END TIMES READING PLAN: Daniel 2, 7
SCRIPTURE READING
Romans 3:23-24 (ESV); …for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are
justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus
1 Corinthians 7:23a (ESV); You were bought at a price…
Within the images of Jesus’ sacrifice is one that comes with the word “redemption.” A
common word among Christians, redemption refers to one being reclaimed or bought out
of slavery. This image is hardly relatable to us in the west. The Jewish people at the time of
Christ had a definite grasp of this, not only due to their ancestor’s slavery in Egypt, Assyria
and Babylon, but also to their own subjection under Roman rule. Many nations, ethnic
groups and individuals throughout history have felt the oppression of slavery from the Jews
in the Holocaust to the African-American slavery in the American south to the rampant
increase in the sex trade all over the world today.
Though slavery is not a tangibly felt issue for most of us, we are all slaves to sin. And the
disgusting part of it all is that we have sold ourselves into slavery. The prophet Hosea lived
out the sorrow that God must feel and saw this image of self-inflicted enslavement when he
married Gomer – a prostitute who had an incessant drive to return to her life of immorality.
We, like Gomer, have prostituted ourselves and sold ourselves into the most oppressive
slavery where sin, and ultimately the devil, is our master. And it is from here in the repulsive
filth of our very nature that Jesus has drawn us into embrace.
PRAYER and MEDITATION
1) Meditate on the word “redemption” and its meaning. What images come to mind when
you think about this? Ask the Holy Spirit to give you a clear understanding what it means
to be redeemed.
2) Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart for areas where you have become a slave to
sin. Ask God to give you an understanding of how sin is like prostitution, and ask Him for
a repentant heart.
3) How does redemption really resonate with you? Ask the Lord to remind you of a great
time of redemption in your life. Ask Him to show you what has resulted in your life due to
that redemption and thank Him for what He’s done.
