What is the meaning of Leviticus 25:48? He retains the right of redemption • God never lets poverty erase worth. Even after an Israelite became a servant, “he retains the right of redemption” (Leviticus 25:48). The Lord built a safety valve into His law so no child of Abraham stayed trapped forever. • Elsewhere the same principle appears: “If one of your countrymen becomes poor and sells part of his property, his nearest relative is to come and redeem what his countryman has sold” (Leviticus 25:25). Jeremiah practiced it when he “bought the field… according to the word of the LORD” (Jeremiah 32:7-8). Boaz did so for Naomi in Ruth 4:4-10. • For believers today, this right foreshadows Christ’s work: “In Him we have redemption through His blood” (Ephesians 1:7). After he has sold himself • The phrase admits harsh reality: someone “sells himself” when debt overwhelms him—an act permitted but regulated by God (Leviticus 25:39-40). • Scripture never applauds exploitation; instead it protects the vulnerable. Servitude was limited to six years (Deuteronomy 15:12-15) and came with humane treatment. • Examples surface in daily life: the widow’s sons risked being taken as bond-servants (2 Kings 4:1), and Jesus used a similar image in His parable of the unmerciful servant (Matthew 18:25). • The Lord’s message is clear: earthly desperation never cancels heavenly dignity. One of his brothers may redeem him • Redemption required a “brother”—the nearest kinsman (goel)—to pay the price (Leviticus 25:49). Family ties created obligation and opportunity. • Boaz embodied this heart when he told Ruth, “I will do for you whatever you request” (Ruth 2:12, 4:9-10). • Ultimately the pattern points to Jesus, “both the One who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are of the same family” (Hebrews 2:11-12). By sharing our humanity, He qualified as our Brother-Redeemer: “God sent His Son… to redeem those under the Law” (Galatians 4:4-5). • The price? “You were redeemed… with the precious blood of Christ” (1 Peter 1:18-19). Our eternal emancipation rests on His paid-in-full ransom. summary Leviticus 25:48 assures that no Israelite, once reduced to servitude, was ever beyond hope. God secured three truths: the servant still possessed a legal claim to freedom, his initial poverty did not nullify that claim, and a qualified brother could act in love to buy him back. Together, these truths anticipate the gospel, where Jesus, our closest Kin, steps in, pays the full cost, and restores us to the liberty God always intended. |
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