About this user
He has sent redemption to His people; He has ordained His covenant forever; holy and awesome is His name. (Psalm 111:9).
Slavery was a very common institution in the ancient world. There were a number of ways in which a man might become a slave.
He might he born into slavery. The son of a slave was himself considered a slave.
He might be captured by an invading array and become a prized captive, led away in chains to a foreign country to be sold as a slave.
He might fall into debt so that he was forced to declare bankruptcy. This involved selling yourself into slavery to pay the debts that were owed.
Picture the situation of this last scenario. An Israelite living in the land of Palestine is hit with economic disaster. Perhaps a famine has come over the land and wiped out his crops. Rather than resort to begging, he sells himself into slavery, using the proceeds to pay off his debts and to care for his starving family.
And so, he becomes a slave. Can he ever regain his freedom? Yes. But it can only happen if the redemption price is paid.
(Leviticus 25:47-49)"Now if the means of a stranger or of a sojourner with you becomes sufficient, and a countryman of yours becomes so poor with regard to him as to sell himself to a stranger who is sojourning with you, or to the descendants of a strangers family, then he shall have redemption right after he has been sold. One of his brothers may redeem him, or his uncle, or his uncles son, may redeem him, or one of his blood relatives from his family may redeem him; or if he prospers, he may redeem himself"
This was the Law of the Kinsman Redeemer. It listed four qualifications which were necessary for a man to fulfill the role of Kinsman Redeemer. It was only when a man possessed these four qualities that he was permitted to perform this task.
1. He must be a Kinsman.
2. He must be Free himself.
3. He must be able to Pay the Price.
4. He must be Willing to pay the price.
It was not enough to have a kinsman who was able to accomplish the work of redemption. He must also be willing to may the sacrifice of paying the price. I imagine that there were a number of slaves with rich uncles who just didnt want to spend the money to release their unfortunate relative from slavery.
Each of these qualifications was fulfilled in Jesus Christ. God sent Jesus into the worlds slave market of sin to purchase men from their bondage of sin. He alone met the qualifications of the Kinsman Redeemer.
He became a Kinsman by taking on flesh and becoming a man. He was free from the bondage of sin. He was able to pay the ransom price. He was willing to pay the price.
(Hebrews 2:11-13)"For both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father; for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying, I will proclaim Thy name to My brethren, in the midst of the congregation I will sing Thy praise. And again, I will put My trust in Him. And again, Behold, I and the children whom God has given Me."
The work of Christ did much more than merely provide a fire insurance claim from hell. He set you apart. He sanctified you. He made you a part of a special people which is known as the family of God. This is what it means to be sanctified.
If you have come to Christ, then you have become a member of the family of God. God is now your Father. You are His child. You have entered into an eternal relationship.
(Hebrews 2:14-15) "Since then the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook in the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil; and might deliver those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives."
Since the ones who were to become children were flesh and blood - that is, they were mortal men — so also Christ took on flesh and blood and became a mortal man.
This was one of the requirements of the Kinsman Redeemer. He must be a Kinsman.
He must be related to the ones whom he is going to purchase from slavery.
And so, Jesus took on flesh and became a Kinsman to the human race in order that He might redeem men from sin.
Here is the reason why Christ became flesh and joined the human race. It was so that He might nullify death. It was so that He might bring to naught the work of Satan.
What does Satan have to do with death? It was Satan who deceived the woman in the Garden of Eden and thereby brought sin into the world. Satans plan was to undo Gods perfect work of creation. God had created man in His own image. Satan caused that image to fall. Christ, through His death on the cross, restored that perfect image and conquered death. Not all the hosts of darkness were able to keep the Son of God in the grave. He arose from the dead, proving that He had conquered Satan once and for all.
The necessary sacrifice has been both offered and accepted, and by the power and grace of God, we are saved.
