August 26 And this shall be a statute for ever unto you: that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, ye shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger that sojourneth among you: for on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the LORD. Leviticus 16:29–30 The Day of Atonement took place in the seventh month, on the tenth day. Seven is the number of perfection, ten the number of the law. Do we keep the law perfectly? No. And that is the reason for the Day of Atonement. On the Day of Atonement, how would the children of Israel know if the offering was sufficient? They would know their sins were covered if the high priest emerged from the Tabernacle - for if he was not properly prepared, if his offering was unacceptable, he would die in the Holy of Holies, in the presence of a holy, almighty God. So too, I know with certainty that I am forgiven because our great High Priest, Jesus Christ, came out of the tomb. Therefore, the book of Hebrews declares, “Let us come boldly unto the throne of grace that we might find grace and mercy to help in time of need” (4:16). Because the work of atonement has been accomplished completely and perfectly, God invites us specifically and personally to come into the Holy of Holies, to come before His throne. The question is, will we take advantage of the invitation? The story is told of a telegraph company in the 1800s seeking to hire an operator. The salary offered being quite substantial, only the most qualified were encouraged to apply. On the day of the invitation, seven men showed up. As they sat outside the boss’ office waiting for their interview and listening to the telegraph operators working in the background, suddenly, the last one to arrive suddenly stood up and went into the boss’ office without being asked. The boss emerged a few minutes later and said, “Gentlemen, thank you for coming. But there will be no need for an interview. I’ve hired this man for the position.” “Wait a minute,” one of the remaining six protested, “that’s not fair. This man was the last to arrive. We should have had our chance to be interviewed for this position.” “You did,” the boss said. “While you were sitting here, one of our operators was tapping out a message saying, ‘If you receive this message, come into my office immediately. The job is yours.’” All of the men were trained. All were qualified. All had knowledge of Morse code, but only one of the seven was tuned into the message being tapped out right then. I can’t help but wonder today if there is one in seven who has really heard the message being tapped out that says, “Come boldly to My throne. Talk with Me. Cast your care upon Me. Receive from Me help, strength, and instruction.” Have you heard the message, mom - the tap, tap, tap of the Morse code of the Master saying, “Come and talk to Me about your son or daughter. This is the moment”? Have you heard the message, husband? Do you hear the tapping of the Master saying, “Come boldly to the throne of grace that you might find help for your marriage which is presently unraveling”? If you’re wondering whether to go to college, take the job, or move away; if you’re struggling with physical affliction or fighting depression, I wonder if there is one in seven who hears the Lord saying, “The stone is rolled away. The veil is rent. The way is open. Come on in!”
Posted on: Mon, 26 Aug 2013 10:19:47 +0000
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