My Redeemer Lives
October 28th, 2008
Scripture:
“I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth.” Job 19:25
Observation:
In biblical times, a redeemer was someone who rescued a victim from poverty or slavery. For example, if a man became so poor that he had to sell his property to pay his debts, his redeemer would buy it back for him (Leviticus 25:23–28). If anyone needed a redeemer, it was Job. The poor man had lost everything he had. He lost all these things, not because he was a sinner, but because he was righteous. God allowed Satan to torment Job in order to prove his faithfulness. But Job’s problem was that there was no one to redeem him, especially no one from his own family. "My kinsmen have gone away," he lamented (Job 19:14a). "I am loathsome to my own brothers" (Job 19:17b). Job was at the point of desperation, but rather than giving in to defeat, he made this awesome statement of faith: "I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth" (Job 19:25). The reason Job claimed that his Redeemer lived was because his living redeemer was and is the living God.
Application:
During Katrina I sat in disbelief as people were being rescued from rooftops and desperate situations. They’re lives were completely standing on the hope that someone was on the way to help. We all face a spiritual storm and are in desperate need of someone to save us. What is awesome about our situation is that Jesus came to save the day! John 3:16 proclaims that God sent his best to rescue us in our storm. He has rescued us from a terrible death, and he will continue to rescue us. 2 Corinthians 1:10 states, “Yes, he is the one on whom we have set our hope, and he will rescue us again.”
Prayer:
I finish with this verse of one of my favorite hymns.
I know that My Redeemer Lives in 1st Person
Samuel Medley, 1738-1799
Dear Lord, Thank you that:
You live and grant me daily breath;
You live, and I shall conquer death:
You live my mansion to prepare;
You live to bring me safely there. Amen
— Kenny Hardin, congregational care pastor