They Shall See God

In His famous Sermon on the Mount Jesus gave the disciples a list of beatitudes. The sixth one on the list is this: Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God (Matthew 5:8). What does it mean to see God? Does this passage mean that you and I can get some glimpse of God if we are pure in heart?

That would contradict God’s own words to Moses in Exodus 33:20, “You cannot see my face, for no man shall see me and live.” What did Jesus mean if we cannot see God?

This was a reference to the policy practiced by ancient kings. Far from the fashionable photo ops we see in Buckingham Palace, kings in those days were kept hidden away from commoners. Seeing the king was reserved for special people. We get a glimpse of this in the Old Testament when even Queen Esther was hesitant to approach her husband when she had not been summoned by him (Esther 4:11), an offense she knew could be punished by death. God is not like those ancient kings. Even though we cannot get a physical glimpse of His face this side of eternity, Jesus was letting us know that God is approachable. That is why the author of Hebrews said we can boldly approach the throne of grace (4:16), which happens whenever believers pray. 

So how can we have access to God? We must be pure in heart. The Jews were used to being purified physically to be ceremonially clean as part of their law, but Jesus wanted them to purify their hearts—their inner person—by removing the filth of the flesh. Jesus’ half brother James would later write, “purify your hearts, you double-minded (James 4:8).”

The pure in heart, and only the pure in heart, can talk to God now and will get to see Him in heaven. Are you pure in heart?  

Purim

This Saturday, March 11^th, is the Jewish celebration known as Purim. This holiday isn’t listed among the traditional feasts in Leviticus because it didn’t begin until the days of Queen Esther. In the biblical book that bears the queen’s name, an evil anti-Semite named Haman convinced the king to push for the extermination of the Jews living in the Persian Empire.

Esther, at the behest of her uncle Mordecai, risked her life and standing with the king to stand up for her people. Understanding that this could prove fatal, Mordecai urged her to consider the obvious: “For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this (Esther 4:14)?”

The king’s law that allowed for the Jews to be slaughtered could not be changed, but after Esther boldly begged for his help, her husband added to the law that the Jews could defend themselves (and Haman was executed). When it was all said and done, Esther and her people were spared.

We live in a world that is full of evil people like Haman, and full of wickedness like he displayed. We may wonder when God is going to act. Maybe God is waiting on you to act; maybe you are where you are for such a time as this. Use the voice you have been given, the platform on which you stand, and the resources with which you have been entrusted. Look for a way to be a part of the solution.

This weekend let Purim be a reminder that sometimes things get bad before God steps in, and that sometimes God wants you to be the one to step in.