Friday, July 11, 2008
Exodus 24:9-10 Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel went up and saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was something like a pavement made of sapphire, clear as the sky itself.
HESITANT TO APPROACH HIM
God invites us to come to Him, but such fellowship doesn't always come easily on our part. It is no small matter to stand beside that unlimited, majestic power. It is not something we can manage by our own strength and ability.
Coming near to God exposes our sinful weakness. When we look at what we have done in our lives and compare it with the holy, spotless existence of God, we might say with Isaiah (6:5): "Woe to me! . . . I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips." Like Adam and Eve after their sin in the garden or the Israelites at the foot of Mount Sinai, we too might be unwilling at times to come near to God.
Many sins can get in the way of our approach to God. Maybe we have doubts about Him. Perhaps we are angry with Him for something He allowed to happen. Sometimes we are lazy and the energy to come to God at church or in prayer is more than we feel we can muster.
The bottom line is that sin is the barrier that separates mankind from God. Man's weakness and disobedience is what keeps him at a distance even when the LORD wants him to come near. Thus our Creator must "bridge the gap" for us through His Son Jesus Christ.
