“For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I give Egypt as your ransom, Cush and Seba in exchange for you.” – Isaiah 43:3 (ESV)
Why did God have to give up Egypt, Cush, and Seba as a ransom?
In order to liberate Israel, God literally had to extract one nation out of another (Deuteronomy 4:34). Because God is just, He did not strong arm the Egyptians into freeing the Hebrews (though He could have). He purchased them instead. He used three nations to purchase one. Egypt, Cush, and Seba became the ransom price for Israel’s freedom.
Is that just? To whom did he pay the price?
Egypt was a pagan nation that had given itself over to idolatry and demonic worship. When God delivered the 10 plagues to Pharaoh, it was directed against the gods of Egypt. Satan was their unseen god behind the scenes. The 10 plagues were in effect targeted at Satan. If the pharaoh had conceded at any one of those plagues, Egypt could have been spared and the Hebrews freed. God literally turned Egypt over to the satanic forces they worshiped. It did not fare well for them. It never does.
Let’s Review
Israel was a nation of uneducated, impoverished slaves with no market value; that is, unless you are God that is who sees beyond the stars and into the realm of the impossible. He has never made a wrong decision.
By now you should be seeing yourself in this story.
God took three powerful, developed nations and exchanged them as a ransom for Israel. He had the legal authority to do so because of another principle that came into play. In God’s justice system, He has a measurement that He alone knows. The prophets called it the ‘full measure,’ or the ‘cup of His wrath.’ When that cup is full, life changes for that individual or nation. The privileges of authority and leadership come to an end. Because of Egypt’s incessant cruelty to the Hebrews for centuries, God exchanged their history for Israel’s future.
Through one nation He would write His redemption story. Through Israel’s conquests and failures, God would reveal His promises and precepts. Through triumph and tragedy, He would be proven faithful.
When He looked at Israel, He saw all mankind – none righteous, none holy, none worthy of His attention, but He paid the price for it nevertheless. The next verse of Isaiah tells us why.
“Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you, I give men in return for you, peoples in exchange for your life. – Isaiah 43:4 (ESV)
The Moral of the Story
Another general principle of our existence is that no one exchanges something of high value for something of little value. In Israel’s case God chose a slave nation to bring many sons to glory, not just the nation of Israel. When Jesus (Yeshua) gave His life, it was in exchange for the lives of any who would believe in Him – for all of time.
When you exchange your life for His, He not only frees you from spiritual slavery to a cruel taskmaster, He transforms your nature, reveals His love and eternal value and instills it in you.
Along with the redeemed of Israel, you become a participant in God’s eternal redemption story.
The lesson here is to put yourself in the story. If you are a believer in Jesus, the Messiah, read the scriptures with that in mind. When you do though, be sure not to shove the Jews and Israel aside, for it was to them whom it was first written: “For salvation is from the Jews” and the Gospel continues to be to “the Jew first and also to the Greek [Gentile].” – John 4:22, Romans 1:16 (ESV)
When believing Jews and Gentile join together for one purpose, as one people, their influence and impact on the world will be beyond measure. So far, it has yet to be seen in its full measure. God still waits for the generation to arise that will carry that banner. You can choose to belong to that generation.
- He had no other choice
- Times were tough
- His back was up against the wall
- Justice
In order to liberate Israel, God literally had to extract one nation out of another (Deuteronomy 4:34). Because God is just, He did not strong arm the Egyptians into freeing the Hebrews (though He could have). He purchased them instead. He used three nations to purchase one. Egypt, Cush, and Seba became the ransom price for Israel’s freedom.
Is that just? To whom did he pay the price?
Egypt was a pagan nation that had given itself over to idolatry and demonic worship. When God delivered the 10 plagues to Pharaoh, it was directed against the gods of Egypt. Satan was their unseen god behind the scenes. The 10 plagues were in effect targeted at Satan. If the pharaoh had conceded at any one of those plagues, Egypt could have been spared and the Hebrews freed. God literally turned Egypt over to the satanic forces they worshiped. It did not fare well for them. It never does.
Let’s Review
Israel was a nation of uneducated, impoverished slaves with no market value; that is, unless you are God that is who sees beyond the stars and into the realm of the impossible. He has never made a wrong decision.
By now you should be seeing yourself in this story.
God took three powerful, developed nations and exchanged them as a ransom for Israel. He had the legal authority to do so because of another principle that came into play. In God’s justice system, He has a measurement that He alone knows. The prophets called it the ‘full measure,’ or the ‘cup of His wrath.’ When that cup is full, life changes for that individual or nation. The privileges of authority and leadership come to an end. Because of Egypt’s incessant cruelty to the Hebrews for centuries, God exchanged their history for Israel’s future.
Through one nation He would write His redemption story. Through Israel’s conquests and failures, God would reveal His promises and precepts. Through triumph and tragedy, He would be proven faithful.
When He looked at Israel, He saw all mankind – none righteous, none holy, none worthy of His attention, but He paid the price for it nevertheless. The next verse of Isaiah tells us why.
“Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you, I give men in return for you, peoples in exchange for your life. – Isaiah 43:4 (ESV)
The Moral of the Story
Another general principle of our existence is that no one exchanges something of high value for something of little value. In Israel’s case God chose a slave nation to bring many sons to glory, not just the nation of Israel. When Jesus (Yeshua) gave His life, it was in exchange for the lives of any who would believe in Him – for all of time.
When you exchange your life for His, He not only frees you from spiritual slavery to a cruel taskmaster, He transforms your nature, reveals His love and eternal value and instills it in you.
Along with the redeemed of Israel, you become a participant in God’s eternal redemption story.
The lesson here is to put yourself in the story. If you are a believer in Jesus, the Messiah, read the scriptures with that in mind. When you do though, be sure not to shove the Jews and Israel aside, for it was to them whom it was first written: “For salvation is from the Jews” and the Gospel continues to be to “the Jew first and also to the Greek [Gentile].” – John 4:22, Romans 1:16 (ESV)
When believing Jews and Gentile join together for one purpose, as one people, their influence and impact on the world will be beyond measure. So far, it has yet to be seen in its full measure. God still waits for the generation to arise that will carry that banner. You can choose to belong to that generation. 
