Redeemer

Redeemer

“I know that my Redeemer liveth.” Job 19.25

I was looking through John Cleese and Robin Skynner’s now rather dated book, Families and How to Survive Them this week. Not that I’ve fallen out with my siblings, nor is there trouble in the Presbytery.

But it reminded me of how very diverse the practice of family life has become in the West. Some seem so close that it is nauseous to be in their company for too long. You feel you are playing gooseberry.

Others casually remark that they haven’t spoken to their brother for five years and ought to ring sometime, ‘if he’s still in Saskatchewan...?’

Throughout the period of the biblical authors, kinship, the clan, or for Israelites, the tribe, were the backbone of social structure, law, community care, and religion.

And as an integral part of that structure, the concept of the go’el, the kinsman redeemer, became deeply ingrained in Jewish and Christian theology.

The go’el, the kinsman-redeemer, usually translated simply as ‘redeemer’, had a number of responsibilities within the ordering of daily life.

He (and it was a he, often the brother, or uncle, or male cousins) - the kinsman was responsible for avenging the death of a murdered relative. The network of ‘cities of refuge’ grew up in Israel to protect people from an overzealous, or overhasty interpretation of this function of the redeemer. This allowed for the differentiation between murder and manslaughter.

Then the kinsman-redeemer was also responsible for ‘buying back’ (this is the Latin root of the English word ‘redeemer’) a clan member sold into slavery, often because of bad debts.

Land ownership was particularly important in this society and so the go’el was also responsible for buying back land that had gone from the traditional holdings of the family.

In the case of Ruth, it was the go’el’s responsibility not only to buy back the land that Naomi was selling, but also to marry the widowed Ruth. The go’el was unwilling to do this and so Boaz gladly stepped in as the next kinsman-redeemer in line.

You can see why, very early on, the Lord became known as Redeemer of the house of Israel - his kinsfolk. He redeems his people from slavery in Egypt and avenges their persecution. So the Psalmist says: From oppression and violence he redeems their life; and precious is their blood in his sight.” (Ps 72.14)

And all this redeeming effort flows from a sense of love and responsibility for the family. “You shall be my people, and I shall be your God.”

But in Job this is given a new twist. Because there is no obvious redeeming work going on in poor Job’s life, as his world crashes down around him, and his body is eaten up with disease.

So Job takes a leap forward, perhaps not really understanding what he is articulating, but asserting that, in the end, ‘at the last day’, he will see God.

For he knows that his Redeemer is alive, even if presently he appears to be inactive in Job’s troubles.

It is not difficult to see how Christians have always interpreted these words as pointing forward to Christ, our loving Redeemer. This is how Handel famously uses them in his oratorio.

And in the words of consecration later, this blood sacrifice of Christ is referred to as redemption - we are ‘bought back’ from sin and death by the precious blood of Jesus.

Let me end with an extract from that great nineteenth century preacher, Charles Haddon Spurgeon, preaching on this verse in 1863 and combining all these aspects of the go’el, the kinsman redeemer.

“Now, our Lord Jesus Christ, who once has played the kinsman's part by paying the price for us, liveth, and he will redeem us by power. O Death, thou tremblest at this name! Thou knowest the might of our Kinsman! ... he slew thee, Death, he slew thee! He rifled all thy caskets, took from thee the key of thy castle, burst open the door of thy dungeon; and now, thou knowest, Death, thou hast no power to hold my body... Insatiable Death, from thy greedy maw yet shall return the multitudes whom thou hast devoured. Thou shalt be compelled by the Saviour to restore thy captives to the light of day... The Most Mighty in majesty girds on his sword. He comes! He comes to snatch by power, his people's lands from those who have invaded their portion.
Oh, how glorious the victory! No battle shall there be. He comes, he sees, he conquers. The sound of the trumpet shall be enough; Death shall fly affrighted; and at once from beds of dust and silent clay, to realms of everlasting day the righteous shall arise.” (CH Spurgeon, Met Tab 504, 12/4/1863)

As we come to this altar of death and resurrection, covered in the righteousness of Christ, our next of kin, may we have the confidence of Job to affirm:

“I know that my Redeemer liveth.” Job 19.25