It is clear that according to ver. 49, the slave, if he were able, might
redeem himself. But it must have been very difficult for a slave, who
had sold himself because he was ruined, to accumulate sufficient for his
own redemption; and it is perfectly clear that it would be utterly
impossible for us to accomplish any such redemption for ourselves.
Multitudes have endeavoured to do so. They have striven to gain a
freedom by tears and toils, and fastings, and almsdeeds, proportioned to
the sin committed. But the only effect has been that the chain has been
riveted more firmly than ever on their soul. Instead of providing a
ransom they have daily increased their debt. And so it will ever be so
long as man struggles to redeem himself. ‘It cost more to redeem their
souls, so they must let that alone for ever.’
(2.) Then again, angels could not redeem us. Even if there had been any
mighty archangel of such majesty as to produce a sufficient ransom, he
would have been disqualified for the office, for the simple reason that
he would not have been a kinsman. We know but little of the nature of
angels, and we cannot realize a mighty spirit perfectly independent of
the flesh. But this we know, that there is a clear and marked
distinction between the nature of angels and the nature of man, for we
read of our blessed Saviour, ‘He took not on him the nature of angels;
but he took on him the seed of Abraham.’ Heb. ii. 16. The angels,
therefore, are not our brethren. They are not kinsmen, and therefore
were not qualified to redeem. Whatever benevolence they may have felt,
and whatever compassion for us in our captivity, and whatever joy in our
salvation, the whole host of angels and archangels were utterly
disqualified to act as redeemers, and, whatever they offered, according
to the law, they were unable to redeem.
(3.) But still more. Even the Son of God Himself, in His eternal
Godhead, could not redeem, for there lay against Him the same
disqualification. He was eternal, above man, and of a nature altogether
different. As the heaven is high above the earth, so is His nature above
ours. It is high, we cannot attain unto it. In His divine nature,
therefore, our blessed Lord Himself was not a kinsman, and therefore by
law He could not be a Redeemer. He was not one of the brethren of the
bondsmen, and therefore could not redeem; and, whatever love He felt for
us, He was excluded, according to the law, from showing it in redeeming
mercy.
And now you see the homage paid to the law in His incarnation. When He
took on Him our nature He became a kinsman, and could redeem. See how
clearly this is put in Heb. ii. 14. ‘Forasmuch as the children are
partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the
same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of
death, that is, the devil.’ He identified Himself with them in nature in
order that, being their kinsman, He might have the right of redemption.
He took not on Him the nature of angels, for that would not have
established a relationship with man, but He took on Him the seed of
Abraham, and so became one with the great human family. The Levitical
law, ver. 48, was, ‘One of his brethren may redeem him.’ So to carry out
His own most gracious purpose of mercy, He took our nature, He made
Himself a brother, and according to the 11th verse of that chapter in the
Hebrews, ‘He is not ashamed to call us brethren.’
Just the same truth is taught us in Gal. iv. In ver. 3, we are described
as bondsmen: ‘We were in bondage under the elements of the world.’ And
when our Heavenly Father in boundless love undertook to save, what did He
do? He first prepared a qualified Redeemer, and then that Redeemer
redeemed us by His blood. ‘He sent forth his son, made of a woman, made
under the law,’ qualified therefore in all respects, because He was of
the same family ‘to redeem them that were under the law, that we might
receive the adoption of sons.’ He became a brother, and, being a
brother, redeemed us by His blood. There was a double act of love and
mercy: first, in assuming the relationship, and next, in availing himself
of that relationship in stepping forth to pay the ransom for our release.
Oh! who can tell the love of Christ? Who can sufficiently exalt His
grace?
But now what is the position of all those that are in Him? What is the
position of all you who have redemption through His blood? You were
bondsmen once; sold under sin: sold by the act of Adam, and sold by your
own conduct afterwards. As St. Paul says, Rom. vi. 17, ‘Ye were the
servants’ or the slaves ‘of sin.’ But what are you now? Are you still
slaves? No. Those only who are strangers to salvation in Christ Jesus
are slaves. But you are not, for you are free. Your kinsman has
appeared and paid the redemption price; so you are free: as completely
free as if you had never been in bondage. The moment that the kinsman
paid the ransom, the slave was free. He was not required to stop and
inquire whether he deserved it or no. He was not obliged to wait and
look into his feelings, and ascertain whether he felt it or no. The
ransom was paid, and he was free, so that he might go home with a
thankful heart to show his deep gratitude to the kinsman who had paid it.
So it is with you if you be in Christ Jesus. The creditor has no hold on
you, for your kinsman has come forward, and the whole ransom is paid.
You are as completely free as you will be if you wait a hundred years.
You cannot add anything to the ransom, and there is no need that you
should do so, for all is paid, and paid in full. You may dwell therefore
in perfect peace in your Father’s home, and with a thankful heart gather
round your Father’s table, in the peaceful enjoyment of your Father’s
fellowship, and your Father’s love.
But think how strange it would have been in olden times, if, when the
kinsman had come forward and most kindly paid the redemption price, the
poor bondsman had preferred captivity, and refused the liberty thus
freely purchased for him by his brother. Such things apparently did
happen sometimes, though they appear to us almost impossible; for, in
Exod. xxi. 5, the servant is described as plainly saying, ‘I love my
master . . . I will not go out free,’ and, when he said that he was
taken to the door-post, and his ear was bored through in token that he
was a slave for life. I do not know whether that often happened in
ancient days, but I fear it is a very common occurrence now. The Son of
God has become a kinsman on purpose to redeem, and as a kinsman has
redeemed us by His blood. He has come to the master, and having broken
all his legal power, has proclaimed liberty to the captive, and the
opening of the prison to them that are bound; but there sits the slave,
content in his slavery, and plainly says, ‘I love my master; I will not
go out free.’ How many are there even amongst ourselves thus indifferent
to liberty! They know there is a deliverer; they have heard it: they
have read it: they believe it. They know their kinsman has paid the
ransom, so that, according to the covenant, they may be free. But they
love the old sins, and the old ways, and the old habits, and they have no
wish to be set free. They like the old associations, and a change of
heart might cause a separation from their wives and their children, so
they had rather go on as they are, the slaves of sin, the bondsmen of
their own corruption. Is it unjust that such persons should never be set
free? If the bondsman of old deliberately went to the door-post that his
ear should be bored, was it unjust that he should be bound a slave for
ever? and if any one of us with the grand offer of the freedom of the
Gospel fully before him, prefers his bondage and will not accept the
purchased freedom, is it unjust that that man should remain a miserable
slave? Oh, that I could persuade those who have thus far been sitting
still content with their captivity, to accept the freedom which their
kinsman now offers them, so that henceforth we may change our note, and
instead of saying, ‘The ransom is paid, come home and enjoy your
freedom,’ we may say to them in the full enjoyment of their Father’s
loving home, ‘Stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made you
free.’
V. RUTH.
‘And the kinsman said, I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I mar mine
own inheritance; redeem thou my right to thyself; for I cannot redeem
it.’—RUTH, iv. 6.
IT has been my sacred privilege to speak lately more than once on the
great subject of redemption as taught in the Old Testament, and the last
time I did so I directed your attention to the law of redemption, as laid
down in the book of Leviticus. But that law conveys a very imperfect
idea of the redemption by our Lord and Saviour. In some respects there
is a remarkable agreement, but the type falls utterly short of the
reality. Let me mention a single instance. If the kinsman came forward
to redeem either the person or property of the debtor, the effect of that
redemption was to restore the ruined man to his liberty and his home.
The forfeited property was restored, and the bondman became free; but
there it stopped. The poor man was no better off after redemption than
he was before he was sold. All that redemption did for him was to
restore him to his original position. Here, then, you see in a moment
the enormous difference between this Levitical redemption and the blessed
work of our most blessed Saviour. He raises man by redemption to a
position far above his position before the fall. Adam in Paradise had
nothing to compare with the sacred inheritance of the saints of God in
the kingdom of our Lord. Man, as represented in Adam, was far below the
angels; but as redeemed in Christ Jesus, the second Adam, is high above
them. Man in Adam had his inheritance on earth, but redeemed man in
Christ Jesus is made heir to an ‘inheritance incorruptible, and
undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for him.’
This point is very well illustrated by the case of Ruth. The history of
Ruth is not unlike that of Joseph—a remarkable illustration, though never
declared to be a type. We may, therefore, accept the illustration,
though we must not ascribe to it a divine, or typical, authority.
Turning to chapter i., we find that Elimelech, a man of Bethlehem, had
property in Bethlehem-judah, and in consequence of famine and subsequent
poverty, had emigrated with his wife and two sons to Moab. When there,
both his sons married, but before there was any family born to either of
them, both they and their father died. The three women, therefore, were
left widows, and the famine having abated, Naomi decided to return. She
appears to have gone back to the old home at Bethlehem, but said that her
name should be no more Naomi (pleasant), but Marah (bitter), for the old
house had lost its joy. After her return she struggled on, with Ruth as
her companion. At length Boaz, the great man of the neighbourhood, ‘a
mighty man of wealth,’ became acquainted with their circumstances, and
most kindly interested himself in their condition. Being related to
Elimelech, he was prepared to step in, and act the part of a kinsman, by
redeeming the property from sale. But in this there was a difficulty,
for he was not the next of kin, and therefore had no right to redeem (ch.
iii. 12). But when he who was next of kin heard of it, he declined to
act, as he could not undertake the burden. Boaz, therefore, undertook to
pay the redemption price himself. Is there not a remarkable illustration
there of the sacred work of our Kinsman, for when all others failed,
though bound by no responsibility, He freely undertook to redeem us
Himself? Thus the price was paid, the property was redeemed, the family
inheritance was preserved, and it is not at all improbable that it was in
that very farm that Jesse lived, and David spent his boyhood.
But I do not want to dwell on the property, but rather to draw your
attention to the case of Ruth. It was the stipulation of the covenant
that Boaz should redeem all that belonged to Elimelech and his sons, and
therefore he was to receive with the property the widow of the deceased
Mahlon. It was a strange law that gave him such a power, or rather
imposed on him such a duty. The gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ has
raised the marriage-tie to a sacred position, which would render any such
regulation quite impossible now. But it was the law in the time of Boaz,
and he acted on it when he redeemed the land.
But now I want you to observe carefully the result.
If the famine had not reduced Elimelech to poverty, and so compelled him
to emigrate to Moab, he and his sons would have remained in humble life
on their property at Bethlehem, and as for Ruth she would have dwelt
unknown in the mountains of Moab. The famine, therefore, was the first
link in the chain. God’s links are often very different to man’s plans.
But after Naomi’s return, it is clear that she and her daughter led a
struggling life, and were reduced so low that their property was
advertised for sale. If all had gone well with them, they would
apparently have been just able to live, and as it was, they were very
glad of kind and generous help. But now observe the effect of
redemption, and see how it raised Ruth above the position which either
she herself, or the family of Elimelech, had occupied before the time of
their distress.
There are two things to be noticed.
(1.) She became the bride of the man who had redeemed her. Before the
redemption he was kind to her, and gave her six measures of barley into
her veil. But by virtue of the redemption he made her his own, received
her to a share of all he had, and bound himself to her by the sacred tie
of a life-long affection. Now have we not here a remarkable illustration
of the blessed truth that by redemption we are raised to a position
incomparably higher than that from which man originally fell? The Church
of God is not like the young gleaner receiving a few shekels of barley as
a generous gift; but by redeeming blood it is raised into the position of
the Bride of the Lamb, and made to sit together in heavenly places in
Christ Jesus. Look at the description of this union as the result of
redemption in Eph. v. 25: ‘Christ also loved the Church, and gave himself
for it, that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water
by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious Church, not
having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy
and without blemish.’ If, therefore, we have redemption through His
blood, we are not merely permitted to glean behind His reapers, but we
are brought into a relationship the most sacred and intimate that it is
possible for the human heart to imagine. We live in His presence, we are
made partakers of His kingdom, we may rest in His love. His promise is,
‘As the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice
over thee.’ And even when we are most deeply and painfully humbled at
our own shortcomings, and at the sad coldness of our own hearts, we may
think of Him not only loving us, but rejoicing in His love, admitting us
to the most sacred confidence, and permitting us with the holy intimacy
of a reverent affection to pour out our whole heart before Him. If,
then, it were an elevation to Ruth to become the bride of the ‘mighty man
of wealth,’ oh, what an honour is it for such as we are to be clothed
with the white robe of His spotless righteousness, to be called by His
grace into fellowship with Himself, to be loved by Him with an
everlasting love; and, finally, presented to Him in spotless holiness to
be one with Him for ever! How infinitely higher this is than anything
enjoyed by Adam before the fall!
(2.) But this was not all, for by the act of redemption Ruth was brought
into a special relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. In the
genealogy of our blessed Saviour there are only three women mentioned,
one of whom was Ruth. I have no doubt in my own mind that this narrative
was written, and preserved in the canon of Scripture, to prepare the way
for that mention of Ruth in the genealogy; for I believe that the great
object of the Old Testament is to trace the sacred line that terminated
in the birth of the promised seed. The whole history follows that line,
and all collateral branches are passed by without any special record. By
the act of redemption, Ruth was bought into that sacred or royal line:
she became the one woman of her generation that was lineally connected
with the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesse, the father of David, was her
grandson, and the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of David, was her seed. She
was therefore brought by the act of redemption into union with Him, and
so are we. Of course there is a vast difference between the two forms of
union. She was the mother, we the children. He drew His human life from
her, we receive our divine life from Him. In her case it was the tie of
parentage or motherhood; in ours that of sonship. He was the promised
Seed in which all nations of the earth are blessed; and as such He was
her seed, and our Saviour. But though there was this marked distinction,
in both cases redemption led to union; and if it were an honour to Ruth
to be in the chosen line from which He sprang, is it not indeed an honour
to such as we are to be admitted amongst the chosen family who are
blessed in Him? Remember the words of the Apostle connecting sonship
with redemption, Gal. iv. 4: ‘When the fulness of time was come, God sent
forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that
were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.’ The
effect of redemption therefore is so to identify us with the Son of God
that we ourselves in Him become sons. We are redeemed from the curse and
made one with the Son of God, so that we may go in before the God of
glory, and there cry Abba, Father. Ye then, who have redemption through
His blood, accept your position, and be not afraid of claiming your
union. As Ruth was brought into the same line of parentage, so are you
into that of sonship. Act, therefore, as sons. Speak to your Father as
your Father. Abide in Him: walk in Him: live in Him: trust in Him:
undertake nothing independently of Him; and God grant that you may be
preserved in Him till the great presentation day, when in Him you will be
presented spotless before His throne!
But we have not yet done with Ruth. You see clearly that just as we are
raised by redemption to a condition infinitely higher than that of Adam
before the fall, so Ruth was raised by redemption to a position
incomparably higher than that of Elimelech’s family before the famine.
But we must look at her own previous condition, for it was far below the
original condition even of Elimelech. He was one of the seed of Abraham,
a member of the covenant, a proprietor in the promised land. But she was
a poor heathen girl on the mountains of Moab, an alien from the
commonwealth of Israel and a stranger from the covenant of promise. Yet
that poor heathen girl was raised by redemption to a higher position than
all the Jewesses in the whole family of Elimelech. Does it not teach us
the power of redemption to break down every barrier, to overturn every
human calculation, to clear away every hindrance, and to raise to the
most glorious salvation those very persons whose case to man’s eye seems
hopeless? Doubtless there were noble women in Bethlehem who would have
been glad enough to have been brought into the sacred line of the
motherhood of the Coming One. But the honour was given through
redemption to the poor young widow from Moab. So there may be many
Englishmen, familiar with the words of the covenant, and living, as it
were, within religious boundaries, but still strangers to real fellowship
with God; while others, far away in heathen lands, in India, in Africa,
in China, are brought in through the power of redeeming blood, and made
heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ. So, again, there may be many
amongst us at home who seem as far off as that young woman was when she
was growing up an idolater in Moab; but the lesson that we are to learn
is that there is such a fulness in redemption, such a power, such a
completeness, such an efficacy that that far-distant sinner, even though
he has been an idolater; though he can never forgive himself, may be
forgiven by God; and not forgiven only, but raised by infinite grace even
to a oneness with the Son of God. Let no one, therefore, feel hopeless,
whatever his position, and whatever his past idolatry; for redeeming
blood can triumph over everything, and can so blot out all sin that those
who are the farthest off of any amongst us may yet be made nigh by the
blood of Christ, and finally presented spotless before His throne.
But one word more about Ruth, for if we really desire thus to be made
nigh, her words to Naomi may serve to illustrate the spirit in which we
must come to the Lord Jesus. If we were to call this a type such an
application of them would lead to nothing but confusion. But looking at
it simply as a piece of history they may suggest a most important
illustration. She said to Naomi, ‘Whither thou goest, I will go; and
where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy
God my God.’ If you desire to be made to sit in heavenly places in
Christ Jesus kneel down, and from the bottom of your heart say the same
to Him. You may be still far away from God, a stranger in a strange
land. But there is He, having come amongst us to fetch you home, to seek
you, to save you, to raise you to Himself. Let there be then the loving
surrender of your whole soul into His hand; and let the prayer of your
inmost heart be, ‘Whither thou goest, I will go; thy people shall be my
people, and thy God my God.’
VI. THE SPIRIT.
‘Into thine hand I commit my spirit; thou hast redeemed me, O Lord
God of truth.’—Ps. xxxi. 5.
IT is a very happy thing for the Church of God that David’s life was
chequered by trials, and his character by no means free from fault. If
he had never been in difficulty, we should never have been taught how
difficulty drove him to his God; and if he had been a man without sin, we
should not have had from him any lessons on repentance as we now have in
his penitential psalms. To his difficulties we are indebted for the 31st
psalm, and to his sins for the 51st. For this 31st psalm, ‘Trust in
difficulty’ would be a suitable heading. It opens with the words, ‘In
thee, O Lord, do I put my trust;’ and after referring to many sources of
anxiety, it concludes with that noble appeal to all believers, ‘Be of
good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the
Lord.’
But I am not about to attempt any examination of the whole psalm, but
simply to draw your attention to this one sacred verse, and to the spirit
of confiding trust expressed in it. In the study of it we will examine,
first, the trust, then the redemption which was the foundation of it.
May God teach us so to realise the plenteous fulness of that redemption
that we may be always able in confiding faith to exercise the trust!
* * * * *
I. The trust
This is expressed in the words, ‘Into thy hand I commit my spirit.’
There are few words in the whole word of God, presented to us with more
sacred authority than these, for they were quoted by our Lord Himself
even on the cross, and were almost the last words uttered by Him before
His death. We must therefore approach them with a hallowed sense of
profound reverence, and remember that the place whereon we stand is holy
ground.