Christ Stands in the Gap

For every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. (Heb. 5:1)

​When we go though difficult times in life or when we blow it and make mistakes, it is nice to have a friend come along side us to comfort and encourage us.  However, it’s one thing to have a friend there beside us to sympathize with us and encourage us, it’s quite another to have a friend there beside us who will not only sympathize with us and encourage us, but has also walked in our shoes, who knows what we are going through because they have been there themselves.  This was the role of priests in the Old Testament (OT).  We are told in Hebrews 5:1-2 that “every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.  He can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is beset with weakness.”  OT priests were appointed to “act on behalf of men in relation to God” and to “deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is beset with weakness.”  In other words, the priest was to go before God on behalf of the people and plead on their behalf for God to be merciful. And he was good at doing this because he was a man himself and knew just how hard it was to live in a fallen world.  But then we are told in v.5, “So also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him who said to him, ‘You are my Son, today I have begotten you.’”  Christ was appointed by God to be our priest and to stand in the gap between God and men and continuously go before the throne of God the Father and plead for us and intercede for us saying, ‘Be merciful and compassionate.  I know how powerful temptation is and how difficult it is to live in a fallen world.  Besides that, I paid for their sins.’  For believers, Christ is our high priest “appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God.”  What a comforting truth.