a true kinsman Redeemer, see Romans 8:29.  He wasn’t some distant extended family member begrudgingly redeeming us because no one else could do it, He was our very own brother bringing us back home to the Father.

At last, we were bought back from slavery and now belong to God. Colossians 1:13-14 says, “He has rescued us completely from the tyrannical rule of darkness and has translated us into the kingdom realm of his beloved Son. For in the Son all our sins are cancelled and we have the release of redemption through his very blood.” We have been redeemed and we can rejoice in the freedom that Jesus’ blood purchased for us!

Love and blessings,

Melissa Tsingano.