Redeemer: Promised and Fulfilled

“I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end He will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see Him with my own eyes—I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!” (Job 19:25-27, NIV) “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out—those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned.” (John 5:28-29, NIV) “But when the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons." (Galatians 4:4, NIV). “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.” (Ephesians 1:7. NIV).

Close upon the celebration of Thanksgiving comes the Advent Season and our celebration of Christmas. We have looked at the seventeen psalms termed “psalms of thanksgiving.” Now we turn attention to Old Testament prophecies of Jesus’ coming and New Testament fulfillment. There are many. A month will not be enough time to cover them all. We begin on this December 1 to consider our Redeemer, our need for Him and our assurance that Jesus did, indeed come, with the paramount purpose of redeeming mankind: and make that personal, to redeem you and me. Throughout the whole Bible, the story of redemption is told. It is the major theme of God’s message to us.

In the midst of all his troubles and loss, Job heard his friends argue that his sins surely brought him down and his plight was a result of living a life apart from God.
In the midst of the arguments, Job makes a profound and positive statement, a prophetic pronouncement: “I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth.” (Job 19:25). Even though Job was a good and just man who served God, he was, as is the rest of mankind, a sinner. The curse exacted upon Adam and Eve in their disobedience and rebellion against God is upon all mankind. Our nature is sinful and each of us needs a Redeemer to bring us back into right relationship with God. Job’s statement is one of the high peaks of the Old Testament, giving a firm statement about the Redeemer’s coming and resurrection from the dead. Jesus reinforced and taught the resurrection from the dead. He Himself, the Redeemer, the one who paid the price for our sins, arose from the dead. He demonstrated what He prophesied and taught. Paul put the whole message of the gospel of redemption succinctly in Galatians 1:7. His blood redeems us through God’s grace. With all of God’s understanding and grace, redemption (buying us back, ransoming us from sin’s dominion) was “lavished” upon us. It is a gift made possible by our Lord Jesus Christ. We reach out to God and accept it. For the believer, redemption begins now and lasts throughout eternity. Our Redeemer—promised and fulfilled! Praise be to God!

c Ethelene Dyer Jones; Wednesday, December 1, 2010