Ruth 2:20 “The Lord bless him!’ Naomi said to her daughter-in law. ‘He has not stopped showing his kindness to the living and the dead.’ She added, ‘That man is our close relative; he is one of our kinsman-redeemers.”
The kinsman-redeemer law is a unique and beautiful law, and paints a wonderful picture of our relationship to Christ. In Jewish culture, all property was divided up and given to families, or clans. The property was intended to stay in the family. If a person was unable to pay his bills, or unable to tend to his land, he could sell the land, or he could sell himself into slavery. But every fifty years came the Year of Jubilee, when every mortgage was cancelled, and every Jewish slave was set free. So, at the Year of Jubilee, all land was returned to its original owner, and every slave was free to return to his family.
If, during those fifty years, a close relative wanted to buy back the land, or buy out the slave’s contract, he could. So, if a rich uncle decided he wanted to restore his nephew’s land to him, or a wealthy cousin decided he wanted to buy out his cousin’s contract and set him free, then that close relative had the right to do so. He also needed to be willing and able to take responsibility for any and all debt.
Basically, a kinsman-redeemer was a close relative who came to the rescue of someone who could not rescue himself. Jesus is our kinsman-redeemer! God is our Father, and Jesus is our brother. As our close relative, Jesus has the right to come to our rescue. He alone has the ability to pay the debt we owe for our sin, for He is the spotless lamb. And He stepped up to the plate, and was willing to pay that price for us, with His very life.
Let’s just face it. We were in a hopeless situation. We are all sinners, and God doesn’t allow sinners to enter His presence. We had to pay the debt for our sin, and be cleared. But we couldn’t do that, could we? For the wages of sin is death – the only way we could pay for our sin is to die! Sounds pretty hopeless. But Jesus, our kinsman-redeemer, rode up on His white horse, and saved us! He said, “I’ll do it. I’ll die for (your name).” And He did.
And then, the most amazing thing happened! He conquered death itself, and rose again! Now, if you or I had died for our own sins, we would not have conquered death. We would have experienced eternal death. But because of Jesus, who redeemed us, we have eternal life! He redeemed us, my friend, and He holds out a redemption receipt to each of us, as a gift. All we have to do is take it. Have you accepted that gift? If so, praise God! If not, what is holding you back?
If you wish to accept Jesus’ gift, all You have to do is tell Him! You can use the prayer below as a guide:
Dear Jesus, Thank You for paying the price I couldn’t pay for my sin. I accept Your gift to me, and I want to live the rest of my life as a “thank you” to You.
Amen
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