A Promised Redeemer – A Messianic Prophecy

“For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last He will stand upon the earth.  And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another.  My heart faints within me!.” –Job 19:25-27 (ESV).

The Hebrew noun, goel, translated “Redeemer,” is often used in the Old Testament to mean “kinsman redeemer,” or one who is legally responsible for vindicating a family member.  We see it in the familiar case of Boaz who married the widow Ruth who chose to go with her mother-in-law Naomi from exile in Moab back to Israel.  Use of goel with reference to God in the Old Testament indicates that He redeemed His people from slavery in Egypt (Exodus 6:6).  God also is noted as the Redeemer of individuals.  Joseph (Genesis 48:16) was redeemed and paved the way in Egypt for his whole family from Israel to escape famine. David in Psalm 19:114 called the Lord his “strength and redeemer.”  Job made the statement, often quoted, “I know that my Redeemer lives and at last He will stand upon the earth.”  Even though Job had suffered much since calamities befell him, he held faith that even though he should die he would still see God.  “My heart faints within me!” indicates the depth of Job’s physical and emotional suffering.  But I like to think that as Job thought of the marvelous truths revealed to him, my Redeemer lives…I shall see God” that his heart welled up so much within him he could not help but exclaiming (even as we do sometimes, just thinking about God’s provision for us): My heart faints within me!” Translated, this could mean, “I can hardly take this in (understand it)!”

In New Testament fulfillment of Job’s Messianic hope, we turn to these scriptures:  “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.  For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son also to have life in Himself.” (John 5:25-26).  “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.” (Galatians 4:4).  “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:7).

With the meaning of redemption from Old Testament and New Testament teachings, the idea is not abstract but concrete.  Behind the words redeem, redemption is the custom of buying back something which formerly belonged to the person but for some reason had been taken over by another.  The original owner could get back the land or whatever the item by paying a redemption price for it.  And God made provision through the Redeemer, His Son, to pay the redemption price for man’s sin.  Before sin entered the human race, man was innocent.  But with the disobedience of Adam and Eve, a curse was therefore set upon mankind and he no longer had fellowship with Creator God.  Jesus became the Redeemer as he bought back man’s degradation from sin.  “Without shedding of blood there is no remission for sins” (Hebrews 9:22b).  It was remarkable that Job could foresee the time when the Redeemer would come to earth to do the work of redemption, to buy back man from the terrible penalty of sin, spiritual death, and separation from God.

Prayer.  Lord, pausing to think of how the Redeemer set us free is a heart-knowledge but again a thought too wonderful to comprehend fully.  We thank You and want to live for You in the sure knowledge that we are redeemed.  Amen.