Isn’t this the type of pleading we do when God’s law makes us aware of our sin against him? Each and every person who names the name of Christ has, by necessity, come to a place when they have seen their sin. You have to have seen your transgressions to be evil. And not in some general sense, but in a particular sense. Like Joseph’s brothers, “because we did evil against you.” Our sin is primarily against God. And it is the highest evil, because God is the highest good.
Have you ever cried out to God like this? Has the law of God done such work upon you that it humbled you to a pleading priority before God?
Like Gideon who flayed the skin of the Succoth with the thorns and briar bushes (Judges 8:16) so to the law of God flays our self-righteousness and gets right to the core of the heart issue.
Have you seen your sin in light of God’s law? There is no hope without this.
They are haunted by the looming cloud of retribution. Their only hope is to fall before their brother.
So, too, for us. With the looming cloud of just retribution, we fall before a just and holy God and plead for forgiveness. Thankfully, the brothers are met with grace. And, even more, we are thankful that we too are met with grace before God Almighty.
Under the lingering and haunting fear of retribution, those pleading for forgiveness are met with the refreshing aroma of grace! And, we often don’t see it coming. But, praise God it is true, “Where sin abounded; grace did much more abound” (Rom. 5:20).
This article originally appeared here.
