Yesterday I finished by saying that the concept of the GO’EL or Kinsman Redeemer was a pre-Law Godly principle that developed before Sinai and way before the New Testament era.
So on what basis do I have to make this claim?
There are 2 reasons.
FIRST, in the Tanach or the Hebrew Bible, you will find the term GO-EL mentioned a whopping 33 times.
SECOND, the Israelites have always thought of their God as a GO’EL who saves them.
And not only that, they extended that idea to the Messiah.
That’s an important point.
The idea that the Messiah is a saving arm of YHVH isn’t some revolutionary New Testament concept…
God has always used human representatives to carry out His Will.
First there was Moses, and then Joshua, the prophets and so on.
Let’s examine this idea from a linguistic perspective.
The Hebrew root word for salvation is YASHA or יָשַׁע.
This word appears over 205 times in the “Old” Testament and is usually translated as “to save”.
For example, you can find it in the following verses:
“As for me,
I will call upon God,
And the LORD
shall save me.”
-Psalms 55:16
Interestingly, the literal meaning of the word YASHA is something most folks aren’t aware of.
It literally means to “to widen” or “make wide”.
The idea is that one has been cornered or is in a tight spot from which there seems to be no means of escape.
The sufferer cries out to God for help…
In response, God rescues the person in distress by “widening” or making a way of escape.
The splitting of the Red Sea is a perfect example of this.
The Israelites were trapped with the Egyptian army bearing down on them.
They had no conceivable means of escape.
Yet in the nick of time, the Lord split the body of water in front of them and then WIDENED it so the Israelites could pass through unharmed.
Also take a look at this verse from Psalm 118.
“When hard pressed,
I cried to the Lord;
he brought me
into a spacious place.”
-Psalm 118:5
So we can this widening concept being fleshed out even more here.
The one who God has rescued is now said to be in a “wide” or “spacious” place.
What’s even more awesome is in the same Psalm 118, we have the Hebrew word RINNAH being paired with the word YESHUA.
RINNAH means a shout of victory…
YESHUA means salvation…
The point is that according to the Hebrew mindset, salvation, redemption and victory all go hand in hand.
And these were all ideas that extended to the Messiah.
I also need to point out the meaning of the words “salvation” and “redemption” are synonymous.
I know your typical Christian walks around in a fog of ignorance thinking that the “redemption” of the “Old” Testament was inferior to the “salvation” of the New Testament.
The problem is he or she has no idea they’re the same thing.
“Redemption” and “salvation” are utterly IDENTICAL in purpose and meaning no matter where you find these words in your Bible either “Old” or New Testament.
There is ZERO difference between these words.
You could literally swap one for the other anywhere in the Bible and it wouldn’t make one bit of difference.
Just as our Father in heaven is our heavenly GO’EL or Kinsman Redeemer…
So is His son our earthly GO’EL or Kinsman Redeemer.
The two are ONE and the same.
Yeshua himself said so when he said…
“I and the Father are one and the same”.
And I remind you that’s a statement of mission and purpose, not biology.
So this ain’t no revolutionary “Old” Testament idea.
Got it homies?
Alrighty, let’s bring this to a close.
If you have put your trust in Yeshua, he IS your GO’EL…
Which means he is obligated to perform for you all the duties connected with that role.
When you are grafted into Yeshua’s family, you too are eligible to partake in and receive all the blessings family members get.
And who is Yeshua’s family?
Well, let me answer that question with another question?
Who are the original redeemed of God?
Who did God rescue from bondage in Egypt?
Of course, it’s Israel.
The Apostle Paul made this clear with his Olive Tree metaphor in Romans Chapter 11.
Never forget, if you’re a gentile believer in the Jewish Messiah, it is you, a wild branch that has been grafted into the Olive Tree or Israel, NOT the other way around.
Israel is God’s family…
It always has been…
And always will be…
The story of Ruth fleshes out this truth probably more than any other book in the Bible.
Alrighty, with that understanding, we can now move on to Ruth Chapter 3.
NEXT TIME WE BEGIN RUTH CHAPTER THREE
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