Issue 730 – Auction Action – April 30, 2022
I remember one occasion when mom and dad were living on the farm, and Kathy and I came for a visit. A livestock auction was being held in a community a little more than an hour’s drive away that weekend.
Dad was looking to buy some cow-calf pairs, so we grabbed our coffees, hopped into the truck and headed off.
Cow-calf pairs were trading too high that particular morning. On the other hand, weaner pigs were going pretty cheaply, so we bought a litter – 14 piglets if I recall correctly. A weaner, not to be confused with a wiener, is a pig weaned from its sow mother and beginning to eat solid foods. They are usually around eight weeks old.
When bought at a fair price, weaners can be a great deal because pigs will eat almost anything. You can butcher one or two for yourself at maturity and usually make a few bucks. Dad didn’t have a place for the piglets as he hadn’t planned to purchase them, so we had some scrambling to do them once we got back to the farm.
Now I confess to loving auction sales. It is probably not wise to send me to one unaccompanied by a mature adult. The same was true of my father. We can get caught up in the auction action and easily make impulse purchases or pay too much.
I have made some great buys at sales and some that were perhaps not so much of a bargain. In particular, I love miscellaneous mixed boxes because they usually go for cheap and contain a treasure of some sort.
Some people have an image of people’s eternal souls as being up for sale with Satan holding out for a ransom from God to redeem them. That isn’t correct thinking.
When there is sin, the most offended party is God himself. That is why David could say despite all the people He sinned against, His true sin was against the Lord only. He knew that His sin offended everyone involved, but the most offended party was the Lord.
For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment. Psalm 51:3-5
Not only is God the offended party, but He is the judge. He has set the penalty for sin as death. It is to God that the punishment must be paid.
And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Ephesians 5:2
Jesus did not die to purchase souls from Satan. He died to pay the ransom to God. Throughout the Old Testament, whenever a ransom was paid under the law it was payable to God through His priests (see Exodus 13:11-16, 30:11-16, 34:19-20, Leviticus 27:14-15, 27:19-20, 27:26-28, 27:30-33, Numbers 3:46-51 and 18:14-17).
Even the fallen, unregenerate sinner still belongs to the Lord. He is sovereign over everyone and everything. Even Satan and His angels must admit the headship of the Lord. Sinners are enslaved to sin and death but still ultimately belong to God.
That does not mean that they are saved. Salvation only comes through Christ, but God owns the wicked even in their torment.
People are not some cheap item to be haggled over at a sale. We are image-bearers of God, and He died to set us free. What a blessing.
Give Him praise.
Hallelu Yah (Praise God)
Be blessed.
Kevin.
Gleanings From The Word.
Experience an extraordinary God in ordinary life.
Soli Deo Gloria (for the glory of God alone.)
_____________________________
All contents are © 2001, 2022 K. F. “Kevin” Corbin and Gleanings From The Word.
Check us out on the web at https://gleaningsfromtheword.com and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Retalk.
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the English Standard Version (ESV). Spelling modified to Canadian English as required.
____________________________
#devotional #biblestudy #dailybible #bible #love #joy #gleanings #KevinCorbin #jesus #god #faith #christian #Christ #Father #bibleverses #prayer #church #forgiveness #Holyspirit #pray #jesuschrist #worship #Biblereading #believe #dailybiblereading #dailybible #devotional #discipleship
#livestock #aution #farmsale #cow-calf #weaners