From the TeachingtheWord Bible Knowledgebase

Part 4 of a series. Read part 3.

When Christians come to Christ's throne, His scepter is always extended to us in grace.

Out of the depths I have cried to You, O Lord;
Lord, hear my voice! Let Your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications.
If You, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?
But there is forgiveness with You, that You may be feared.
I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word I do hope.
My soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning - yes, more than those who watch for the morning.
O Israel, hope in the Lord; for with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him is abundant redemption.
And He shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.

Sometimes when we Christians find ourselves "in the depths" we forget that we are the objects of grace. We forget our position in Christ. But we see in Psalm 130 that the psalmist does not forget. Notice again verse 3: "If You, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?"

The Covenant God Who Rules All Things

It is important to note that there are two different words for "Lord" used here. In the King James Bible and in the New King James, the first one is in all capitals. "If you, LORD" - if You, Jehovah, the covenant God, if You should mark iniquities - "then O Lord" - O Adonai, the One who rules and controls all things - "who could stand?"

The force of the original Hebrew is, "who could stand for evaluation before You?" If it were not for God's covenant grace, no one could even approach the God who is the Ruler of the universe in prayer. None of us could not come to Him with the expectation of an answer. We could not come with the expectation of mercy.

But then the psalmist continues, verse 4, "But there is forgiveness with You, that You may be feared." There is pardon with our Lord. There is the removal of guilt because of Christ's full and final atonement for sin. The psalmist here looks forward to that, to the ultimate triumph of the grace of God in Christ, through the types and shadows of the Old Covenant sacrificial system.

The King Who Extends the Scepter

Hebrews 4:16 tells us that when we come to God the Father through Christ in prayer, we come to "the throne of grace". In the original language, those words paint a picture that was common among kings and emperors in those times. The image is that of a person coming before a ruler or a potentate who sits on a throne, and holds a scepter. The ruler could hold back the scepter; by doing so he would indicate that he condemns someone to death. Or, the ruler could extend the scepter, indicating that there is mercy, and that the person may approach freely and bring his petition to the king.

That is the image behind the phrase, "the throne of grace." God's scepter is always extended to His children. We never need to fear coming before Him. When we cry to God "out of the depths" let us not forget that we come to the throne of grace. Let us not forget that we come through the intercession of our Redeemer Jesus Christ. Let us not forget that we come wearing the robe of His righteousness. That is why the scepter is extended to us.

Therefore, as Hebrews tells us, we can come boldly before the throne of grace - literally, in the original language, "with cheerful confidence". We may come without hesitation, and with the full expectation that God will keep all of His promises to us, every one, without fail. We can say with the psalmist in verse 5 of our Psalm, "I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His Word I do hope."

Next: Long Nights of Waiting

say0081

Copyright 1998-2024

TeachingtheWord Ministriesmmmmmwww.teachingtheword.org

All rights reserved. This article may be reproduced in its entirety only,
for non-commercial purposes, provided that this copyright notice is included.

We also suggest that you include a direct hyperlink to this article
for the convenience of your readers.