Values

“For this is what the LORD says: ‘You were sold for nothing, and without money you will be redeemed.’" Is. 52:3

 To be sold for nothing means that you were worth nothing. You were counted as of no value. To the other nations, Israel was a little, poor nation. It was one more country to conquer but nothing more.

The following line is parallel linguistically, but a drastic reversal. They will be redeemed without money—for what they really needed redemption from, as Isaiah makes clear, is not only their exile but also their sins. And it is only with the priceless blood of the Lamb that we are redeemed. It is a price that is far beyond even the idea of money. They were valueless in the eyes of the world, but of countless cost to the Lord (Is. 43:4).

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son..." Jn. 3:16

"For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect." 1 Pet. 1:18-19