Heading Home

~ If this is the first time you’re reading about the journey, welcome aboard! Grab your basket! We’re taking a stroll through the great field of God’s Word, gathering grains of inspiration and seeing the remarkable parallel between the Christian life and the ancient, Hebrew twelve steps of betrothal.

~ (If you did not read the reason for this monthly journey, you can read it here and the first step of the journey here.)

The dowry or the price of the bride is the second step in the betrothal tradition. The dowry, which in Hebrew is mohar, had to be paid in order for betrothal to take place. The bridegroom paid the bride’s father the mohar, an agreed upon amount of money.

***Here are this month’s kernels of truth:

* Did you know you were bought? “You were bought with a price [purchased with a preciousness and paid for, made His own],” (1 Cor. 6:20 Amp) because “[you were purchased] with the precious blood of Christ.” (1 Peter 1:19a Amp)

Jesus paid the Father’s price for His Bride, having “given Himself a ransom on behalf of all.” (1 Tim. 2:6 RGT) The Greek word for “ransom” is used only this once and means the redemption price of a slave or captive or that which is offered in exchange for another.

* Did you know you have a Kinsman-Redeemer? You were redeemed by the Lord, for “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.” (Eph. 1:7 NKJV)

What is the purpose of a kinsman-redeemer? According to the law of kinship, or Levirate marriage, the next nearest, living, blood relative, was obligated to preserve the life, property, and integrity of the family name by marrying his relative’s widow and producing offspring that the family’s name not be blotted out, to represent a family member’s interests at the gate at the seat of authority, to stand in one’s stead, to redeem from bondage or slavery, and all duties and fulfillment of needs fell to him.

If we miss the meaning of kinsman-redeemer in the Bible, we miss a fundamental principle: God’s redeeming grace.

The tender and affectionate story of Ruth and Boaz depicts this redemption as an earthly representation of the heavenly relationship between God and His people.

Filled with great allegoric meaning, the whole book of Ruth supplies an abundant field of spiritual grains just waiting to be gleaned. Planted thousands of years ago and lying dormant in the soil of time, this book’s historical illustrations awaited the proper harvest time to reveal Christ’s redemption of His Bride, as His mohar.

At a time of famine, Elimelech took his family, his wife Naomi and their two sons Mahlon and Chilion to live in Moab. While there, Mahlon married Ruth and Chilion married Orpah. Within ten years, Elimelech and both sons died.

Hearing that the LORD had visited His people in her homeland again by giving them bread, Naomi decided to return home. Joining her were Ruth and Orpah, up to a point. While Orpah departed for her homeland, Ruth stayed with Naomi.

Through a series of divine events, Ruth met her kinsman-redeemer. His name was Boaz, and, as a near kin, he was obligated to redeem.

Ruth’s heritage, her alien birth as a Gentile, afforded her no earthly rights and barred her from claims to any portion, but God provided for her, grafting her into the family. Her redemption came through her betrothal to her kinsman-redeemer.

Before our spiritual rebirth, we were of alien birth, having no heavenly rights, but through God’s provision of a Kinsman-Redeemer, we were grafted into His family.

How beautifully this exemplifies Christ’s sacrifice and great love for an unworthy people, grafting us in through the Jews and betrothing us to Himself. Christ became our Kinsman-Redeemer, for He “redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us.” (Gal. 3:13 NKJV)

The Greek meaning of the word used here for “redeem,” describes beautifully what Christ did for us. It means to ransom, to rescue one from loss to improve opportunity, to purchase one for his freedom from another’s power by paying a price to recover him, or to buy up for one’s self or own use. Isn’t that beautiful?

A Kinsman-Redeemer! One who paid an inestimable price for His Bride.
There is a Kinsman-Redeemer……His Name is Jesus.And He paid the Father the price of His blood to redeem you......to betroth you to Himself.

With this post, I’m taking part in In Other Words of the site Writing Canvas, which is hosted today by Debbie on her blog Heart Choices. Here is the quote used for this post...

“I must make a conscious, deliberate,daily choice to sit at His feet,to listen to His Word, to receive His love,to let Him change me,and to pour out my heart’s devotion to Him.When I get into His presence,the whole world looks different."A Place of Quiet Rest by Nancy Leigh DeMoss.

Oh, to be in the audience of the King of heaven and earth! To be in His presence to worship Him!

Do you cringe or smile when you think of sitting at the feet of the Creator of the universe?

Where do you go when your heart is aching, when the world comes crashing down on your shoulders, when storms hit and there isn’t much you can do? Do you immediately seek the advice of a friend, or do you seek the Best Friend of all?

If you seek the feet of Jesus, what will you find?

*at His feet...
...you are received, never rejected

*at His feet...
...you are renewed

*at His feet...
...you are respected

*at His feet...
...you are reassured

*at His feet...
...you are rejoiced over

*at His feet...
...you realize His forgiveness

*at His feet...
...you are rewarded with His presence

*at His feet...
...you reap more than you can imagine

*at His feet...
...you receive comfort in your pain and sorrow, peace in your unrest, provisions for your lack, and all the other answers to your prayers.

Are we willing to lay it all down at His feet? Will we be as the rich young ruler or as Abraham? Will we leave all our burdens with Him or pick them back up again?

When we sit at the feet of Jesus, do we...

*...praise Him for Who He is?
*...sit silently at His feet, just to be near Him?
*...tell Him of our unreserved confidence in Him that He will always fulfill His promises?
*...tell Him of our tender love for Him or continually question Him as to why things are happening?
*...follow after Him seeking something from Him as the multitudes did, or do we lean upon His breast as John the beloved did, just to be near Him?
*...sit at His feet to serve Him in worship by pouring out our thanks and our tears of joy as precious, fragrant oil upon His feet as the woman who came while Jesus reclined at the table?

Have we limped in our obedience to God? Staggered in our love? Halted in our service? Ceased our worship of Him in order to prostrate ourselves at the feet of something else?

Lots of questions to ponder, aren’t there?

The Still Small Voice has no destination if there is no listening ear! It only costs us our time to listen but it costs us our quality of life not to listen!

Those drawing near to the Redeemer’s feet will find His grace, acceptance, and sufficiency for their needs. Never turning us away, He will always accept us, just as we are.
“You will show me the way of life,granting me the joy of Your presenceand the pleasures of living with You forever.”(Ps. 16:11 NLT)

~~Lord, may I sit adoringly at Your precious feet just to be near You, to seek Your Presence rather than Your hand.~~



Writing Canvas

"…you were not redeemed with corruptible things…But [you were purchased] with the precious blood of Christ.”(1 Peter 1:18a NKJV, 1 Peter 1:19a Amp)
I love some of those commercials that show an item, then list the price of something and, at the end, list something that is priceless.

That’s our redemption: priceless! Priceless...in the sense that we could never repay Christ for the redemption we have received.

But for Him: a very costly price. His life. But still...an unmeasured, priceless gift to us.

Jesus Christ released His earthly life to die an excruciating death on a cruel cross. Is there a greater sacrifice? The disciple John wrote, “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:13 NLT)

You are that special friend of Jesus; you are worth every drop of blood that He shed and paid for you. If you have accepted that sacrificial offer, you are the precious Bride of Christ, the Beloved Bridegroom.

Jesus paid the asking price for His Bride, “a single sacrifice for our sins [that shall avail] for all time,” (Heb. 10:12a Amp) “who gave Himself a ransom on behalf of all.” (1 Tim. 2:6 NKJV)

The Greek word for ransom, in the above verse, is used only this once in the Bible and means the redemption price of a slave or captive, that which is offered in exchange for another.

In that covenant exchange, Christ suffered death in our stead that we might walk in newness of His risen Life. Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10 NKJV)

Redeeming us from our sins and ultimate spiritual death, Christ became our Kinsman-Redeemer, for He “purchased our freedom [redeeming us] from the curse (doom) of the Law [and its condemnation] by [Himself] becoming a curse for us.” (Gal. 3:13 Amp)

The Greek meaning of the word used for redeem, I think, beautifully describes what Christ did for us. It means to ransom, to rescue one from loss to improve opportunity, to purchase one for his freedom from another’s power by paying a price to recover him, or to buy up for one’s self or own use.

He exchanged His life for yours. He redeemed your life to improve it, to give you abundant Life. He purchased you from the power of the enemy, redeeming you from a life of drudgery, from servitude to sin, from eternal loss, as He said, “So that anyone who believes in Me will have eternal life.” (John 3:15 TLB)

Great agony and heartache were the price of your redemption. Truly you are not your own. You were bought with a price.

Love and redemption: priceless!

May you know that Eternal Life that surges through your precious, blood-bought soul. And may the Lord reveal to you His presence in some special way this Easter season.