Today’s devotion comes from Numbers 3:11-51. Here is a link to this Scripture – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Numbers%203&version=NASB1995
I quote only the following verses.
“Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Now, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the sons of Israel instead of every firstborn, the first issue of the womb among the sons of Israel. So the Levites shall be Mine. For all the firstborn are Mine; on the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I sanctified to Myself all the firstborn in Israel, from man to beast. They shall be Mine; I am the LORD.”
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All the numbered men of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron numbered at the command of the LORD by their families, every male from a month old and upward, were 22,000.
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Number every firstborn male of the sons of Israel from a month old and upward, and make a list of their names. You shall take the Levites for Me, I am the LORD, instead of all the firstborn among the sons of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the cattle of the sons of Israel.” So Moses numbered all the firstborn among the sons of Israel, just as the LORD had commanded him; and all the firstborn males by the number of names from a month old and upward, for their numbered men were 22,273.
Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the sons of Israel and the cattle of the Levites. And the Levites shall be Mine; I am the LORD. For the ransom of the 273 of the firstborn of the sons of Israel who are in excess beyond the Levites, you shall take five shekels apiece, per head; you shall take them in terms of the shekel of the sanctuary (the shekel is twenty gerahs), and give the money, the ransom of those who are in excess among them, to Aaron and to his sons.” So Moses took the ransom money from those who were in excess, beyond those ransomed by the Levites; from the firstborn of the sons of Israel he took the money in terms of the shekel of the sanctuary, 1,365. Then Moses gave the ransom money to Aaron and to his sons, at the command of the LORD, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.” Numbers 3:11-13 and 39-51.
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King James Bible Dictionary online defines the word “redeem” in part as: “1. To purchase back; to ransom; to liberate or rescue from captivity or bondage, or from any obligation or liability to suffer or to be forfeited, by paying an equivalent; as, to redeem prisoners or captured goods; to redeem a pledge.”
And so, we look at this Scripture which uses the word “ransom” rather than the word “redeem” to give us insight into Christ’s redemption of us.
We also notice that Scripture uses the word “ransom” to describe Christ’s redemption of us: “just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:28.
“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45.
Did Christ redeem everybody?
In today’s Scripture did the LORD ransom everybody?
NO. We see two bases of very exact payments for a very exact group of people.
The very exact group of people being ransomed were the 22,273 firstborn males of Israel. This very exact group was not every male in Israel, much less every person in Israel, and much less every person in the world.
The first basis of the two bases of very exact payments was a ransom payment of one Levite for one firstborn of the sons of Israel. 22,000 Levites were paid as ransom for 22,000 firstborn of the sons of Israel.
The second basis of very exact payments was a ransom payment of money. “For the ransom of the 273 of the firstborn of the sons of Israel who are in excess beyond the Levites, you shall take five shekels apiece, per head; you shall take them in terms of the shekel of the sanctuary (the shekel is twenty gerahs), and give the money, the ransom of those who are in excess among them, to Aaron and to his sons.” Verses 46-48.
Likewise, Christ died only for God’s elect, not for everyone in the world.
This is a specific love just for His church. Just as a husband should not love and give himself up for all women, but only for his own wife, Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for only His church, not for everyone in the world.
In Christ’s intercessory prayer in John 17:9, we see Christ praying for only those whom God gave Him, not for the world: “I ask on their behalf; I do not ask on behalf of the world, but of those whom Thou hast given Me; for they are Thine;”
Christ laid down His life for only His sheep. “I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. ” John 10:14-15.
Redemption is always for specific objects that we own, never for everything. For example, when we redeem something from the pawn shop, we do not redeem everything in the store, but we only redeem our specific items that we own and left at the pawn shop as collateral for a loan.
Christ’s death redeemed all of God’s elect, but only them alone, not everyone in the world.
“… “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name; you are Mine!” Isaiah 43:1.
Salvation is not dependent on our sinful flesh, neither by our works nor even by as little as our will. Christ’s death did not just possibly took away our sins depending on our alleged free-will to choose Christ nor depending on our alleged free-will whether or not we get and keep faith till our death.
Reformed Doctrine labels this point of salvation as “Limited Atonement”, the “L” of “TULIP”, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation as more fully taught in the Canons of Dordt.
Consider the following from the Canons of Dordt.
Article 8. For this was the sovereign counsel, and most gracious will and purpose of God the Father, that the quickening and saving efficacy of the most precious death of his Son should extend to all the elect, for bestowing upon them alone the gift of justifying faith, thereby to bring them infallibly to salvation: that is, it was the will of God, that Christ by the blood of the cross, whereby he confirmed the new covenant, should effectually redeem out of every people, tribe, nation, and language, all those, and those only, who were from eternity chosen to salvation, and given to him by the Father; that he should confer upon them faith, which together with all the other saving gifts of the Holy Spirit, he purchased for them by his death; should purge them from all sin, both original and actual, whether committed before or after believing; and having faithfully preserved them even to the end, should at last bring them free from every spot and blemish to the enjoyment of glory in his own presence forever. SECOND HEAD OF DOCTRINE Of the Death of Christ, and the Redemption of Men Thereby.
“This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day.” John 6:39.
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