A classic article from 1986

The doctrine of the kinsman redeemer offers one of the most profound prophecies to be found in the pages of the Bible.

 The law of the kinsman redeemer covered three areas of the Mosaic Covenant. The first one can be found in Leviticus 25:25: “If thy brother be waxen poor, and hath sold away some of his possession, and if any of his kin come to redeem it, then shall he redeem that which his brother sold.”

 According to the Mosaic Covenant, the land of each Jewish family could not be sold forever. There was provided a way by which the poor Jewish man who lost his land could have it redeemed at some future day by one of his relatives. Thus it was assured that he and his family would not forever lose their inheritance in the land of Israel.

The next law concerning the kinsmen redeemer is found a few verses later, in Leviticus 25:47-49: “And if a sojourner or stranger wax rich by thee, and thy brother that dwelleth by him wax poor, and sell himself unto the stranger or sojourner by thee, or to the stock of the stranger’s family: After that he is sold he may be redeemed again; one of his brethren may redeem him: Either his uncle, or his uncle’s son, may redeem him, or any that is nigh of kin unto him of his family may redeem him; or if he be able, he may redeem himself.”

 According to these verses, any Jewish man who is sold into slavery may be redeemed and set free by one of his relatives. In each case, however, it must be a kinsman redeemer. The law was clear. The redeemer must be a relative. Thus far, we have seen provisions (made in the Mosaic Law) for the redemption of the land and the redemption of a slave. Finally, beginning in Deuteronomy 25:5-6, there is a provision in the Mosaic Covenant for the redemption of a widow: “If brethren dwell together, and one of them die, and have no child, the wife of the dead shall not marry without unto a stranger: her husband’s brother shall go in unto her, and take her to him to wife, and perform the duty of an husband’s brother unto her. And it shall be, that the firstborn which she beareth shall succeed in the name of his brother which is dead, that his name be not put out of Israel.”

In these laws, the Mosaic Covenant made provision for the redemption of a man’s wife. If he died leaving no children, then according to the law, a kinsman redeemer would be allowed to marry her in order to preserve the name of the deceased.

Please note: In each case, the redeemer must be a relative, a kinsman redeemer. So now we have found in Scripture provisions which were made (1) for the redemption of a man’s land, (2) for the redemption of a slave, and (3) for the redemption of a man’s widow.

The late M.R. DeHaan, who gave a qualification list in his book titled 35 Simple Studies on the Major Themes in Revelation, the kinsman redeemer had to possess three qualifications.

First, he must be related; second, he must be willing; and third, he must be able. As DeHaan notes, first of all, he must be related. A stranger was not allowed to redeem a man’s land. Though he might be willing to do so and though he might be able financially, he was not allowed by law to buy a man’s property and return it to his family unless he was a kinsman, related to the one who lost his land. The prophetic implication is tremendous.

The kinsman redeemer type finds its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ, who though He was God, became flesh, and dwelt among us. Over 1,900 years ago, He came from heaven’s glory and became one of us, a human Redeemer, a member of the human family. We are told He was made like unto us in all things, yet without sin. The writer of Hebrews said: “For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren…” (Hebrews 2:16-17a)

There we have a perfect picture of the humanity of Christ. According to Dr. DeHaan, the incarnation of Jesus Christ was an absolute and indispensable necessity in the plan of salvation. It was as essential as His deity. Christ became a man, a perfect man, one of us, a member of the human family, in order that He might be a Kinsman Redeemer. That is why God did not send an angel to redeem the human race. Furthermore, that is why just any human being would not fit the qualifications necessary to redeem lost humanity.

It took both His deity and His humanity to meet the qualifications necessary for the great Kinsman Redeemer. This can be ultimately seen in Revelation 5, wherein a search was made throughout heaven, throughout Earth, and throughout hell for someone who was worthy to redeem the world. According to the picture in Revelation 5, John began to weep, for it seemed that no one would be found worthy, fitting all three qualifications. But then John was comforted by one of the elders who said that he need not despair for one had been found who could fit these requirements. He was related, He was willing and He was able to fulfill the prophetic law of the kinsman redeemer.

The elder said, “Weep not, John, for behold the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David hath prevailed to open the book and to loose the seven seals thereof,” And then John wrote in Revelation 5:6: “And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.”

What a magnificent picture of the great Kinsman Redeemer who met all three qualifications of the Mosaic Law and was able to redeem the land, the slave and the widow. Please remember that not just any man could fulfill those great qualifications. He had to be the God-Man.

Now there are those who would deny the virgin birth of Jesus Christ. Though they would commend Him for His humanity, they would deny Him His deity. However, it is obvious that Christ has to be both man and God. From the opening chapters of Genesis to the closing chapters of Revelation, His deity, as well as His humanity, is declared.

When the promise of a kinsman redeemer was first given to Eve, Adam was told that He was to be the seed of the woman, not of a man. The doctrine of His deity can be found woven throughout the pages of the Bible. In the last chapter of the Bible, in Revelation 22:16, Jesus said “…I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.” Please note: He is not only the offspring of David. He is the root of David. As the offspring, He revealed His humanity, but as the root of David, He revealed His deity. As the root, He is that which came before. In fact, as the root, He is the One who created David.

The second requirement was to be the willing kinsman to act as a redeemer. The great prophetic fulfillment of that can be seen in Jesus Christ, who prayed in the garden, “Not my will, but thine be done,” and of whom we read in Hebrews 12:2: “…who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame…” Yes, the Lord Jesus Christ had to be willing to come. He had to be willing to give of Himself in order to redeem the land, the slave and the bride.

The Apostle Paul put it this way in 2 Corinthians 8:9: “For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.”

In this verse, we can see the perfect price required, not only the willingness of the Kinsman Redeemer but His third qualification, as well. He had to be able to redeem. He had to be rich enough to pay off the indebtedness, and this Jesus did when He died on Calvary’s cross. There He paid the perfect price of redemption.

Peter said in 1 Peter 1:18-19: “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.”

In Revelation 5:9-10, a great anthem of praise is given by the lost of heaven as the great Kinsman Redeemer prepares to redeem the land: “And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.”

What a picture! Jesus Christ fulfills the prophecy of the Mosaic Covenant concerning the kinsman redeemer. Again please note, that the kinsman redeemer was given the opportunity to redeem three things: (1) He could redeem the land if a Jew through his poverty lost his property; (2) He could redeem the slave if the Jew through his bankruptcy had to be sold into slavery; or (3) He could redeem the bride, the wife of the Jew who died leaving no children. In each case, Jesus Christ is the perfect fulfillment. Being a member of the human race, He could redeem the Earth which was lost by Adam in the Garden of Eden.

With the fall of Adam, there came a curse to the Earth. Paradise was lost and nature itself suffered a cataclysmic curse. For instance, the ground was cursed that it might bring forth thorns and thistles, the atmosphere was cursed that it might bring forth wild weather and the animal kingdom was cursed that it might bring forth wild animals. When Adam fell in the Garden of Eden, he lost the title deed to planet Earth. The land was mortgaged to the legions of hell. In Revelation 5, that title deed to planet Earth can be seen in the hand of God the Father. That is the scroll sealed with seven seals.

According to Mosaic Law, when a Jewish man had to sell his land, a deed would be drawn up. In the deed, there would be both the description of the land and the price of its redemption. The scroll was then sealed and placed in the Temple for safekeeping. A perfect illustration of this can be found in the book of Jeremiah 32, where Jeremiah warned Israel that if they did not repent of their sin and turn to God, its people would go into captivity for 70 years. In order to prove that their captivity would not be lengthened, God told Jeremiah to buy the property that had belonged to his cousin Hanameel.

Verse 11 says: “So I took the evidence of the purchase, both that which was sealed according to the law and custom, and that which was open.”

In the scroll, he gave both a legal description of the land and the price of its redemption. According to the story, the Jewish people were about to go into Babylonian captivity. They were about to lose their land. But Jeremiah, through a great prophetic gesture, declared that the land would not be lost forever. He declared there would be a day when the land would be returned to its people.

That great prophecy was fulfilled 70 years later when the Jewish people were released from their captivity to return to their homeland. And this prophetic picture will be ultimately fulfilled when the Earth is redeemed and paradise is regained. When Jesus comes in power and great glory, He shall redeem the Earth and shall restore it to its original state.

The Garden of Eden shall surely return, and for 1,000 wonderful years, Christ shall reign over the Earth as King of kings and Lord of lords.

According to Dr. Tim LaHaye in his book Revelation Made Plain, Jeremiah took the scroll which represented the title deed to his property and gave it to his secretary Baruch, who placed the sealed scroll in an earthen jar, thus preserving it for his heirs. It was to show future generations a verification of the legal owners of the property. Although Jeremiah never lived to see the day when Israel went back into the land, his legal heir one day went before the proper authorities and on the basis of his kinship to Jeremiah proved that he was worthy to open the book and to own the property.

Essentially, that is the scene in Revelation 5. The seven-sealed scroll represents the title deed to the Earth. This title deed was first given to Adam who lost it through his sin. However, one day it shall be redeemed by the second Adam, the great Kinsman Redeemer.

Bear in mind also that according to the Mosaic Covenant, a slave could be set free by the kinsman redeemer. A relative could pay the price of redemption and free the Jewish slave. In like manner, the human race (through the sin of Adam) has been sold into slavery. We are in the bondage of sin. Christ, however, came to redeem the slave, and through His death on Calvary’s cross, has become our Redeemer.

In John’s Gospel (John 8:36), Jesus said: “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” Rejoice! Through faith in Jesus Christ, the slave can be set free.

The land, however, is yet to be redeemed. Planet Earth is still under a curse. However, one has been found who is worthy to open the book and to loosen the seven seals. He is the Lion of the tribe of Judah. He paid the price, becoming the Lamb that was slain. Calvary gave Jesus Christ the power and privilege to redeem the slaves and to redeem the land. Calvary gave Jesus Christ the privilege and power to redeem the bride.

This great prophecy of the Mosaic Covenant is illustrated in the story of Ruth. Through His death at Calvary, He not only paved the way for the redemption of the land, but He provided the means whereby we might be redeemed as His Gentile bride.

What a wonderful picture of His love for us!