“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,” Ephesians 1:7
A few years back, an acquaintance of mine had his car impounded for unpaid parking tickets. My friend was instructed that if he wanted his car back, he had to come to the police station and pay the outstanding parking tickets plus a fine. He said he had never been so humiliated as when he was paying his debt to receive his vehicle back.
The Bible talks a lot about redemption. What is redemption? Why do we, as human beings, need it? How is it accomplished? What are the results of redemption in our lives?
The biblical definition of redemption is the paying of a price to buy something back that the purchaser might regain possession of the property. It is much like my friend, who "redeemed" his car by paying the price. Scripture teaches us that we are God's possession because He created us, but that through Adam's fall, we became captives to sin, under the influence and power of the devil. Because of the fall into sin, we became "children of man" (Genesis 11:5) and "children of the devil" (John 8:44). Redemption for humankind comes by the cross of Jesus Christ, where He redeemed us and bought us back by paying the price. As we are redeemed, and we receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, we are then "given the right to become children of God" (John 1:12). He repurchased us, and as Christians, we are now the children of God again. These are the things we will study for the next three lessons.
Let's begin with a couple of Scriptures that will help us understand the meaning of redemption. In the Old Testament, God set forth a law concerning redeeming the firstborn of both animals and men.
“Every firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, or if you will not redeem it you shall break its neck. Every firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem.” Exodus 13:13
Question 1. What was the price of the donkey’s redemption according to Exodus 13:13?
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Question 2. What would happen to the donkey if the owner did not redeem it with a lamb?
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Under the Mosaic Law, the Israelites were required to redeem every firstborn donkey with a lamb. In other words, they were to pay the price of a lamb to acquire the donkey as their possession. However, if they did not redeem the donkey, then it had to be killed. The teaching to the Israelites was this: it was either redemption or death for the donkey. Either the lamb died to redeem the donkey, or the donkey died.
In the Old Testament command in Exodus 13, God was laying down the ground rules, teaching the requirements, and showing the results of redemption.
Here is another passage that teaches about redemption:
“Everything that opens the womb of all flesh, whether man or beast, which they offer to the LORD, shall be yours. Nevertheless, the firstborn of man you shall redeem, and the firstborn of unclean animals you shall redeem. 16 And their redemption price (at a month old you shall redeem them) you shall fix at five shekels in silver, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, which is twenty gerahs.” Numbers 18:15-16
Question 3. What was the "price for redemption" according to Numbers 18:16?
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