So we’re trucking right along examining the many facets of the GO’EL or Kinsman Redeemer.
So the next attribute of a GO’EL is one that’s a bit terrifying to say the least.
I’m talking about the duty of the next of kin to avenge the blood of a family member who was slain by an outsider.
For instance, when Yeshua returns as the conquering warrior, that’s the role he’ll be fulfilling.
And again, he’s coming back on behalf of his kinsmen which by definition is only Israel…
NOT some gentile church that purports to have replaced Israel and worships some fictional character named “Jesus” who has done away with the Law.
In Hebrew, the term for “Blood Avenger” is GO’EL HADDAM.
And actually, this concept is widely practiced in the Muslim world.
We just don’t often hear about it.
Ever hear in the news about some husband cutting off the head of his wife for sexual unfaithfulness?
Or a father hunting down and killing another man because he had sex with his virgin daughter (in many cases the daughter is also killed)?
Well, those are all forms of blood vengeance.
Family or blood vengeance was also present in the Scriptures as well.
Recall in the book of Genesis when Jacob’s two sons slaughtered a whole city of men as retribution for the rape of their sister Dinah.
I know it’s practically non-existent in the western world.
But you should be aware there are many Muslim communities all around the world who intend to continue the practice of family vengeance as a non-negotiable religious principle they have every intention of holding onto.
Having said that, the Biblical Torah system of blood vengeance is a bit different.
The Hebrew system is based on the idea of the sacredness of human life…
In other words, the only way to pay for a life taken was to take the life of the murderer…
None of this life sentence in a prison nonsense.
Or God forbid, allowing the killer to go free by paying bail.
In ancient societies and even in Islam today, it’s sometimes allowed for a murderer to pay blood-money (or have someone pay it on his behalf) instead of him being executed.
This is forbidden in Torah.
If you commit a murder, you DIE.
There are to be no exceptions to this in God’s Kingdom.
There’s actually a valid spiritual reason behind this.
And we actually find it early in the Torah.
Check out these verses from the Book of Genesis about how God responded to Cain when he murdered his brother Abel
“He said, ‘What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying out to me from the ground! Now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood at your hands. When you farm the ground it will no longer yield its strength to you. You will be a fugitive, wandering the earth.’”-Genesis 4:10-12
We can see here that in God’s universe, when blood is spilled unjustly, it brings a curse upon the land.
And the only way to atone for or purify the land that has been polluted by the unjust spilling of blood is to spill the blood of the killer.
And to be clear, when I say “spill the blood of the killer”, I don’t mean just sprinkling a couple drops of his blood on the ground or something.
I mean his life must be taken.
Completely eradicated from the planet man!
That’s the only acceptable form of justice the Lord will accept in the case of murder.
Since the Cain and Abel incident occurred before Sinai, we can see it is a foundational God principle.
But later, it was made a part of God’s Law.
Here’s the reference:
“Also, you are not to accept a ransom in lieu of the life of a murderer condemned to death; rather, he must be put to death.”-Numbers 35:31
Alrighty, let’s bring this to a close.
The GO’EL HADDAM was not only the legal representative of the earthly family or clan he was a part of…
He was also the legal authority who represented God Himself when he carried out his vengeance.
Kind of gives new meaning to Yeshua’s words when he said “I and my Father are one and the same”, doesn’t it?
So when Yeshua comes back, he will be representing Israel (and ONLY Israel) when he takes vengeance on all those gentile nations who persecuted his Jewish brethren…
And and at that same time, he will be representing His Father in heaven when he fulfills his role as the Blood Avenger.
I imagine he will have a special measure of vengeance towards those religious institutions who persecuted his Jewish brothers and sisters in his name.
CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
“And then will I
declare to them,
‘I never knew you;
depart from me,
you workers of lawlessness.’”
-Matthew 7:23
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