Boldly Speak, Boldly Come

It was a tenuous position to be in but it didn’t deter him…

Then Abraham spoke up again: “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes,” (Gen 18:27)

Abraham recognized that he, as a man, made up of nothing but dust and ashes, was speaking to the Almighty God and he did not know how his words would be received.

Other translations use similar, but slightly different words, for the phrase “I have been so bold to speak”.  Such wording might give us further glimpses into how tenuous Abraham’s position might have been:

Since I have ventured to speak;

for daring to speak to you like this;

I have been brave to speak;

I may be so bold as to ask you;

I dare open my mouth;

Before Abraham spoke so boldly, the Lord had indicated that He would allow Abraham to know what He was about to do in judgment against the wicked in Sodom (Gen 18:17).  The account doesn’t, however, seem to give any indicators that permission was being given for Abraham to speak.

It’s interesting that while we can now look back and see that Abraham’s boldness placed him in a tenuous position, we are not now placed so similarly.  In fact, we can actually come boldly before God:  “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”  (Heb 4:16)

So what changed?  Certainly, we are just like Abraham in that we are nothing but dust and ashes. 

What changed is that the Son of God took on the very dust and ashes of human flesh and became our great High Priest.  In His priestly role of offering a sacrifice for sins, He sacrificed Himself to take care of our sins once for all (Heb 9:14).  And not only that, but Jesus, as our great High Priest gave us access to the throne of grace (Heb 4:14-15). 

I really appreciate the way Hebrews 4:16 is translated in the Amplified Bible, Classic Edition:  “Let us then fearlessly and confidently and boldly draw near to the throne of grace (the throne of God’s unmerited favor to us sinners), that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find grace to help in good time for every need [appropriate help and well-timed help, coming just when we need it].”

I don’t know about you, but I am painfully aware that I’m a sinner who is often in need of unmerited favor and I am so grateful that I can fearlessly and confidently and boldly come to the throne of grace to receive mercy for my failures and find grace to help in time of need!