My earliest memory is of jumping into a swimming pool and realizing in midair that my dad was not in the water to catch me. The next second, I was watching shimmering bubbles race away from me toward the pool’s sunny surface. I remember grumbling to myself as I sank, “But I only know how to doggy paddle!”

My childish indignation shows how little I appreciated the gravity of that situation. I really could have died that day. Fortunately, my dad—who had been much more aware of me than I had been of him—noticed I was gone and jumped into the pool to rescue me. Soon after, I was out of the water, safe (though shaken), and spewing swallowed pool water onto an innocent bystander.

Years later, I learned a Hebrew word that perfectly encapsulates what happened to me that day—a word that also transformed my understanding of Jesus Christ, the God of the Old Testament.

I learned about the Hebrew word go’el from Dr. Gaye Strathearn, one of my former teachers. In the ancient world, go’el was a technical term referring to someone responsible for protecting an extended family. For example, if any family member gets captured in war and becomes a slave, the go’el will free them. If a family member gets into debt and loses their land, the go’el will help them pay the price to return.¹

Because the go’el could be a father, uncle, grandfather, or cousin, the King James Version of the Bible sometimes renders this word as “kinsman.” But a go’el isn’t just any family member. Like my dad in the story of my swimming pool misadventure, a go’el is the one responsible for rescuing his family. In English, the word that best captures the rescuing role of a go’el is “Redeemer.”²

This connection has opened my eyes to the expansiveness of Jehovah’s role as Redeemer of the World in two different ways.

In all ages, God has called prophets with the complementary purposes of witnessing “of Jesus Christ, testifying of Him as our Savior and Redeemer, …[and helping] us discern truth from error.”³ He called Old Testament prophets to reveal His character, attributes, and perfections to the people of their time, correcting culturally inaccurate perceptions through revelation.

To many of Israel’s ancient neighbors, gods were thought of as capricious, dangerous tyrants who you needed to appease to avoid calamity. These gods were seen as the source of sickness, natural disasters, and all other earthly woes. There was no sense of relationship or love; instead, worship often meant keeping your head down and hoping that your burnt offerings would keep the gods placated.

In this light, the revelation of a Go’el God is breathtaking. In a fallen world, Jehovah is the rescuer—the solution to mortal chaos, not the cause of it. When we are harmed by others’ misapplied agency, Jehovah is the one who comes to free us from that trauma. And when we sell ourselves (often repeatedly) to sin, Jehovah pays the price for our return.

Go’el reframes redemption as God’s family work: Jehovah rescues us because of who He is—the Redeemer of covenant Israel—and His love invites us to let Him heal and transform us. President Nelson described Christ’s commitment to this covenant family by teaching, “He will never tire in His efforts to help us, and we will never exhaust his merciful patience with us. … He will continue to work with [us] and offer … opportunities to change.”⁴

Because of its ancient context, each Old Testament story featuring a mortal go’el can help us better understand a redeemer’s role. Learning about these (lowercase r) redeemers and their families can teach us about the (uppercase R) Redeemer of the entire human family.

For example, consider a lesser-known story in this week’s scripture block for Come, Follow Me. It’s the story of Abraham⁵ and Lot:

• Background. In Genesis 12 (and Abraham 1–2), Abraham and his nephew Lot take their families and servants to make a new life in Canaan. Although modern readers might miss it, the fact that Abraham is the uncle signals his status as the go’el for both halves of the extended family.
• Breakup. When Abraham’s servants and Lot’s servants start some strife (Genesis 13:5–7), Abraham the peacemaker offers Lot the first pick of the land. They part ways, with Lot eventually taking residence in a city called Sodom (14:12)—a decision that many readers probably recognize as problematic.
• Bad News. Calamity strikes. The king of Sodom starts a fight with an enemy king, but when the king of Sodom flees, the enemy king sacks the city, taking its goods and abducting its people, including Lot and his household.
• Redemption. Even though Lot was the one who left, Abraham gathers his forces, chases down the enemy army, smites them, and brings back Lot, Lot’s goods, and Lot’s family.
• Resolution. Lot has been rescued, but how does he respond to his redemption? Tragically, rather than remaining with Abraham, he returns to Sodom. In Genesis 18–19, we find Lot sitting at the city gates while Abraham is doing all he can to intercede, trying to save Lot’s life again.

There are probably countless lessons we could draw about our Eternal Redeemer by studying this story, but these three stood out to me:

• The Lord Knows Us. Even after Lot left Abraham, Abraham stayed aware of Lot and his needs. In the same way, even when we or those we love turn our backs on the Lord, He, as our Redeemer, remains aware of us and our needs.
• Our Redemption Isn’t Earned. Abraham didn’t redeem Lot because Lot earned it. He redeemed Lot because they were family. In the same way, Jesus does not deliver us because we have paid a price in good works or penitence. He redeems us because we are family and always will be.
• We Can Choose Whether to Stay. Lot’s choice wasn’t whether he would be redeemed; it was whether he would stay with Abraham or return to Sodom. In the same way, Christ will redeem all of us from physical death to bring us back into God’s presence. But individually, we are given the choice of whether to stay in His presence through faith, repentance, and making and keeping covenants.⁶ In this sense, redemption isn’t our choice to return to Him, as much as it is our chance to change through His atoning power and to remain with Him (see 2 Nephi 2:26–27).
  

As in many stories of redemption, my undignified extraction from the swimming pool was not the end of my story but the beginning. That same summer, my dad signed me up for swimming lessons. He had already saved my life, but this was an opportunity for me to grow.

With his consistent support, I learned and lost my fear of the water, and in time, swimming became an absolute joy. And although I didn’t notice it at the time, in the process, I became a little more like the one who redeemed me.

Likewise, redemption in Christ is a beginning for us all, an invitation to a new life in which we get to try again (and again) to become like the one who redeemed us.

As you read the Old Testament this year, I hope you will see Jehovah repeatedly interceding on behalf of His people—both as the Lord reaching out to people who don’t seem to fully “deserve” or “earn” redemption and through the roles of mortal redeemers, such as Jeremiah, Hosea, Esther, Ruth, and Boaz. May recognizing how He serves as Go’el grow your confidence in His infinite grace, power, and love.

More articles for you:
▶ Shining a light on Sarah’s remarkable role in the Abrahamic covenant
▶ Pres. Oaks’s life shows us it’s never too late for gospel learning
▶ 6 foundational truths we know because of the book of Moses

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Notes
1. Paraphrased from Gaye Strathearn, “Old Testament: Episode 24–Ruth, 1 Samuel 1–3 – Part 1,” Follow Him (0:44:10). See also Gaye Strathearn and Angela Cothran, “Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz: Borders, Relationships, Law, and Ḥesed,” in A Covenant of Compassion: Caring for the Marginalized and Disadvantaged in the Old Testament (p. 163–190).
2. This means that when we sing “I Know That My Redeemer Lives” or close our testimonies in the name of “our Redeemer, Jesus Christ,” we are referring to something very precise. We are talking about One who is responsible for showing up and rescuing His family members from trouble.
3. “The Message of the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” Preach My Gospel.
4. Russell M. Nelson, “The Everlasting Covenant,” Liahona, Oct. 2022.
5. Technically, this is the prophet Abram, whose name is later changed to Abraham. See Genesis 17:5.
6. Dr. Brad Wilcox explained the idea of staying in His presence this way, “The more I understand this wonderful plan of redemption, the more I realize that in the final judgment it will not be the unrepentant sinner begging Jesus, ‘Let me stay.’ No, he will probably be saying, ‘Get me out of here!’ Knowing Christ’s character, I believe that if anyone is going to be begging on that occasion, it would probably be Jesus begging the unrepentant sinner, ‘Please, choose to stay. Please, use my Atonement—not just to be cleansed but to be changed so that you want to stay.’ The miracle of the Atonement is not just that we can go home but that—miraculously—we can feel at home there” (“His Grace Is Sufficient,” BYU Speeches).