Why is the Throne of God a Merciful Place? Hebrews 4:16
Why can believers approach God's throne with confidence instead of fear? The answer is found in one of the richest covenant words in all of Scripture—hesed. In this episode of the Light on Life Podcast, discover why God's throne is called the throne of grace, what biblical mercy truly means, and how God's steadfast love, strength, faithfulness, and covenant devotion give every believer bold access into His presence. You'll never look at God's mercy the same way again.
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Podcast Notes:
Hebrews 4:16 (KJV)16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
According to Hebrews, God’s Throne is a place of grace.
How are we supposed to approach the Throne? Only one way, with boldness.
Boldness is confidence before people of high rank.
You can develop boldness by understanding mercy.
What Is Mercy?
Mercy in Hebrews 4:16 means kindness or concern expressed for someone in need. It is translated as mercy, compassion, pity, or clemency [1. William Arndt, Frederick W. Danker, and Walter Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 316].
Psalm 136:1 (KJV)1 O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: For his mercy endures forever.
We can see from Heb. 4:16 that mercy has an element of pity associated with the Word.
Psalms 103:14 expresses this thought.
Psalm 103:14 (KJV)14 For he knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust. When you come boldly to the Throne, God knows your frame. He remembers how He created you from the dust of the earth.[Tweet "God loves you loyally. Camp on this. There is no thought equal to this in the realm of men."]
The Old Testament Word for Mercy
In Psalm 136:1 the word mercy is the Hebrew 'hesed' [2. The New Testament Greek word mercy links 174 times to hesed in the Septuagint. Spicq, Ceslas, and James D. Ernest. Theological Lexicon of the New Testament. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1994 pp. 474].
Hesed means mercy, lovingkindness, steadfast love, grace, faithfulness, goodness, and devotion.
Hesed Has Three Main Components
The word has in it the ideas of…
Strength
Steadfastness or loyal love
Faithfulness or devotion
Mercy is a covenant word.
It is not an “I feel sorry for you because you are so worthless’ word.
Mercy speaks of God’s loyal, consistent, and reliable willingness to love [4. D. K. Stuart, “Steadfast Love,” ed. Geoffrey W. Bromiley, The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1979–1988), 613].
It’s wonderful to sit back on the thought that your God loves you loyally.
There is no equal to this thought in the realm of men.
You can sit back on that thought. When, you do it helps your confidence as you approach God. You’re coming to Him because you love Him. He knows you love Him. And so, you freely obtain grace and mercy from Him because God loves you even more than you love Him.
If you reinsert the three main ideas of the word hesed back into Psalm 136:1, it would read like this.
Psalm 136:1 (KJV)1 O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: For his mercy, devotion, loyal love, and strength endures forever.
“Endures forever” is the phrase that makes glad the heart.
Mercy is forever because it’s a covenant.
How long is forever? It’s one day greater than you think.
What Hesed is Not
God’s mercy is not sentimental.
The idea of rejection is never in the word mercy. That’s why you can come boldly to the Throne. You won’t ever be rejected. Never! No chance! There is no rejection for those who come for mercy and grace.
John 6:37 (KJV)37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.
God’s love and mercy are loyally strong and steadfastness.
The Bible majors on this word because it is a major part of God’s being.
You will encounter mercy when you come and visit the Father at His Throne.
God is so full of hesed that it overflows the Throne
Deuteronomy 7:9 (KJV)9 Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;[Tweet "How are we supposed to approach the Throne? Only one way, with boldness."]
Strength Flows from the Throne
Hesed means strength.
Part of the mercy component is to infuse you with strength when you come to Him.
When you are weak, when you are down, He comes to your aid.
When your enemies try to arise his ‘hesed’ arises that much more to make the difference and to carry you through.
Exodus 15:13 (KJV)13 Thou in thy mercy (hesed) hast led forth the people which thou hast redeemed: Thou hast guided them in thy strength unto thy holy habitation.
Paul encountered this same aspect of God’s strength and mercy.
Paul was beaten and stoned for his testimony of Jesus.
Riots occurred constantly around him as he preached the gospel without compromise. He was continually on the run for his life. The situation was so bad, he asked the Lord to deliver him from all of it. Paul prayed about this three different times.
Here was God’s answer to him.
2 Corinthians 12:9 (KJV)9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
God’s strength infused Paul at his lowest state and lifted him up.
Loyal Love Flows from the Throne
Loyal love means faithfulness. He will always be there for you.
You have never come to the Throne and had God’s receptionist say, “God’s not in right now. Can I take a message?”
No, He is always available. He is always ready to hear you express your heart to Him.
Hebrews 13:5 (KJV)5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
Not only did God say you can come to Him every single time but He also said, “I am going with you wherever you go.”
When Jesus said, ‘I’ll never leave you nor forsake you’, that means hesed, that means loyal love.
Get used to it. You’re stuck with God. He is not going anywhere.
Religion has taught us that when we are doing well, God is happy. When we are not doing well, God is angry. That’s the biggest pile of unbelief ever unleashed on mankind. Totally worthless.
No, that is natural human love. Natural human love says, I’ll love you if you love me. I’ll be nice to you, if you’ll be nice to me. That’s not how hesed responds.
Hesed is loyal love. Isa. 54:7–10 is how hesed reacts with Old Covenant people.
Isaiah 54:7–10 (KJV)7 For a small moment have I forsaken thee; But with great mercies will I gather thee. 8 In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; But with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, Saith the Lord thy Redeemer. 9 For this is as the waters of Noah unto me: For as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth; So have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee. 10 For the mountains shall depart, And the hills be removed; But my kindness shall not depart from thee, Neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, Saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee.
This was under the Old Covenant. These words do not have the Blood of Jesus taken into account.
How much more shall the Blood of Jesus cement God’s loyal love in the hearts and minds of His children?
Get used to being loved by God.
Devotion Flows from the Throne
The word which may best describe hesed is the last word, the word devotion.
God is eternally devoted to His covenant people.
God respects you as much when you are feeling low as He does when you are cloud nine with Him.
God did not choose you because you were high, so He will not forsake you because you are low. He choose you because he loved you. He devoted Himself to your good.
Men may shy away from you when you are down. But not God.
He is in covenant with you.
You are eternally tied to the Holy One.
Call to Action:
The communion table is a symbol of God’s devotion. The next time you partake of communion and you look at the Table, remember the extent of God’s devotion to you. To be devoted to you, to be hooked up with you cost Him his Son. God’s not going anywhere. You can come boldly to Him. You can receive mercy and grace.
Listen to the Audio
#S1-045
Right Click to Download
Podcast No
Hebrews 4:16 (KJV)16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
According to Hebrews, God’s Throne is a place of grace.
How are we supposed to approach the Throne? Only one way, with boldness.
Boldness is confidence before people of high rank.
You can develop boldness by understanding mercy.
What Is Mercy?
Mercy in Hebrews 4:16 means kindness or concern expressed for someone in need. It is translated as mercy, compassion, pity, or clemency [1. William Arndt, Frederick W. Danker, and Walter Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 316].
Psalm 136:1 (KJV)1 O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: For his mercy endures forever.
We can see from Heb. 4:16 that mercy has an element of pity associated with the Word.
Psalms 103:14 expresses this thought.
Psalm 103:14 (KJV)14 For he knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust. When you come boldly to the Throne, God knows your frame. He remembers how He created you from the dust of the earth.[Tweet "God loves you loyally. Camp on this. There is no thought equal to this in the realm of men."]
The Old Testament Word for Mercy
In Psalm 136:1 the word mercy is the Hebrew 'hesed' [2. The New Testament Greek word mercy links 174 times to hesed in the Septuagint. Spicq, Ceslas, and James D. Ernest. Theological Lexicon of the New Testament. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1994 pp. 474].
Hesed means mercy, lovingkindness, steadfast love, grace, faithfulness, goodness, and devotion.
Hesed Has Three Main Components
The word has in it the ideas of…
Strength
Steadfastness or loyal love
Faithfulness or devotion
Mercy is a covenant word.
It is not an “I feel sorry for you because you are so worthless’ word.
Mercy speaks of God’s loyal, consistent, and reliable willingness to love [4. D. K. Stuart, “Steadfast Love,” ed. Geoffrey W. Bromiley, The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1979–1988), 613].
It’s wonderful to sit back on the thought that your God loves you loyally.
There is no equal to this thought in the realm of men.
You can sit back on that thought. When, you do it helps your confidence as you approach God. You’re coming to Him because you love Him. He knows you love Him. And so, you freely obtain grace and mercy from Him because God loves you even more than you love Him.
If you reinsert the three main ideas of the word hesed back into Psalm 136:1, it would read like this.
Psalm 136:1 (KJV)1 O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: For his mercy, devotion, loyal love, and strength endures forever.
“Endures forever” is the phrase that makes glad the heart.
Mercy is forever because it’s a covenant.
How long is forever? It’s one day greater than you think.
What Hesed is Not
God’s mercy is not sentimental.
The idea of rejection is never in the word mercy. That’s why you can come boldly to the Throne. You won’t ever be rejected. Never! No chance! There is no rejection for those who come for mercy and grace.
John 6:37 (KJV)37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.
God’s love and mercy are loyally strong and steadfastness.
The Bible majors on this word because it is a major part of God’s being.
You will encounter mercy when you come and visit the Father at His Throne.
God is so full of hesed that it overflows the Throne
Deuteronomy 7:9 (KJV)9 Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;[Tweet "How are we supposed to approach the Throne? Only one way, with boldness."]
Strength Flows from the Throne
Hesed means strength.
Part of the mercy component is to infuse you with strength when you come to Him.
When you are weak, when you are down, He comes to your aid.
When your enemies try to arise his ‘hesed’ arises that much more to make the difference and to carry you through.
Exodus 15:13 (KJV)13 Thou in thy mercy (hesed) hast led forth the people which thou hast redeemed: Thou hast guided them in thy strength unto thy holy habitation.
Paul encountered this same aspect of God’s strength and mercy.
Paul was beaten and stoned for his testimony of Jesus.
Riots occurred constantly around him as he preached the gospel without compromise. He was continually on the run for his life. The situation was so bad, he asked the Lord to deliver him from all of it. Paul prayed about this three different times.
Here was God’s answer to him.
2 Corinthians 12:9 (KJV)9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
God’s strength infused Paul at his lowest state and lifted him up.
Loyal Love Flows from the Throne
Loyal love means faithfulness. He will always be there for you.
You have never come to the Throne and had God’s receptionist say, “God’s not in right now. Can I take a message?”
No, He is always available. He is always ready to hear you express your heart to Him.
Hebrews 13:5 (KJV)5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
Not only did God say you can come to Him every single time but He also said, “I am going with you wherever you go.”
When Jesus said, ‘I’ll never leave you nor forsake you’, that means hesed, that means loyal love.
Get used to it. You’re stuck with God. He is not going anywhere.
Religion has taught us that when we are doing well, God is happy. When we are not doing well, God is angry. That’s the biggest pile of unbelief ever unleashed on mankind. Totally worthless.
No, that is natural human love. Natural human love says, I’ll love you if you love me. I’ll be nice to you, if you’ll be nice to me. That’s not how hesed responds.
Hesed is loyal love. Isa. 54:7–10 is how hesed reacts with Old Covenant people.
Isaiah 54:7–10 (KJV)7 For a small moment have I forsaken thee; But with great mercies will I gather thee. 8 In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; But with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, Saith the Lord thy Redeemer. 9 For this is as the waters of Noah unto me: For as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth; So have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee. 10 For the mountains shall depart, And the hills be removed; But my kindness shall not depart from thee, Neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, Saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee.
This was under the Old Covenant. These words do not have the Blood of Jesus taken into account.
How much more shall the Blood of Jesus cement God’s loyal love in the hearts and minds of His children?
Get used to being loved by God.
Devotion Flows from the Throne
The word which may best describe hesed is the last word, the word devotion.
God is eternally devoted to His covenant people.
God respects you as much when you are feeling low as He does when you are cloud nine with Him.
God did not choose you because you were high, so He will not forsake you because you are low. He choose you because he loved you. He devoted Himself to your good.
Men may shy away from you when you are down. But not God.
He is in covenant with you.
You are eternally tied to the Holy One.
Call to Action:
The communion table is a symbol of God’s devotion. The next time you partake of communion and you look at the Table, remember the extent of God’s devotion to you. To be devoted to you, to be hooked up with you cost Him his Son. God’s not going anywhere. You can come boldly to Him. You can receive mercy and grace.