From today and for a couple of days onwards we’re going to embark on a fascinating journey into the true Biblical meaning of the so-called Kinsman Redeemer.
It’s especially important we get this knowledge in our heads before we begin Ruth Chapter 3…
Because moving forward, the concept and principles of the Kinsmen Redeemer are gonna play a HUGE role in the story of Ruth…
Plus, if we want to understand Yeshua’s role as our Kinsman Redeemer, there’s no way we can skip this information.
So let’s get the ball rolling.
First off, the Hebrew word that most English Bibles translate into Kinsman Redeemer is GO’EL or GA’AL or גואל.
Now this may surprise you but that’s incorrect.
GA’AL or GO’EL simply means a near relative who is obligated to perform a set of designated duties for his clan or tribe…
And serving as a Kinsman Redeemer is ONLY ONE OF THOSE DUTIES!
An easy way to think about this is to think of the term “Father” for instance.
Being a father is actually an umbrella term that covers a multitude of meanings.
It can mean the sole breadwinner of his family…
It can be a role model who teaches his children how to behave in society as they get older…
It can be a family’s physical protector should a criminal attempt to break into his home and so on.
So a more accurate to phrase things would be to say:
Serving as a Kinsman Redeemer was only ONE of many roles that a GO’EL or near relative was required to perform.
The takeaway for today is this.
When we think about Yeshua as our Kinsman Redeemer, remember that’s only one of his many roles.
A lot of folks like to box Yeshua into only one type of role…
Like some people like to think of him as only a meek servant who kissed babies and would never hurt a fly…
But they ignore the fact that when he returns he’s coming back as an avenging warrior who’s going to cause a river of blood to flow the likes of which have never been seen before.
The same goes for our Father in heaven.
A lot of folks have a tendency to focus only on the lovey dovey maple syrupy aspects of God’s character while conveniently overlooking the more unsavory aspects of His character such as His righteous anger and justice.
Remember, this same God of love is also the same God who destroyed the entire world population save for Noah and his family.
You either accept ALL the attributes and characteristics of God lest you be accused of creating Him in your own image…
And that’s flirting with idolatry my friend.
Leave a Reply