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Daily Devotion: Hebrews 12:18-21

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Hebrews 12:18-21    "For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest,  (19)  And the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard intreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more:  (20)  (For they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart:  (21)  And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake)"

I love how the Lord is constantly showing us glimpses of His righteousness, His holiness, His majesty, and glory. Sometimes, we become like Moses and are fearful when the Lord is showing Himself. We do that because we are sinful creatures.  "As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:  (11)  There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God." (Romans 3:10-11) Paul goes on to quote, "There is none that doeth good, no, not one."  On our own, we are not.. let me repeat... we are not worthy to approach the throne of God.  If you remember, when Moses went up on the mountain to receive the law, God told him to tell the people they were not to touch the mountain or they would die. When Moses came down from the mountain, his face glowed so brightly that the people asked him to put a veil over his face. They said they wanted Moses to speak to them rather than God.  They were frightened.

The writer of Hebrews tells us that we "are not come unto the mount" which could not be approached. We do not need a "Moses" or any other man to be our "go between" between God and us. We do not need an earthly priest to confess our sins. Let me sneak down a few verses (which we will revisit soon) to see the beauty of our position in Christ by God's grace.  We are not coming to the burning mountain; rather, we are coming "to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant." (Hebrews 12:24)   "In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink." (John 7:37)  

Can you see the culmination of all we have talked about in Hebrews?  God will not compromise His holiness nor His righteousness. His desire was toward a people and He gave His only begotten Son to die in payment for our sins. That payment was accepted by the Father. I must reinsert just here that Christ did not and never has offered Himself to us. He offered His atoning death and shed blood to the Father for us and the Father accepted that offering as payment in full for us. But not only did He pay our sin debt, He now will quench our hunger and thirst for a better way and a better life. When we approach God, we can do so boldly through the righteous sacrifice of Christ's blood, knowing the Father's love. He has open arms, saying "Come unto me all ye who are weary and heavy laden. I will give you rest."

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