The speaker talks about their desperation. You have seen the depth of their vengeance, Lord, you have seen the wrong done to me. You heard my plea: “Do not close your ears You redeemed my life (Lamentations 3:55-60) Just imagine the party creation will throw when the story of God’s redemption is made available to everyone on earth! 4. Paul tells us that “the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.” (Romans 8:22). Israel’s redemption causes creation to respond in celebration and joy because the Lord’s glory is revealed in His redemption. Pay special attention to the second part of this passage. Despite what seems to be a never-ending cycle of disobedience, God continues to forgive and redeem them from their enemies. Through the prophet, God reminds Israel of His mercy. Sing for joy, you heavens, for the Lord has done this I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, Return to me, for I have redeemed you (Isaiah 44:21-23) The redeemed begin to resemble their Creator, and in their uprightness, people witness the goodness of God. This is one reason that redemption is so critical. God’s works and words are not only established forever in His character but also in ours. The very next Psalm tells us that the righteousness of the upright endures forever (Psalm 112:3). What exactly does that mean? Are these things found in God’s consistent faithfulness? Yes! But there’s more. The works of the Lord’s hands and the words He has spoken are established in faithfulness and uprightness. Psalm 111 tells us that not only are the things God does faithful and true but also His law is trustworthy. The works of his hands are faithful and just He has shown his people the power of his works, He provided redemption for His people (Psalm 111:6-9) God has undoubtedly redeemed us from the hand of the foe, and others’ redemption happens when the “redeemed of the Lord tell their story.” In essence, this is what it means to fulfill the Great Commission. “Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death-that is, the devil-and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death” (Hebrews 2:14-15). John tells us that the reason Jesus appeared was to “destroy the works of the devil.” The writer of Hebrews communicates it this way: It’s important to recognize how these two verses can be read in light of the redemption that Jesus offers. Jesus told us that the enemy comes only to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10), and that destruction manifests itself in many ways-and God can deliver from all of them. Thus, throughout the Old Testament, we watch God’s people fall into cycles of disobedience, occupation among foreign adversaries, and eventual salvation by God’s hand.īut Psalm 107 also talks about God’s redemption from desert wanderings, slavery, shipwreck, famine, and drought. Those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,įrom east and west, from north and south.įor the Israelites, redemption was experienced in relation to enemies. Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story. Let the redeemed tell their story (Psalm 107:2-3) Let’s examine a dozen key biblical passages about redemption. For redemption to work in the grand scheme of things, it needs to operate on an individual basis, too. We see Abraham, Moses, and David all commit sins and witness their repentance and redemption. The Bible doesn’t simply tell the tale of humanity’s redemption in the abstract but it also gives us individual tales of redemption. But throughout the narrative, we see how God is constantly in the redemption business. On a macro level, it’s the story of humanity’s fall, our broken relationship with our Creator, and then God’s plan for reconciliation and redemption. In many ways, the Bible is a story of redemption. Something’s broken-and we desperately want to know it can be redeemed. And looking at the world around us, it’s easy to see that things aren’t the way they’re supposed to be. And even though we all typically know what we should do, we often choose to do the exact opposite. Each story pulls you in with the hope that the protagonist can do something to mend or maybe even build upon that experience.ĭid you ever think that we gravitate towards these kinds of stories because it represents our deepest desire? Every one of us has experienced or even carried out betrayals. Maybe it’s something they did, or perhaps it’s something that was done to them. Our movies, literature, and folklore focus heavily on someone trying to make up for a mistake or tragedy in their past.
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