THE PURCHASE

An angel of the Lord was on his way to complete a charge that had been given to him, when out of the corner of his eye he saw a figure approaching. The angel could hardly believe his eyes, it was the Lord, Himself. As his Creator approached, the angel bowed in humble adoration of the One Who now stood by him. The surprised angel thought to himself, “He is so glorious to look upon. I am so honored and blessed to be in His Presence. I am not worthy of Him.” Then, the Lord gently raised the angel to his feet and looked upon him with smiling approval as a mother would look upon a small child during innocent play. His eyes were full of love and grace.

The angel asked, “Mighty Creator, what brings You this way that one such as I should experience such singular joy? At first, the Lord said nothing, as though something weighty was on His heart. He seemed to be looking past the angel with His eyes fixed on a small blue sphere floating in the vastness of space. Then, looking at the angel, and pointing to the blue planet He said, “I am going there to make a purchase.” The angel replied, “A purchase, Lord? How can this be O Mighty Creator? All is Yours already.” The Lord responded graciously to His beloved angel by saying, “My precious one, have you forgotten that with God all things are possible?”

The angel felt a bit embarrassed in his heart for questioning any of the words his Creator had spoken. He knew of His great wisdom and power. Still his angelic curiosity could not let go. “Mighty Creator, what on earth are you going to purchase? Certainly, there is nothing more valuable on earth than the beauty of Your creation in heaven.” Lovingly, the Lord began to correct His angel by saying, “Oh, but you’re wrong my curious one. There is something on earth more valuable than all that is in the universe combined; therefore, I am soon going to purchase it for myself.” The boldness of the angel began to emerge as he pressed the Lord saying, “Mighty Creator, please indulge me, for I am at a total loss of understanding. Your words are intriguing, and are beyond my contemplation’s. I have traveled to earth on many occasions, and I have seen nothing that would supersede the combined value of your created universe. What is there on earth that could possibly be that valuable?”

Amused by His intense curiosity, the Lord placed both hands on the angel’s shoulders, looked gently into his eyes, and said, “I will answer your question, My precious angel, that you may have greater understanding of Your Creator. The object of great value that I seek to purchase is mankind.”

The angel was dazed with the Lord’s answer. His mind was racing with thousands of thoughts, trying to find logic in what he had just heard. As hard as he tried to understand, nothing made sense to him. Astounded and more confused than ever, he looked at the Lord with intensity and great curiosity and said, “’Mankind!’ Did you say, ‘mankind?’ O Mighty Creator, why would you want to purchase them? They hate and reject you. They have all turned to their own way, and the way of peace they have not known. There is not one good man on the earth. They all have become altogether filthy. Would it not be better to destroy those that hate you? Why would you, the Holy Creator want to purchase such worthless people?”

While waiting for an answer, the angel saw the Lord take His eyes off of him and cast them once again toward the earth. Watching the Lord, the angel noticed tears rolling down His cheeks with an expression on His face that He had never seen before. The Lord spoke as He continued to gaze upon the earth, “Your observations are correct, my angel. They do hate Me. They have turned against Me, and yet My heart can’t let them all perish. I love them, and I know some of them will love Me and turn back to me.”

“But Lord, they all lie in the lap of the wicked one. They are his slaves. How are you going to purchase them?” the angel inquired. “With My blood.” The Lord responded. “I must go to the earth and become one of them. The hands of My Own creation will kill me, and My blood will be shed for their sins, that I may purchase them unto Myself. I will rescue them from Satan’s slavery, and they will become a possession, an eternal treasure. They will come into my great glory, and in Me they will have great inheritance. Go now, my angel, and gather more of your brethren, for soon I desire you to herald My coming to the earth.”

The Lord then proceeded to the earth, leaving the angel behind. The angel was overwhelmed and astonished by the words he had heard. He felt so blessed and honored to talk to the Lord, and that His Creator would share such truth with him. The angel departed quickly that he might fulfill the Creator’s command, but his mind was still racing with curiosity and confusion. “Purchase…, killed…, blood…, for mankind…” These words kept repeating themselves in his mind as he flew away to tell his brethren of his most fascinating encounter.

Peter 1:18, 19
“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.”