The Mediator

“Then they said to Moses, ‘You speak with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die.’”

Exodus 20:19

Israel had been complaining against the Lord’s leading ever since Moses began the process of confronting Pharaoh to let Israel go (Exodus 5:21). In chapters 16 and 17 their complaining was over food and water yet the Lord provided their need. The people knew they had sinned so they “stood afar off” (v 18) fearing His wrath and in awe of the physical manifestations expressing His special presence. They could not approach God in their sinful state. They needed a mediator, one who could converse with God on their behalf.

They had witnessed occasions where God had already spoken to them through Moses and Moses had spoken to God and been answered. God had already made Moses their mediator. We sinners all need a mediator to speak on our behalf to a holy God. In grace God promised just such a Person: “And the Lord said to me: ‘What they have spoken is good. I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him’” (Deuteronomy 18:18).

Paul recognised this Mediator as being Jesus. He wrote, “For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time” (1 Timothy 2:3-6). Being both God and Man Jesus alone is able to mediate between sinful man and holy God. He is qualified to do so because He is without sin and “gave Himself a ransom for all” (Romans 5:8; 2 Corinthians 5:21).

The writer of Hebrews also recognized Jesus as the fulfillment of the promise for the Prophet who would mediate between God and man forever: “But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises” (Hebrews 8:6). The covenant God made with Israel through Moses was meant to show Israel’s and our sinfulness but it could not save from that sin. The New Covenant is better in that it is based on the unconditional covenant God made with Abraham and it can save from sin because in it God changes the heart.

Silencing Christ

“Zedekiah king of Judah had shut him up …”

Jeremiah 32:3

We use the phrase, “Shut up” to mean “be quiet” and that is the reason King Zedekiah had imprisoned Jeremiah. Zedekiah only wanted to hear good forecasts and no bad forecasts. The king’s own prophets only prophesied good things; they claimed they came from the Lord, but they were lying. Jeremiah did receive prophecies from the Lord – which was proven when his, and only his, prophecies came to pass.

The nature of sin has not changed since Adam, and remains the same now. People don’t want to hear that which is unpalatable to them. Fortunately God is pursuing people and some do relent and repent. I shudder when I think of what my destiny would have been had He not pursued me!

The Lord’s complaint against Judah was, “This evil people, who refuse to hear My words, who follow the dictates of their hearts … is profitable for nothing” (Jeremiah 13:10); they had forgotten the Lord and “trusted in falsehood” (Jeremiah 13:25). Unfortunately there are those who claim the name of Christ who refuse to take God at His word but distort, revise or spiritualise it with the result that they speak lies in His name. Jeremiah lived in this kind of society.

Because the king and other leaders of Judah did not want to hear the truth they moved to silence Jeremiah. If the general populace heard the truth they might believe it and that would undermine the authority and economics of the king. Their way to silence him was to imprison him. Many countries around the world are imprisoning God’s messengers and we are not immune. The upside is that the Gospel is being preached in prisons.

Jesus’ followers were tested when He was taken prisoner and even more so when He was crucified. Many stopped following Him. Those who later followed the risen Christ were often imprisoned, and faced or suffered death because of their faith in Jesus. The scribes and Pharisees wanted to silence Jesus permanently so they sought His death.

Jesus warned that we should expect similar persecution and tribulation. We don’t seek it – but because we faithfully speak His word some people will seek to silence us. We would be following a growing list of faithful men and women of which some are mentioned in Hebrews chapter eleven.

For the Lord’s Sake

“We do not present our supplications before You because of our righteous deeds, but because of your great mercies” Daniel 9:18

Daniel was apparently one of the godliest men of his time and yet as we read through this prayer he repeatedly confesses Israel’s sin and includes himself as one of the offenders. What was it that motivated Daniel to pray at this time and in such a way? The second verse in the chapter has the answer. He had been reviewing God’s prophecy that came through Jeremiah. He understood that he should take it literally. As a result he understood the times in which he lived. Unless we understand biblical prophecy we will not understand the times in which we live and this will restrict our ability to pray in the will of God.

This is very important. God has been pleased to reveal some key future events and if we take His word literally He will give us understanding of the times in which we live. In understanding the times we will be motivated to pray in accordance with the will of God just as Daniel had done.

Daniel didn’t know the exact day or hour or even the process by which Jeremiah’s prophecy would be fulfilled but he did know that God would be faithful to His word. The very test of a prophet is that the word he speaks comes true (Deuteronomy 18:15-22; Jeremiah 28:9) and that principle has not changed. God has revealed some things concerning our times and understanding of them will follow our believing them. Then, like Daniel, we will pray according to the times in which we live in the will of God.

Just as it was in the case of Israel, God’s response will not be in accordance with our faithfulness or righteousness but in accordance with His word and His faithfulness to His word; “for the lord’s sake” (vv 17, 19). Indeed, Daniel’s prayer reminds us that Israel did not deserve any favour but he stood alone before God bearing the sin of the nation as his own as he pleaded for mercy. His prayer was based solely on God’s faithfulness and not at all on the actions of the people of Israel (v 18).

Daniel was just one man before God yet God heard and answered his prayer. We may think that we are just one person so what difference can we make? Be encouraged as you carefully meditate on this prayer of Daniel. One person praying in the will of God makes all the difference. God’s response was not only to do what He had said through Jeremiah but also revealed through Daniel one of the most important pieces of prophecy in the Bible (vv 24-27). How much poorer would our understanding of the book of Revelation be without these few verses?