Ransomed

Kidnap and ransom are common in parts of Asia and Africa. Ransom is paid to rescue someone from the threat of death. Recently in HK the heiress of the Bossini fortune was kidnapped. The Bible says that God Almighty ransomed us. If you are God Almighty why would you pay a ransom? You can take what you want by force?

In the OT the idea of ransom seems to be similar to "rescue".

Psalms 25:22 (NLT)  O God, ransom Israel from all its troubles.
Psalms 44:26 (NLT) Rise up! Help us! Ransom us because of your unfailing love.

In the NT the rescue is effected by the payment of a ransom.

"For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. God chose him as your ransom long before the world began, but now in these last days he has been revealed for your sake." 1P 1:18-20

"For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45 (NLT) 

For some reason (to satisfy the demands of his righteousness and justice, or to pay a ransom to Satan under whose control we were) God decided in eternity past to ransom us. Before making us He already knew what it would cost him.

Imagine this! A couple with a teenage son are considering adopting a baby. Their son is an incredible young man, perfect in every way: creative, loving, obedient and the joy of the family. The family, the 3 of them all have the same dream that tells them: if they adopt this baby, he/she will grow up and make many wrong choices. He/she will fall in with the wrong people and eventually will need to be ransomed and rescued. The price of the ransom will be the death of the son they already have. What family would decide to go through with the adoption? God the father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit made this choice. Knowing everything I would do to screw up my life. Knowing how much ruin I would bring, they decided to rescue me by paying the ransom, the death of the Son.

The purpose of the ransom was to rescue us from the "empty way of life we inherited from our ancestors."

Jesus rescues us from slavery to sin. He rescues us from "empty living". He brings us into freedom and abundant meaningful living. We are brought/bought from the slave market and brought into the kingdom of his dear Son, where we become children of God.

Lord, this is too much. Before I was born, before the world was even created you decided to make me, to die for me, to ransom me, to rescue me. No more empty living. No more slave market. Kingdom living, freedom, LIFE - these are why you ransomed me. This is what you rescued me for.