Ziggy
Well-Known Member
Who did the God of the Israelites "purchase" them from? Obviously from some God that is greater than their God, for who holds such power over the God of Israel? Just as I do not pray to Mary to communicate with God, why wouldn't I just cut out the Middle-man?
Or, as a figure of speech can we say that Israel was is in a dilemma, and that they are separated from the very God that created them and was in Covenant with them. They could not deliver themselves and God intervened. When this passage speaks of purchasing and redeeming the Israelites, God did not 'pay' Pharoah anything except pain and suffering. The symbol or Passover is that when God saw the blood, He passed over their house. The imagery is not that God sent a real nice sheep to Pharaoh and he accepted a payment and released them from their bondage.
Who did the God of the Israelites "purchase" them from?
Basically themselves.
Isa 50:1 Thus saith the LORD, Where is the bill of your mother's divorcement, whom I have put away? or which of my creditors is it to whom I have sold you? Behold, for your iniquities have ye sold yourselves, and for your transgressions is your mother put away.
Pharoah got judgment. It was Pharoah who went around telling all the midwives to kill the boy children.
Not all the midwives agreed. Some hid the children. And so it was with Moses.
Eye for eye, tooth for tooth.
Then when Moses came to free the people, and Pharoah agreed to letting them go, that's when Vengence is mine saith the Lord was repaid.
The destruction of the Egyptian firstborn was in response to Pharoah killing all the Israelite boys.
The wrath of God was the pestilence that would go through Egypt. And only those who covered themselves in the blood of the lambs, were passed over.
But how did they get in that predicament to begin with?
Joseph's brothers sold Joseph into slavery.
Gen 37:23 And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they stript Joseph out of his coat, his coat of many colours that was on him;
Gen 37:28 Then there passed by Midianites merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver: and they brought Joseph into Egypt.
Not only did they sell Joseph into slavery, they all went down to Egypt during a famine to live off the good of the land.
They didn't trust God.
But God always knows..
And so he put Joseph there to save them.
Not so much by giving them food, but making them admit their guilt and ask for forgiveness.
They should of gone back to Canaan at some point, but after awhile they chose to stay.
So they sold their souls to Egypt instead of trusting in God their savior.
And after some time, when Pharoah began killing his children, God went to take them back.
What was the cost of the purchase?
hmm
Hugs