When King Hezekiah held his great Passover celebration during a time of revival, many Israelites came to celebrate, who had not cleansed themselves. By law, they were barred from celebrating, but did anyway.
Hezekiah prayed that "the good Lord pardon them all" who had come with ready hearts to obey the Passover celebration call, even though they were not properly sanctified, and the Lord heard his plea for the people.
Hezekiah had no basis under the law to make this plea. Under the law, these men were subject to judgment for partaking in an unclean condition.
Yet the Lord showed them mercy at Hezekiah's request!
This reminds us of the terror of the law, and how no man can keep it, and our desperate need for grace from God.
Praise God, we are no longer under the wrath of the law, for our Lord Jesus has kept it completely for us, and has discharged all its judgments against us by dying in our place on the cross.
We are no longer under the old covenant, but Christ's New Covenant, by which we are justified and declared righteous, not for our own obedience, but for Jesus' sake!
Nobody was ever saved by keeping the law, but all are condemned by it. The Apostles clearly preached that the law no longer binds the saints in judgment or condemnation, because Jesus was already condemned in our place.
We have a better advocate that Hezekiah! Our Lord Jesus pleads for us, and He pleads His own blood to annihilate any condemnation against us.
Unlike Hezekiah, Christ pleads not for mercy, but for strict justice for His people! It is not an act of leniency He cries for, but the moral and legal requirement that His people be acquitted of all wrong! |
