“As for thee also, by the blood of thy covenant I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water.”
“As for thee also“
This passage is no longer being addressed about the Messiah, but to the Messiah.
“by the blood of thy covenant“
There are two things of note here: one, the Messiah establishes a covenant. (Mat 26:28, Heb 12:24) Two, it’s the blood that is important! The following effect of the Messiah’s covenant is because of the blood. It’s the blood that will set the prisoners free! If Christianity ever loses sight of the blood of Christ, then it has lost everything!
“I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water.”
The effect of the blood of the covenant would be a liberation of prisoners. Who are these prisoners?
We will skip forward to verse 12 where it says, ‘Turn you to the strong hold, ye prisoners of hope….’ to help pin down who is being spoken about here. From an immediate analysis of the text, we can understand the following:
– the prisoners are waiting for blood to be shed to free them
– they are in a pit, also translated as dungeon. A prison of sorts.
– this prison is not sustainable for life, hence it refers to the fact there is no water
– a prison/pit stops people from getting out and getting in. It’s a protection in a sense to those inside from the outside, when put together with the next point, it makes more sense that this prison is for the protection of the prisoners, not the punishment of them
– these prisoners are prisoners of hope. Next verse we will examine it more, but it indicates something of a voluntary nature of the imprisonment. They are not prisoners because they are hoping for something.
Now let’s jump to the implicit and cross-references, and lastly, to the application.
If it’s the blood of the Messiah that sets these prisoners free, it is immediately implied that the prisoners have sin, for blood is the life, and it’s the substitute for the guilty according to the Law.
In direct picture, we see Jesus dying on the cross, His blood sealing the new covenant that would bring salvation to the human race. (that’s the application)
Let’s dig a bit further. What is the pit/dungeon? I believe that it’s a reference to the Law of Moses and the Tabernacle system of worship. I will put forward two reasons why I believe that:
1. In Galatians 3:23-27, we read that the Law was to keep us ‘enclosed’, that is, shut together, until Christ came. That sounds an awful lot like a pit. It fits perfectly when we consider that in Zechariah 9:12, the prisoners are directed to leave, just as when Messiah established His church, there was a direction for the Jewish nation to continue on into the new covenant and leave the old.
2. In Colossians 2:11-17, Paul speaks that the Law, in particular, the ceremonial law, was a shadow of what was to come, just as the pit was for safekeeping the prisoners (hence they are voluntary prisoners of hope, sheltering from the elements and enemies) until the greater refuge had come.
I realize both these references are Paul speaking, so for good measure, I submit Jesus’ reference to himself as having living water. Why does this matter? Because the missing element in the pit is water! Jesus came bringing water.
When you look at the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, it ought to put it beyond reasonable doubt that the pit is a reference to the imperfections of what was before, which kept rolling the sins forward to a time when they would be actual paid for with the precious blood of Christ.
Thank God for the blood of the covenant which set us free. Till next time.
Talking Bible 
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