The Cost of Freedom
Redeemer: A Hebrew Word Study גֹּאֵל (Go’el)
By Melissa, Hebrew Teacher
Over hamburgers, Tim[1] shared with us his struggles with substance abuse, his trouble with aggressive drug dealers who threatened his family, and the violent thoughts he was battling. Entangled and tormented, he knew he was incapable of freeing himself. Tim feared his life trajectory led straight to prison. In desperation they had come to a church service that morning.
That is where we met Tim. On a memorable summer day, my husband and I felt the Lord prompting us to invite him and his girlfriend back to our house for a barbeque. And to our surprise, they agreed!
There, in our backyard, we had the privilege of sharing the Good News with them. Both Tim and his girlfriend decided to give their lives to Jesus under that sunny sky. They repented and asked God for forgiveness and freedom from their destructive life choices. Tim was instantly set free from his cocaine and nicotine addictions, along with the violent, murderous thoughts that had plagued him.
His extended family saw such a sudden and drastic change in Tim that most also came to faith in Jesus in the following months. They knew God must be real since He had changed Tim so much.
It’s more difficult for those who do not see themselves as a slave to value an offer for freedom. Tim knew he was enslaved to drugs and saw so clearly Jesus act as his strong Redeemer. Even if we are not addicts, all of us, apart from the Lord, are under the power of sin and death and in need of rescuing.
If you grew up in Sunday school, sometimes words like “Redeemer” sound so familiar. Yet, we can struggle to know what they actually mean for our real walk with God.
The Hebrew word for “Redeemer” is גֹּאֵל [Go’el]. It is a form of the Hebrew verb Ga’al – גָּאַל to redeem – which means to “buy back.”[2]
The necessity of redemption is a hugely significant theme woven throughout the breadth of the Bible. We encounter the concept of “Go’el” in the book of Leviticus, chapter 25:47–49, that a person can be “bought back” out of slavery. It reads:
[If]…a countryman of yours becomes so poor…as to sell himself to a stranger who is sojourning with you, or to the descendants of a stranger’s family, then he shall have redemption right after he has been sold. One of his brothers may redeem him, or his uncle, or his uncle’s son, may redeem him, or one of his blood relatives from his family may redeem him....”
This is wonderful news! Even if you found yourself destitute and sold into slavery, there is the possibility for a family member to “buy back your freedom” – you are not left hopeless or helpless.
We see this concept of a Go’el, “Kinsman Redeemer,” beautifully played out in the book of Ruth. Ruth and her mother-in-law Naomi are widowed and poverty-stricken, but all hope is not lost. The relative of Ruth’s late husband, Boaz, takes compassion on her. And in accordance with the laws of Leviticus, he redeems her and marries her. This is actually the lineage of Jesus the Messiah, as King David’s great grandmother was Ruth!
Ruth 4:14–15a reads:
“Then the women said to Naomi, ‘Blessed is THE LORD who has not left you without a Go’el today, and may his name become famous in Israel. May he also be to you a restorer of life and a sustainer of your old age.’”
Sometimes, based on our modern, western worldview, we can mistakenly view “freedom” as independence from anyone else. However, Boaz did not just redeem Ruth and then abandon her or send her off on her own. Rather, the redemption was the beginning of their intimate union and family life. Biblically, a Kinsman Redeemer, like Boaz, “buys back” their destitute, estranged relative to “belong” to the family again and to be under their care. A beautiful picture of what Jesus has done to bring us into right relationship with our Heavenly Father!
We also see this concept of Go’el in Exodus 6:6–7a, where God chooses to save and redeem the Hebrew people from their slavery in Egypt:
“Say, therefore, to the sons of Israel, ‘I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from their bondage. I will also redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. Then I will take you for My people, and I will be your God.’”
Again and again, throughout Jewish history the Lord acted as their Go’el, buying Israel back out of slavery.
“So He became their Savior. In all their affliction He was afflicted, and the Angel of His Presence saved them; In His love and in His mercy He redeemed them and He lifted them and carried them all the days of old” (Isaiah 63:8b–9).
From the pages of the Old Testament we are promised that the coming Messiah would be a special kind of Go’el. Both fully God and fully man, Jesus was sinless in every way. Every year at Passover the Jewish people remember when a spotless lamb was sacrificed to preserve life. Jesus was the perfect sacrifice to be able to accomplish our full atonement once and for all, and to even conquer death, the consequence of sin, in the process.
In the book of 1 Peter, chapter 1:18–20, we read how Jesus achieved our redemption by His work on the cross.
“…knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Messiah. For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.”
Do we realize our own inability to “redeem” ourselves through effort or good works? It is impossible to be “righteous enough” by our own merit. Our freedom is directly linked to the redemption of Jesus as our “Go’el” – the Passover Lamb.[3] Now, if we have accepted His free gift of salvation, we belong to Him – for we were bought at a price.
“But now, thus says the Lord, your Creator, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel, ‘Do not fear, for I have redeemed you, I have called you by name; you are Mine! When you pass through the waters, I will be with you…For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior’” (Isaiah 43:1–3a).
Jesus paid the full price for our Redemption – in Him and only Him is anyone truly redeemed. We are free indeed in the Messiah!
Over a decade has passed since our first eventful meal with Tim. He married his girlfriend, and they are now wonderful parents, living transformed and redeemed lives. His passion for the Lord is contagious because he knows his Redeemer is strong, capable, and alive!
What a privilege to have played a small part in God’s plans for Tim. When I think back to that moment when we decided to invite them to our home for lunch, I’m embarrassed to remember some of the thoughts that went through my head – excuses for why it wasn’t the right moment to host strangers.
“As for me, I know that my Go’el lives, and at the last He will take His stand on the earth!” (Job 19:25).
Written by guest blogger, Melissa, Hebrew Teacher
The next time the Lord prompts you to go, give, invite, help, pray, share, or speak, what will your response be? Will you be available to Him?
Bio: Melissa is an experienced Hebrew Teacher, passionate about making the riches of the Hebrew language accessible to everyone. Her new online “Explore Hebrew” Courses for Beginners are a unique combination of Biblical and Modern Hebrew taught from a Christian perspective. In 2024, Melissa is offering friends of Life in Messiah a $40 off discount with coupon code “LIFE40” plus a further $30 donation will be made to Life in Messiah for each use of the coupon code. Click here to enroll: https://explorehebrew.thinkific.com/courses/Beginners
Endnotes:
[1] Name is changed to respect privacy.
[2] Other words in this same family of Hebrew word, with shared root letters, include “redemption” – גְּאֻלָּה ge’ulah and the verb meaning “to be redeemed/bought back/rescued” – נִגְאַל nig’al.
[3] 1 Corinthians 5:7.