Be Real - We Need a Mediator!
The desire of Fuse Students is that we would be people who have real relationships with God evidenced by the fruit of our lives. As the motto of our series goes, the fruit don’t lie! This morning, we will be reminded that no one is able to stand before God apart from the mediator, Jesus!
Today, our text will be 1 Samuel 6:13-16 & 19-21 and our study will pick up from yesterday’s blog “We Need a Substitute”, where the Philistine religious leaders instruct the people to send the Ark back to Israel with a guilt offering. The Philistine leaders have listened to the counsel of their religious leaders and have prepared a brand-new cart with two milk cows who would carry the Ark and the guilt offering. The Ark is sent off to Beth-Shemesh and arrives without turning away to the right or left.
When the Ark arrived, the people celebrated, and the priests built an altar and burned the offerings. So far, all is well and going good. However, just a few verses later we learn that the Israelites have still yet to realize that the Ark of the Covenant represents the presence of Almighty God. “And he struck some of the men of Beth-Shemesh, because they looked upon the Ark of the Lord (1 Sam. 6:19).”
The righteous wrath of God is unleashed on 70 of the men of Beth-Shemesh striking them down because they had opened and looked inside the Ark. The Ark represented the presence of God on earth and therefore was Holy. Later in 2 Samuel 6:7, an individual is killed for reaching out and touching the ark as it was falling. God is unlike anyone or anything else in the created world because He is creator. He is without sin and as a result He must be respected and approached in the means He has revealed. The Israelites knew to not touch the Ark; let alone open the lid to view its contents. What is shown here is a failure to behold and respect the Holy nature of God.
The key statement in this text comes in response to this situation: “Then the men of Beth-Shemesh said, ‘Who is able to stand before the LORD, this holy God? And to whom shall He go up away from us?’ (1 Samuel 6:20).” The people were reminded of who their God was and it instilled an appropriate fear in their hearts. Sadly, over time we can slip into shallow formality in our walk with God and I believe this is what happened to the people.
At times, it appears that God was very harsh toward people in the Old Testament and very patient with people in the New Testament and even today. The reality is that God has not changed. He is of the same character and nature today as He was on this day recorded in 1 Samuel. Why then does His interaction and response appear to be so different on people who sinned in the O.T.? The answer is found as we contemplate the question, “Who can stand before this holy God?”
Stories like this remind us that no person has the right or qualification to stand before God. As a result of our sin nature and sinfulness, we are not permitted to be in the presence of God. In fact, sin by nature separates us from God both in this life and the life to come. In order to stand before God, we need someone who can stand between us and God. The Gospel brings joy to our hearts because in and through Jesus, we can stand before God (1 Timothy 2:5).
Through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, the full and complete wrath of God was poured out. Jesus took on the full wrath of God so that I no longer have to. God is still righteously angry with sin and through Jesus our mediator (our advocate and representative), God’s wrath is satisfied.
Be Real – who can stand before God? When we are real, we find deep joy in the Gospel because through Jesus we can stand before God.