July 7 - Faultless to Stand Before His Throne

Read today’s texts first: Hosea 10,11,12; Psalms 73; Hebrews 4

MAXIMize YOUR DAY

The arrogant will face God the Judge; the humble will receive mercy from our compassionate High Priest. 

Recently at Buchanan, we sang the wonderful hymn “The Solid Rock,” which includes the line I chose as the title of today’s journal entry. Coincidentally, all three readings today talk about God’s judgment, but with the hope of a reprieve.

In today’s psalm, Asaph is complaining that the wicked seem to be faring better than the godly, himself included. They are prospering, in good health, with no worries, no troubles, arrogantly mocking God. Asaph, on the other hand, feels punished every morning and plagued all day (73:2-14).  That is until he says, I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny (73:17). After receiving reassurance from God, he says, as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds (73:28).

The same thing is being said by the Lord through Hosea. Israel and Ephraim are flaunting their wealth in God’s face (13:8). Guess what, Hebrews, same thing, reference to Israel hardening their hearts, saying they don’t need God. But the day of reckoning is promised in both accounts. In the short run it may not always seem profitable to obey God, but keep your eyes on the finish line. The righteous will prevail; God is ultimately just.

I love the last two paragraphs in our Hebrews reading. First, God’s Word is sharp, cutting away the things we do for the wrong reasons. There is no possibility of hiding our actions or our motives from God. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account (4:13).

Just as we start to cower in fear before God the Judge, knowing full well none of us is worthy, we see Jesus, our merciful High Priest, who has been through everything we’ve been through, understanding us completely. We are encouraged to approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need (4:18).

The arrogant will face God the Judge; the humble will receive mercy from our compassionate High Priest. “Lord, thank You that this promise is true of me: At one time you were far away from God and were his enemies because of the evil things you did and thought. But now, by means of the physical death of his Son, God has made you his friends, in order to bring you, holy, pure, and faultless, into his presence (Col. 1:21,22).”