The Throne of Grace

October 22

Jeremiah 39-41

Psalm 118:22-29

Proverbs 25:18-19

Hebrews 4:14-16

The Throne of Grace

“Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”  Hebrews 4:16 CSB

The “throne of grace” is an oxymoron.  A throne is a place of authority and judgment, not grace.  In the throne room a king is exalted high on his throne.  No one is allowed to enter that room unless they have been invited and they cannot approach the throne until the king extends his scepter allowing them to draw near.  The throne separates the king from his subjects.  He is superior and they are inferior.  In the book of Esther, Esther asks Mordecai to have the Jewish people pray for her before she approaches the king because she knows that even the queen cannot approach the throne unless she is summoned, and she could be executed as punishment for daring to enter the throne room uninvited.  The throne room is a place of fear and trepidation.  Even if you are invited to come before the king, you do so reverently and timidly.  The king had the power of life and death with no accountability.  He could have you thrown in prison or executed if you said something wrong or for no reason at all.  One would never dare to approach the king boldly and with confidence. 

God is the King of the Universe.  He is Lord of all, the Supreme Being.  He is above all and beyond all.  He is on His throne in Heaven and seated next to Him to His right, is Jesus, His One and Only Son.  They rule and reign the world.  If anyone deserves to be separated from His subjects, it is God. He is obviously superior, and we are inferior.  He deserves our utmost reverence and awe. It bothers me greatly when people call God “the man upstairs” or “the big guy.”  He is not our buddy, and we absolutely should not treat Him as such.  “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.  Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in Hell.”  Matthew 10:28 (NIV) God alone has the power to send us to eternal damnation.   Unlike earthly kings, however, God is filled with love and compassion.  Instead of giving us what we deserve, He offers us the opportunity to be adopted as sons and daughters.  As children of the king, we can approach the throne because we have been invited.  We are always welcome in His presence.  He is never too busy to talk to us.   No matter how many times we go to Him with the same problem, He never gets annoyed with us.   We do not enter His presence arrogantly or demanding anything.  We approach Him with respect and gratitude for accepting us and for allowing us the privilege of being His children.  But this verse tells us that we can approach Him boldly presenting our concerns to Him and asking for His help.  We can be confident that we will receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need because He loves us and wants what is best for us.  Those who are not His children do not have this same privilege.  All are invited to become His children, but not all choose to accept.  Those who do not accept His invitation face the throne for judgment and do not receive His mercy and grace.