Being purchased in the Old Testament

[taylor510ce]

Mike,

I was reading today in Exodus 15, and here's what it said...

“You have gled in your steadfast love the people whom hyou have redeemed;
you have iguided them by your strength to your holy abode.
14 jThe peoples have heard; they tremble;
pangs have seized the inhabitants of Philistia.
15 Now are the chiefs of Edom kdismayed;
trembling seizes the leaders of lMoab;
mall the inhabitants of Canaan have melted away.
16 Terror and ndread fall upon them;
because of the greatness of your arm, they are still oas a stone,
till your people, O Lord, pass by,
till the people pass by whom pyou have purchased.

Two references that I have a question about.. "redeemed" and "purchased."

I know that we see in the new testament that we are redeemed by the blood of Christ. By putting our faith in Him, we are made right with God. And I also can understand that Christ's death paid the price, or "made the purchase" of our souls when we put our faith in him and are saved (c.f. Romans 10). But in the OT, how did God redeem his people without the sacrifice of Christ? How were they purchased apart from the blood of Christ?

journeying on... ;D

[Mike Miller]

Hey, dude, when you copy and paste, go back and take out the reference notes, and the text will be easier to read ;-)

The word for redeem (ga'al) in Exodus 15:13 has for its root the idea of the kinsman redeemer (go'el), and it could take on the idea of delivering or rescuing. So, this carries the idea that God rescued them from the hands of the Egyptians. "Purchased" (qana) in verse 16 can also carry the same idea. While this word could be used in commerce to buy some goods or services, it was also the word used for the price a kinsman redeemer paid. Again, I think this is the idea that God purchased their freedom from Egypt--with His power and deeds. Don't look at this redemption in exactly the same light as redemption in the New Testament, as this was not a purchasing of their spiritual salvation, but their physical delivery from slavery. The imagery is of the Lord doing what was necessary to secure the freedom of His people.