The True Redeemer - August 2

Read Isaiah 44:22

“I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud and your sins like mist; return to me, for I have redeemed you.”

Reflect

Have you ever tried to “redeem” yourself? Why doesn’t that work?

Have you ever messed up big time and tried to “redeem” yourself? When we sin, we can sometimes feel like we need to step up our game and do some good works to outweigh the bad we just did.

But that’s not how it works with Jesus. Yes, I should confess my sin and apologize. Yes, I should always seek to be obedient to the Lord and do good works rather than bad works, of course. And yes, I should always repent and do a 180 away from my sin. But I can’t make up for my sin. The penalty for my sin isn’t community service, it’s death (Romans 6:23). Besides, next to the pure holiness of God, all of my good deeds are like filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). I am unclean and I can’t get the stains out.

I can’t redeem myself. I need a redeemer. I need someone else to pay the price for my sin. Someone pure and clean and holy. Someone like Jesus.

As we’ve studied the book of Ruth together, we’ve seen how Boaz is a type of Christ. He was the kinsman-redeemer Naomi and Ruth needed. But we’ve also seen how the Lord was the true Redeemer all throughout the book. He was the One working behind the scenes. He was sovereign over the famine that drove Naomi’s family to Moab. He knew Ruth would be there and marry Mahlon. He knew that Naomi’s husband and sons would die. He knew that Ruth would be faithful to go with Naomi. He made sure that Ruth would end up in Boaz’s field. He ensured that Boaz would care for Ruth. He made sure the nearer kinsman would just “happen” by the city gate that day and He knew that the other man would decline to be the redeemer. Finally, He enabled Ruth to conceive a son, an heir. Over and over again, we see God faithfully working in Naomi and Ruth’s life to make sure they “just so happened” to be redeemed.

But even greater than that, from Boaz’s line, Jesus Christ would come as the Redeemer that we all needed. We need someone perfectly sinless and we have that in Christ. There is no make-up work for our sin. We can’t fix our own brokenness or forgive our own wrongs. But Christ can. He can fix our brokenness and He can forgive our sin. But we have to repent. We have to return to our Creator and confess that we have sinned against Him. Then, we have trust in His work on the cross on our behalf.

He paid the debt our sin had accumulated. He bought us back to God with His blood. He set us free from the power of sin and death on the cross. He redeemed us because we could not redeem ourselves.

I love the song “The Power of the Cross” by Keith and Krysten Getty. I encourage you to look it up today and be reminded that the power of the cross is redemption for you and for me. One of the verses says, “O, to see my name written in the wounds, for through your suffering I am free. Death is crushed to death, life is mine to live, won through your selfless love! This the power of the cross: Son of God slain for us. What a love! What a cost! We stand forgiven at the cross.”

Respond

Lord, thank You for being my Redeemer. Thank You for going to the cross to pay the price that I deserved to pay. Thank You for blotting out my transgressions and forgiving my sin. What an incredible love to pay such a high cost to be my Redeemer! I am forever grateful and forever Yours. Amen.

Reveal

Tell someone the good news of the power of the cross of Christ. Let them know that they have Redeemer in Jesus.