Holy Impatience

While the title sounds like an oxymoron, the message of the post is profound to this woman of simple intelligence.  As I continue my study of Leviticus and Hebrews, truths that I have known for years, embraced and loved, have become even more amazing through this study.  And I will plug here the importance of a daily diet of the Word of God.  It truly gives us "beauty for ashes" as we deal with the lifelong struggle of sinful flesh along with our grace given love for Christ!

The writer of Hebrews speaks to his Jewish brothers about the mandatory release of their old ceremonies and sacrifices.  Christ is the end of that old system.  And while it had its place and was instituted by God, Himself, it was always and only a shadow of things to come.  John MacArthur explains in his commentary on Hebrews, "All the old forms, ceremonies, sacrifices could never make perfect, never save and never bring access to God.  Christ is the fulfillment of forgiveness, peace, clear conscience, and security...These things were only pictured but were never realized in the old covenant."

He continues with, "Repetition of a symbol is like multiplying by zero.  No matter how many times it is repeated, the result never increases.  So why a shadow?  It was to point to salvation to come!  It was to make the people [of Israel] expectant."  As I read that, immediately, I was taken back to Hebrews 9 where Matthew Poole writes in regard to verse 28 which reads, "so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and He will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him."  Poole says this about the end of that verse, "expectant, those that long for His coming, stretching their heads with holy impatience of seeing Him after His first coming carried their sins into the land of forgetfulness."  WOW!  (I know I say that a lot.  I did say I'm of simple intelligence and sometimes there is a lack of vocabulary to my excitement.)

So here's what I have to say about all that: we tend to say, 'So, why can't the Jews see and realize the beauty of their God instituted ceremonies and symbols? Why can't they see it was all pointing to Jesus, when realizing all the details, intricate and wonderful details associated with Him were, point by point the fulfillment of all that system?'  And I would say, 'Why can't I who, by grace do see those things, throw off the anxiety by which I find myself so often trapped and look expectantly, excitedly, to His second coming and live like I believe it.  God, forgive me for my faithlessness.  It is far more unfaithful than the blind Jews.  Let me "strain my head with holy impatience of seeing Him who carried my sin into the land of forgetfulness". Amen and amen!