Defend my cause and redeem me; preserve my life according to your promise.
Psalm 119:154 (NIV)
Read: Psalm 119:153-160
Consider: The psalmist asks God’s to ‘redeem’ him. At first this might seem an odd word to use, when surely it would be more natural to ask God to save him, particularly in the case of facing enemies.
The dictionary gives a few meanings for the word ‘redeem’. Firstly, it means to ‘gain or regain possession of something in exchange for payment’. The Old Testament uses this meaning when it speaks of redeeming houses (Leviticus 25:29-31) and even people (Leviticus 25:54). Secondly, it means ‘the action of saving or being saved from sin, error, or evil’. The New Testament builds upon the OT idea of redemption as paying a price in exchange for something, and extends this to the concept of sin and the price that is paid being Jesus’ death on the cross in our place.
I will let New Testament scripture speak for itself.
… for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus (Romans 3:23-24).
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us (Ephesians 1:7-8).
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole’ (Galatians 3:13).
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 (1 Peter 1:18-19).
Pray: Father, we praise and thank you for the redemption you achieved for us by allowing your Son, Jesus Christ, to pay the price for our sin, thus cancelling the debt that we owed. May we live each day as the ‘redeemed of the Lord’. Amen
Every blessing
No Condemnation 