“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God”. 1 Peter 2:9
In the Old Testament it is often mentioned that people tore their clothes when tragedy struck. It was a way of expressing grief and distress. But in Leviticus 21:10 we find that the priests were not allowed to tear their clothes (except in the presence of blasphemy). In fact, the priests clothes were to be made in such a way that would prevent accidental tearing (Exodus 28:32). We also know that in the Old Testament it was the priests alone who had the privilege of entering the Holy of Holies, the very presence of God. So these priests who had the privilege of knowing the presence of God also had the responsibility not to tear their clothes.
What does this mean for us today? It means that because we are a royal priesthood and have access into the presence of God we never need regard anything as a disaster. Nothing is so terrible that it would cause us to fall apart (that is “tear our clothes”). We can always cope because we can “approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us” (Hebrews 4:16). God is in control. He is not taken by surprise. No problem is too hard for him. Nothing is so distressing that we can’t handle it because His grace is sufficient for any crisis.
Read more articles by Susan Barnes or search for articles on the same topic or others.
LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE
