Hidden In Sin
Thus he shall purge the Shrine of the uncleanness and transgression of the Israelites, whatever their sins; and he shall do the same for the Tent of Meeting, which abides with them in the midst of their uncleanness. Leviticus 16:16 JPS
In the midst of – Where is God when we sin? Do we banish Him from our presence when we act disobediently? Is He forced to leave because He cannot endure sinful behavior? Such has been the suggestion about Yeshua on the cross. Theologians commonly express the idea that when Yeshua took on the sins of the world, God abandoned Him because God cannot “look upon” sin. But this passage in Leviticus causes us to reconsider. Where is God when the priest purges the uncleanness from the people. He is “in the midst” of their sin. He is eetam betok (with them in the midst). The rabbis noted that the Hebrew word for sin, het, contains a hidden Aleph. It is spelled Chet-Tau-Aleph. We don’t hear the Aleph in the vocalization, but it is nevertheless there. The rabbis considered the Aleph a shortened signification for aluf, a word that means God, Lord of the Universe. God in the midst! In the midst of our sin!
But how is God present in our sin? Silently! He has not turned from us. He has not abandoned us. He has not cast us off. But He does not speak. We have deafened ourselves so there is no word from the Lord. Sin is precisely the opposite of shama’, to hear and obey. And God does not speak to those who will not hear. The prophets warned us of this and so did Yeshua. No prophet told us that God would abandon His people, but every prophet told us that God would withhold His words to those who refused to listen.
Where is God when we sin? Exactly where we left Him – in the midst. He is there, anxious to cleanse, unafraid of our disobedience, willing to embrace it for the sake of cleansing – if we will but listen once again.
Where was the Father when the Son took on sin? There, with His arms wrapped securely around the ultimate sacrifice. There, in the midst of the great tragedy and final victory. There, where we should have been.
When the Psalmist cries out, “Lord, why have You left us? Why have You cast off Your servants?” we do not expect a thundering voice from heaven to condemn such pleas. We know that soon the psalm will turn to confession and thanksgiving. We know that even if we make our bed in Sheol, God is there. There is no place where we will not find Him if we open our ears to hear. Let no man tell you that God has forsaken you. The absence of the Father is the plight of the unrepentant, not the decision of the Creator. Look into your sin. There is God looking back at you, waiting silently for your ears.
Topical Index: sin, midst, eetam betook, Leviticus 16:16
Fortunately, God took action to save people from themselves.
I wish there was a way to clone Skip…about 10,000,000 copies and spread them all over the globe to teach, train, admonish, & encourage, in whatever ways were necessary to point people to Yahweh.
Thank you Skip, for providing that kind of leadership for your followers. And, praise God that He was there for you, when you were ready to listen!!
Is it any wonder why the writer cries out to the congregations “they that have an ear let them hear”. A call to return to the Beloved who waits patiently.
Again Skip has said what I have attempted to say for my many years as a pastor/preacher. Even when I preached the text of Psalm 22, I would point the people to the conclusion of the Psalm. No, God did not forsake His Son. His Son was simply affirming that God was faithful to Him and to all. Thank you, Skip, for the affirmation of what I have been preaching all along.
Terrific post, and very insightful. This is exactly why I have always contended that the LORD is the “God of this world”, not Satan. It is common to ascribe to Satan the moniker “god of this world” because it is to this “God” that Paul attributes “blinding” of the eyes and “deafening” of the ears.
Satan has never been the God of this world, even if unbelievers make him so for themselves. He may be the “prince of the power of the air”, and a false “god”, but to give him the title rightly reserved for the LORD Himself is wrong.
Some might say that Satan is simply the agent through whom the LORD uses to “blind” and “deafen”, but this post clearly shows that deafening is a consequence of heardening the heart, disobedience and sin, not a result of a Satanic attack. Even were he the instrument of these consequences, it isn’t correct to make him even the titular “god of this world”.
AMEN!
“Psalmist cries out, “Lord, why have You left us? Why have You cast off Your servants?” we do not expect a thundering voice from heaven to condemn such pleas. We know that soon the psalm will turn to confession and thanksgiving.”
Hi Skip,
With all due respect, sometimes I think you make this experience (Psalm 22 and Matt 27:45) seem less difficult than it is.
Seems to me that David and Yeshua are both feeling like “cast aways” even while knowing they have not been cast away by Yahweh.
Seems to me that in Matt 27:50 Yeshua is feeling a bit “forsaken” when he dies.
That’s because He DOES FEEL forsaken. That’s the human experience in real time as we walk through this world, WORKING out our salvation. That’s also why we walk by faith, not by sight. Sin darkens our understanding, and as the sins of the world were pressed on the sin bearer, he began to “see” from a very human perspective. Where are you God!? (have you ever said that!? I have) What a commpassionate high Priest we have! able to comfort us and intercede for us out of His own experience. Remember that He LEARNED obedience (just like us) Yet without falling to temptation. Aren’t you glad He’s a man as well as God!? He’s been there, done that, and assures us of our final end in Himself. How GOOD is that! It’s no less tough, in the going, knowing it. But the Light of our Hope shines ever brighter!
Beautifully stated Robert !
Shalom to all
“Sin is precisely the opposite of shama’, to hear and obey. And God does not speak to those who will not hear.”
Yet YHWH continues to call us to Himself, as in Isaiah 1:18, “‘Come now, and let us reason together,’
says the LORD, ‘Though your sins are as scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they will be like wool.'”
(See previous Today’s Word “Answers” articles 1-5 originally published on March 17-21, 2010.)
Psa.22:23
Ye that fear the LORD,praise HIM; all ye the seed of Jacob,glorify HIM; and fear HIM, all ye the seed of Israel. For HE hath NOT despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither has HE hid His face from Him; but when HE CRIED UNTO HIM , HE HEARD.
I love the way scripture defends scripture and truth is simply that :Truth
Continue bringing it forth Skip .
Although I am not very vociferous on here, I do enjoy the read and the comments following. The LORD bless you all.
A sincere thank you for this reminder.