To redeem means to save, to buy back, to recover, to make good. All of us need redemption no matter how good we think we are. We cannot buy our redemption. We do not redeem things by our own balancing of the books in the way we see things.
We all need redemption rather than condemnation to function in this crazy mixed up world. We need the hope that the things that have been squandered by our own doings can be redeemed. As victorious as King David was in his military exploits he did lose one battle. He didn’t lose because he was on the losing side, but by not being present at all in the battle.
While he was fighting a battle on one front the enemy had deployed part of their forces to capture David’s own town where he left his family unprotected. When he returned home he was deeply grieved to learn his wife and family had been taken captive.
David prayed that God would help him to redeem the situation. David fought the Amalekite army from dusk till the next day. He recovered everything, people and plunder (I Samuel 30:17-19). All throughout David’s colorful and hard life he experienced God’s redemption, no wonder he called God his redeemer.
Like David we can ask for God’s redemption as well. God is an expert in redemption, it’s his idea.
In Les Miserables, Jon Val Jean experienced an unearned forgiveness from a priest he had never met before that life changing night. The priest prophetically told John to use the silver he had stolen from him to redeem others. This was not a payback to redeem neither himself nor a balancing of the scales of past sins, but a passionate heart response to God’s utterly amazing grace.
John Val Jean’s heart had been changed from the inside. He was a transformed man. He was different now. His heart never forgot how a gracious person pointed him to a God who was big enough to redeem his past sins. He was eternally grateful to God for his redemption.
The gospel or “good news” of Jesus is that we can be and have been redeemed. Each and every one of our sad stories can be redeemed and that God’s will for us is in an ultimate celebration not going condemnation.
God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing condemning finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help (redeem), to put the world right again (that’s you and me). John 3:17 The Message. Thank God for His redemption!
From the redemption seen from Abraham to Isaiah’s prophetic suffering servant Messiah (Isaiah 51:7-10) to the glorious cross we see Gods unmerited grace abound. After Job prayed for his miserable comforters the Lord redeemed his life, “The Lord made him prosperous again and gave him twice as much as he had before. The Lord blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the first.”
Job 42:10-12.
For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. I Peter 1:18-19
Oh, may we never forget the depth of this truth. Lord, help us to be mindful to show grace to others not knowing how You will use our redemptive acts of kindness to others.
With Hope,
Mark
mark@startingoverworkshops.com
