8 You answered them, O LORD our God; You were to them
God-Who-Forgives, Though You took vengeance on their deeds.
9 Exalt the LORD our God, And worship at His holy hill; For
the LORD our God is holy..
Today, as we finish our chat on Psalm 99 about the holiness
of the divine government of Jehovah, we need to recall that His throne is
awesome (vv. 1-3), His throne is one where justice and righteousness is
established and executed (vv. 4-5), and finally at the same time, His throne is
a place where we can find grace and mercy in our time of need (vv. 6-9).
You might remember the story of Queen Esther when she was
asked by her uncle Mordecai to go before the king of Persia and plead on behalf
of the Jewish people, and she replied that unless the king held out his scepter
when she approached his throne without permission that she would die (Esther
4:10-11). Today, because of God’s grace and mercy, and the blood of Jesus
Christ on His cross, we have access as His children to Jehovah’s throne of
grace.
Hebrews 10:19-22 assures us of this wonderful privilege: “Therefore,
brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new
and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His
flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a
true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil
conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”
Under the old covenant, God provided priests who ministered
at the altar and were mediators between His needy people and their Lord, but
today Jesus Christ is the Mediator (1 Tim. 2:5) who constantly intercedes for
us (Rom. 8:34; Heb. 7:25). To the lost sinner, God's throne is a throne of judgment,
but to the believer, it is a throne of grace (Heb. 4:14-16), and we can come to
Him with our worship and praise as well as our burdens and needs.
I’ll never forget years ago speaking to a lady who living a
life of prostitution to provide money for her addiction to drugs. She was from another state and was visiting
our church, and when I asked her if she went to church when she got back home,
she replied, “Pastor, of course not, I can’t even think of God when I am living
the way I am.” That is why Psalm 10:4 says,
“The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God; God is in none of
his thoughts.” There is something
inside each of us that tells us God is holy and we can’t enter His presence in
our sinful state!
Often Moses, Aaron, and Samuel had to intercede for the
disobedient people of Israel, and the Lord heard them and answered (Ex. 17:1;
32-33; Num. 14:11-38; 16:48; 1 Sam. 7, 12). God named Moses and Samuel as great
men of prayer (Jer. 15:1). God's gracious ministry to His old covenant people
is still available to His new covenant family: He speaks to us from His Word
(Ex. 33:9; Num. 12:5-6; 1 Sam. 3:3), hears our prayers and answers, disciplines
us when we sin, and forgives us when we confess (1 John 1:9). How many times
the Lord forgave Israel and gave them another opportunity to serve Him! (Psalm 103:13-18).
Remember that the throne of God between the cherubims on the mercy seat and the
altar, were not far apart in the sanctuary (Isaiah 6:1-7).
Today, we can come boldly to the throne of grace (Hebrews
4:14-16), because we have a Mediator in the Man Christ Jesus! “For there is
one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave
Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time” (1 Timothy 2:5-6).
He is to us “The God-Who-Forgives” (v. 8). I will never forget February
21, 1971 when Jesus forgave me for all of my sins as a nineteen year old
teenager!
Have you ever come to this “Throne of Grace” to find
forgiveness? If not, please come today! God is patiently waiting for you!
God bless!
