Love God. Love People. Russell L. Meek is a professor, writer, and editor. Latest VideoArticlesBooks Love God. Love People. Russell L. Meek is a professor, writer, and editor. Latest VideoArticlesBooks Newsletter Sign up and get a free chapter of my upcoming book about how the Old Testament saved my faith Name* First Last Email* EmailThis field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Latest Articles All Articles Fathom Magazine What Is a Kinsman Redeemer in Ruth (and the Rest of the Old Testament)? A quick reading of the book of Ruth answers this question: a kinsman redeemer is the person who gets folks out of trouble. In Ruth’s story that’s Boaz, the true Israelite (and maybe the only real white hat in the whole Old Testament) who demonstrates covenant faithfulness during one of Israel’s most dark and violent periods: “the days of the judges” (Ruth 1:1). Other parts of the Old Testament describe more fully the role of the kinsman redeemer, painting for us a picture of a human representative who mirrors Yahweh himself by advocating the most vulnerable people in society, ideally ensuring justice and protection for those who need it most. Russ Meek February 27, 2023 Fathom Magazine Cain, Abel, and the World Turned Upside Down My youngest son is named Abel, so you can imagine the horror I experienced when I looked out the window one day to see his older brother, just shy of three years… Russ Meek March 29, 2022 Fathom Magazine Creation, Ancient Near Eastern Context, and the Meaning of Genesis 1 I wasn’t a Christian in eighth grade, but I didn’t let that stop me from agonizing over the eternal destiny of Mr. Upshaw, my science teacher. If you grew up in evangelical… Russ Meek January 4, 2022 Christ in the Old Testament: The Meaning of Genesis 3:15 for Reading and Interpreting the Old Testament Christologically from Genesis to the Prophets The Old Testament speaks most of all of God’s outrageous plan to send a head crusher who would defeat the serpent who tempted our ancestors. Russ Meek January 22, 2021 “In the Image of God He Made Them”: How Genesis 1:27 Challenges Sexual Abuse and Misogyny in the Church Denying the image of God in all humans reduces people to things and creates a straight line to abuse, because at the root of abuse is the de-personing of a person. Russ Meek November 17, 2020 Timeline of Ezra and Nehemiah Lots of strange names, foreign rulers, and two books (originally one!) that are not always in chronological order? This timeline may help sort through the Persian rulers, Jewish leaders, and events in… Russ Meek November 13, 2020 Credo Magazine Human Suffering and God’s Sovereignty in the Book of Job The book of Job teaches that we must make room for God’s sovereignty and divine mystery in our quest to understand human suffering. Russ Meek November 11, 2020 Angry Enough to Die, or What Jonah Taught Me about Forgiveness Jonah was “angry enough to die.” So was I when my family’s abuser sought reconciliation and forgiveness. This is a small part of my story of forgiveness and the role Jonah played in it. Russ Meek October 23, 2020 The Suzerain Vassal Treaty (Covenant) in the Old Testament The covenant God established with Israel at Mount Sinai bears the marks of a suzerain vassal treaty (covenant), a somewhat common treaty form in the ancient Near East. Russ Meek October 14, 2020 Fictive Kinship: What It Is and How It Impacts our Understanding of the Gospel God is my Father, and thus he is responsible to take care of me (just like he does the lilies of the field and birds of the air, as Jesus reminds us). And it means I have a responsibility to love, cherish, and obey God. Russ Meek September 30, 2020 Love Is the Fulfillment of the Law (What’s that mean, anyway?) Love, then, is not about an emotional disposition; it is about acting in a certain way toward others—a way that is consistent with the commandments laid out in the Law. Russ Meek September 17, 2020 Religious Ritualism and Idolatry in Malachi The prophets warned Judah repeatedly that their idolatry—looking to things other than God for their safety, satisfaction, and fulfillment—would end badly. And because the vertical relationship between God and the people was broken by idolatry, the horizontal relationship between people also suffered greatly. Russ Meek September 11, 2020 4 Reasons to Preach Christ from the Old Testament (Christ in the Old Testament) The Christocentric sermon will lead us to obey God because God has already established a relationship with him, not in order to establish that relationship through law keeping. Russ Meek September 11, 2020 See All Articles Books All Books Ecclesiastes: A Participatory Study Guide Russell L. Meek BuyAbout the Book A Classified Bibliography on Ecclesiastes Russell L. Meek David J. H. Beldman Order from AmazonAbout the Book Ecclesiastes and the Search for Meaning in and Upside-Down World Order on AmazonAbout the Book A Book-by-book Guide to Biblical Hebrew Vocabulary William R. Osborne Russell L. Meek BuyAbout the Book Latest Video Subscribe on YouTube Mystery, God’s Sovereignty, and Suffering in the Book of Job October 27, 2020 Watch Watch Mystery, God’s Sovereignty, and Suffering in the Book of Job October 27, 2020 More Videos
Fathom Magazine What Is a Kinsman Redeemer in Ruth (and the Rest of the Old Testament)? A quick reading of the book of Ruth answers this question: a kinsman redeemer is the person who gets folks out of trouble. In Ruth’s story that’s Boaz, the true Israelite (and maybe the only real white hat in the whole Old Testament) who demonstrates covenant faithfulness during one of Israel’s most dark and violent periods: “the days of the judges” (Ruth 1:1). Other parts of the Old Testament describe more fully the role of the kinsman redeemer, painting for us a picture of a human representative who mirrors Yahweh himself by advocating the most vulnerable people in society, ideally ensuring justice and protection for those who need it most. Russ Meek February 27, 2023
Fathom Magazine Cain, Abel, and the World Turned Upside Down My youngest son is named Abel, so you can imagine the horror I experienced when I looked out the window one day to see his older brother, just shy of three years… Russ Meek March 29, 2022
Fathom Magazine Creation, Ancient Near Eastern Context, and the Meaning of Genesis 1 I wasn’t a Christian in eighth grade, but I didn’t let that stop me from agonizing over the eternal destiny of Mr. Upshaw, my science teacher. If you grew up in evangelical… Russ Meek January 4, 2022
Christ in the Old Testament: The Meaning of Genesis 3:15 for Reading and Interpreting the Old Testament Christologically from Genesis to the Prophets The Old Testament speaks most of all of God’s outrageous plan to send a head crusher who would defeat the serpent who tempted our ancestors. Russ Meek January 22, 2021
“In the Image of God He Made Them”: How Genesis 1:27 Challenges Sexual Abuse and Misogyny in the Church Denying the image of God in all humans reduces people to things and creates a straight line to abuse, because at the root of abuse is the de-personing of a person. Russ Meek November 17, 2020
Timeline of Ezra and Nehemiah Lots of strange names, foreign rulers, and two books (originally one!) that are not always in chronological order? This timeline may help sort through the Persian rulers, Jewish leaders, and events in… Russ Meek November 13, 2020
Credo Magazine Human Suffering and God’s Sovereignty in the Book of Job The book of Job teaches that we must make room for God’s sovereignty and divine mystery in our quest to understand human suffering. Russ Meek November 11, 2020
Angry Enough to Die, or What Jonah Taught Me about Forgiveness Jonah was “angry enough to die.” So was I when my family’s abuser sought reconciliation and forgiveness. This is a small part of my story of forgiveness and the role Jonah played in it. Russ Meek October 23, 2020
The Suzerain Vassal Treaty (Covenant) in the Old Testament The covenant God established with Israel at Mount Sinai bears the marks of a suzerain vassal treaty (covenant), a somewhat common treaty form in the ancient Near East. Russ Meek October 14, 2020
Fictive Kinship: What It Is and How It Impacts our Understanding of the Gospel God is my Father, and thus he is responsible to take care of me (just like he does the lilies of the field and birds of the air, as Jesus reminds us). And it means I have a responsibility to love, cherish, and obey God. Russ Meek September 30, 2020
Love Is the Fulfillment of the Law (What’s that mean, anyway?) Love, then, is not about an emotional disposition; it is about acting in a certain way toward others—a way that is consistent with the commandments laid out in the Law. Russ Meek September 17, 2020
Religious Ritualism and Idolatry in Malachi The prophets warned Judah repeatedly that their idolatry—looking to things other than God for their safety, satisfaction, and fulfillment—would end badly. And because the vertical relationship between God and the people was broken by idolatry, the horizontal relationship between people also suffered greatly. Russ Meek September 11, 2020
4 Reasons to Preach Christ from the Old Testament (Christ in the Old Testament) The Christocentric sermon will lead us to obey God because God has already established a relationship with him, not in order to establish that relationship through law keeping. Russ Meek September 11, 2020
