'Kinsman Redeemer'

*Isaiah 6:1, "In the year of King Uzziah's death, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple."

The friendships we develop over the course of our life can leave very precious memories. Those who we come into contact with, who move in and out of our life leave lasting impressions, but a friendship is different in nature.

A friend is someone who is always there. Someone to laugh with when we are happy and someone who has a shoulder to cry on when we are sad. Someone who will rejoice in our triumphs and someone who we can vent our frustrations out on when we fail. Someone who will not be critical with our faults but someone who will exemplify our values. Someone who is more that just a friend, but a friend indeed. 

A friend indeed is our closest advisor because they always know exactly how we feel. They are someone to share our most intimate secrets with because we know they will not tell anyone. A friend indeed is someone who will do anything we ask of them because they care for and love us. Someone who we can perhaps ask to go out on the proverbial "limb" for us when necessary.

Going out on a "limb" for a friend can be costly at times. It means there may be repercussions that can cause damaging effects with a relationship that was special, and, because they are a friend indeed, we do not consider what the cost may mean to them. There can be damaging effects that may break the friendship we so lovingly shared which leave ill feelings, anger, and often hatred in its wake.

Its times like this that the person you called friend becomes your enemy. Often walking across the street, looking away, or ducking into corners when they see you moving in their direction. They will whisper things and spread rumors until you are ashamed to be seen anywhere.  It is times like these that you need someone to stand in the middle and restore the friendship you cherished. Someone to stand in the gap, to redeem or buy back, the relationship you somehow managed to destroy.  An intermediate who can bring healing into a very disheartening situation.

There was a beautiful young woman of the country of Moab whose name was Ruth. For ten years she had been the wife of an Ephrathite of Bethlehem of Judah who died and left her a widow. Being a widow herself Naomi, Ruth's mother-in-law, desired to return to her own country and instructed Ruth to return to her father's house. Through many tears and because of Ruth's desire, "to go where you go,...lodge where you lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God" (Ruth 1:15), Naomi permitted Ruth to return with her. Because we have a God who fulfills the desires of our heart and honors those who honor him Ruth married a wealthy man in Bethlehem of the tribe of Judah whose name was Boaz. Unto them was born a son whose name was Obed. To Obed was born Jesse and unto Jesse was born David the king of Israel (Ruth 4:21b-22). Naomi found a kinsman redeemer, Boaz, who married Ruth and restored her family's estate (Ruth 4:3-14).

In the year 2989 Saul, the king of Israel, and his son Jonathan lost their lives in battle on Mount Gilboa . Upon hearing the news and fearing for the life of her young ward the nursemaid of Jonathan's son, Mephibosheth, picked him up and fled. In her haste Mephibosheth fell causing him to become lame in both of his feet. At the age of five Mephibosheth found himself without a family, lame, and a fugitive. He remained secluded in Lo-debar until the new king of Israel, David, had rest from all his enemies. Because David loved the Lord with all his heart and remembered the covenant that he had made with Jonathan, "to show the loving-kindness of the Lord to his house forever", (I Samuel 20:14-15) God moved David's heart to restore Mephibosheth's estate and gave him a place at his table as one of the king's sons. Mephibosheth's kinsman redeemer was David, who made an oath before God and had entered a blood covenant with his father before his birth (I Samuel 18:3-4).

V

In the year 4033 the temple guards in Jerusalem interrupted the prayer of a man named Jesus in Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives. They bound Him and took Him to the court of the high priest, Caiaphas. Finding false witnesses to accuse Him of crimes against the Hebrew law and the Roman Empire, they sentenced Him to death. They took Him to Praetorium and stood Him before the Roman Procurator, Pontius Pilate. Finding no fault in Him, yet because of the cry of the people, he sentenced Him to death. He handed Him to the Roman guards. They took Him to Golgotha and nailed Him to a cross. About 3:00pm He commended His spirit to God and died. His friends took His body down from the cross and they placed Him in a newly hewn tomb that had been prepared for Joseph of Arimathaea. They sealed the tomb shut. They placed guards at His tomb fearing His friends might try to steal His body. Because God looked upon His suffering as the propitiation for our sins, after three full days, God opened the tomb and raised Jesus from the dead. After forty days He ascended into heaven in the presence of 500 witnesses. God has seated Him at the right hand of authority and has given Him a kingdom that will never end.