BibleProject | Redemption in the Biblical Storyഉദാഹരണം

Redemption From Deadly Distress

We have seen how redemption can involve an exchange of payment or restoration back to the family. But today, we look at how the biblical authors can also use the term redemption to reference any kind of rescue from a dangerous situation.

The Psalms describe how God rescues humans from danger. In Psalm 55:16-19, the psalmist, overwhelmed by cruel enemies, cries out for rescue. In response, God redeems the psalmist from harm.

However, Psalm 49 raises the problem that even when someone is redeemed, they will inevitably still face death. The psalmist invites readers to consider human life as infinitely valuable and priceless—no redemption payment or ransom is adequate to preserve a life for eternity (Ps. 49:7-9). Yet the psalmist expresses hope that God will “surely” preserve his life from the power of death (Ps. 49:15), expressing the belief that God alone can provide lasting redemption from death.

The biblical hope that God will rescue our world from death and ruin is founded on the exodus story. We saw in our Day 1 reading how God acted to redeem the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, bringing them back into his family by rescuing them from the dangerous, deadly situation of slavery in Egypt.

Reflection Exercises:

• Does the concept of redemption as rescue fit well with what you’ve already understood about redemption in the Bible, or does it challenge your previous understanding? If so, how?