Scripture spends considerable time showing the significance of blood; how, without the shedding of blood, sin cannot be forgiven. “Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins” (Heb. 9:22, Revised Standard Version).

The Bible teaches that the life is in the blood (Lev. 17:11), so the shedding of blood refers graphically and realistically to the loss of life. Life is destroyed by the loss of blood.

Jesus Christ became human flesh and blood to die for our sins. He shed His blood—lost His life—in payment for our sins and the sins of all mankind. He did so to redeem us from slavery and death, from the power and control of Satan—the evil Pharaoh of spiritual Egypt. “And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour: And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in mortar, and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field: all their service, wherein they made them serve, was with rigour” (Exod. 1:13-14). That is a type of our bondage to sin from, which Christ’s sacrifice delivered us.

The Scriptures contain a physical parallel to what Jesus Christ fulfilled spiritually, which we can learn from to better understand His sacrifice for us. This will help us understand the God family and Jesus Christ’s role as firstborn Son better.

Revenger of Blood

“And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come over Jordan into the land of Canaan; Then ye shall appoint you cities to be cities of refuge for you; that the slayer may flee thither, which killeth any person at unawares. And they shall be unto you cities for refuge from the avenger; that the manslayer die not, until he stand before the congregation in judgment. … And if he smite him with an instrument of iron, so that he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death. … The revenger of blood himself shall slay the murderer: when he meeteth him, he shall slay him” (Num. 35:9-12, 16, 19).

There were no prisons in ancient Israel. Executions we see here were done by “the revenger of blood” of the victim’s family. This was someone sent by the father of the home to redeem or avenge his brother or family member—to pay whatever price, to suffer whatever discomfort. It was someone sent who would not return until he had accomplished the job, no matter how long or hard. He would never quit, never cease, never forget, until that member of the family was released, or until that member of the family was redeemed or avenged, even if it meant going into Egypt and facing Pharaoh himself. It was a matter of law, a matter of honor, a matter of dignity, a matter of family, a matter of love.

The family member with this special job was called the ga’al. That’s the Hebrew word for revenger in Numbers 35. Nelson’s Bible Dictionary describes this as, “Redeemer: One who frees or delivers another from difficulty, danger, or bondage, usually by the payment of a ransom price.” According to Strong’s Concordance, ga’al means,“to redeem (according to the Oriental law of kinship), i.e. to be the next of kin (and as such to buy back a relative’s property, marry his widow, etc.) … avenger, deliver, perform the part of near, next kinsfolk, purchase, ransom, redeemer, revenger.”

The ga’al was a specific individual in the family. Not just anyone could do it. He was called the avenger, the redeemer—the redeemer of blood, of land, of debt. He had the greatest blessing in the family—a double portion—and the greatest responsibility to the family.

Actually, through the extended family there was a series of redeemers with varying degrees of proximity or close relationship to the person in need. The responsibility for a brother’s widow is found in Deuteronomy 25, for redeeming land in Leviticus 25. There were also laws for redeeming crops and animals. But the redeeming was normally handled by the family ga’al.

Our Redeemer

Ga’al is one of the titles of the God of the Old Testament. The first Bible personification of Redeemer as a title is found in the book of Job. Job refers to the God of the Old Testament:“For I know that my redeemer [ga’al ] liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth” (Job 19:25). Job prophesied that the God of the Old Testament, the Redeemer, would stand on Earth.

Psalm 19:14 states, “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer [ga’al ].” David was calling the Lord of the Old Testament his kin! Just as Job did. Family! The kin who was responsible for stepping in for him. David was calling the God of the Old Testament his closest relative and eldest brother—the one he could depend on as ga’al.

We can depend on God in the same way. “The Lordhear thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob defend thee; Send thee help from the sanctuary, and strengthen thee out of Zion” (Ps. 20:1-2).

“… O Israel, thou shalt not be forgotten of me. … [R]eturn unto me; for I have redeemed thee. Sing, O ye heavens; for the Lord hath done it: shout, ye lower parts of the earth: break forth into singing, ye mountains, O forest, and every tree therein: for the Lordhath redeemed Jacob, and glorified himself in Israel. Thus saith the Lord, thy redeemer [ga’al ], and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the Lordthat maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself” (Isa. 44:21-24). Christ created us and became our firstborn Brother, our ga’al.

Notice another verse in Isaiah that speaks of God in the way David did: “As for our redeemer, the Lord of hosts is his name, the Holy One of Israel” (Isa. 47:4). As ga’al for the Old Testa­ment church, the Lord of Hosts redeemed Israel from the Chaldeans.

New Testament Redeemer

Adam and Eve started out with the potential to inherit all things and failed to qualify. They lost their inheritance and died. All mankind went into slavery to sin and served Satan with no hope of eternal life.

Into this darkened world came the ga’al of the family—resolute, faithful and true—sent to redeem His brothers and sisters from impoverishment from suffering, from slavery and from death.

In the New Testament, the word redeemer is not used. However, redeem is used in context with Jesus Christ. “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works” (Titus 2:13-14).

Sin enslaves us (Rom. 6:16). Before our conversion, we were slaves to sin. Satan controlled us, just as Pharaoh controlled ancient Israel. His army of demons and the bands of sin were too much for us. But, as Titus 2 shows, Christ redeems us from all iniquity. As our ga’al, He came down into Egypt to deliver us. The anointed Savior has redeemed us—He paid an incomprehensible price. We are loosed from enslavement and are traveling toward the Promised Land, the resurrection.

“And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me. Foras­much then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil” (Heb. 2:13-14). Christ shared in death that He might destroy or nullify him who had the power of death and release us from bondage. This is our ga’al. He fulfilled His duty, paying the price it took to deliver us.

Understand the family nature of Christ’s ga’al role. We are citizens and children of the “household of God” (Eph. 2:18-19). The household of God is the Church of God (i Tim. 3:15). We are God’s household, His family!

Christ is the firstborn among many brethren (Rom. 8:29), our elder Brother in the family of God. As such, He has obligations in the family which He alone can fulfill. He alone can be the ga’al.

The Bible warns us not to take vengeance into our own hands. Why not? Because vengeance is Christ’s responsibility (Rom. 12:19). It is His right only, because He is the ga’al. Just as surely as He shed His blood to deliver us, He will also take vengeance on the wicked—have no doubt. But He will do it according to God’s law. It is not right for us to try to get even. As James states, “For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God” (James 1:20).

Our Final Redemption

Though we need redemption every time we sin, Ephesians 4:30 speaks of “the day of redemption”—our birth into God’s family. In this sense, our redemption will be finished by the Redeemer at the time appointed. In the day of redemption, our bodies will be changed in the twinkling of an eye (i Cor. 15:52)—changed from flesh to spirit, by birth into the family of God. When that is accomplished, then the redemption by the ga’al will be complete.

“That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory” (Eph. 1:12-14). The Holy Spirit within us is the testimony that we have a ga’al who will free us, deliver us, rescue us, redeem us and establish us in the family of God at the resurrection to eternal life.

Christ is our ga’al. The firstfruits are the first to be redeemed of all mankind. Christ redeems the Church from slavery to sin and to Satan. He redeems the Church from the debt of sin. He teaches the Church how to put sin out and put sincerity and truth in. And ultimately, He will redeem us by transforming us into radiant, spirit-born members of the household of God.