#DailyDevotion Who Will Mediate For You If You Sin Against God?
July 19
1 Sam 2:18–36
1Sa 2:25 If someone sins against a man, God will mediate for him, but if someone sins against the LORD, who can intercede for him?” But they would not listen to the voice of their father, for it was the will of the LORD to put them to death…35 And I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who shall do according to what is in my heart and in my mind. And I will build him a sure house, and he shall go in and out before my anointed forever.
Eli’s sons despised the Word of the Lord and the sacrifices brought to the Lord. They were so bad that even though they served at the temple of the Lord it is said they did not know the Lord. Obviously though they were before the Lord day and night performing the sacrifices the knowledge before them went without belief. They did not believe the Lord’s goodness or his wrath. They were like many today who serve as pastors who do it only for the money but who have no faith in God. They should know the Lord but the Lord is far from them.
These two brothers were not just sinning against a man. The man of God said if that were the case God would mediate for them. But their sin was against God himself. We often think a lot about the sins people commit against their fellow man. We think those are the worst sins of all. But for people to sin against God, that is not a big deal for us. Men and women can misuse Jesus’ name and nothing. They can teach false doctrine that sends men, women and children to hell for all eternity and we think nothing of it. We can spurn the gathering of the brothers of Christ, His Word and His sacraments and well we think God will give us a pass because we are so nice to people. People can go off and worship other gods and so to each his own, live and let live.
The Lord has other ideas. If you sin against God, the King of Israel, who can mediate for you? You snubbed your nose at your Redeemer! You have rejected your mediator, the Lord. Who can intercede for you? No mere mortal can bridge the gap and bring peace between you and the Creator of all.
The Lord though has raised up a faithful priest as he has promised. He has sent to us a priest who will do all the Lord requires according to the Lord’s heart and mind. He will do nothing apart from the will of the Lord. This priest is our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the Lord himself come in the flesh. All his days he did and taught all the Father had given him. Finally, Jesus Christ our Lord gave his life as a sacrifice to bring reconciliation between God and all mankind. It was accepted by the Father and he no longer counts our trespasses against us. But if you reject your priest and mediator Jesus Christ, who then will speak for you? If you spurn his reconciliation how will your reconcile yourself to your Creator? You can’t. Trust Jesus is your priest before God today who has mediated your peace with your Maker.
Heavenly Father, through your Son Jesus Christ, you have gotten for us reconciliation that we may stand before you on the Day of Judgment. Grant us faith in this great work that our trespasses may not be held against us on that day. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.