Wednesday: Depart From Me!
In the Old Testament, we find a consistent record of human responses to a God who is holy. What about in the New? Some modern Christians argue that the Old Testament presents a primitive and outdated picture of God, a God who is harsh and very prone to anger. But when Jesus comes, He is now the God of grace and love. We know, of course, that this is a distorted view of the Bible and of the character of a God who does not change.1
What do the New Testament writers teach us about God’s holiness? Read, for instance, Luke 5:1–11. How does this show the consistency between the Old and New Testaments on the holiness of God?
After these men toiled unsuccessfully all night as fishermen, Jesus provided a miraculous catch of fish for His hard-working disciples. When this occurred, one would think a normal human response would be thankfulness to Jesus for such extraordinary financial assistance. Peter’s response, though, was focused on something else. His reaction was much like those of the Old Testament characters who encountered the Lord.
“But Peter was unmindful now of boats or lading. This miracle, above any other he had ever witnessed, was to him a manifestation of divine power. In Jesus he saw One who held all nature under His control. The presence of divinity revealed his own unholiness. Love for his Master, shame for his own unbelief, gratitude for the condescension of Christ, above all, the sense of his uncleanness in the presence of infinite purity, overwhelmed him. While his companions were securing the contents of the net, Peter fell at the Saviour’s feet, exclaiming, ‘Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.’ ”—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 246.
Why this reaction? It’s because we’re not in the Garden of Eden anymore, where Adam and Eve—before their fall into sin—welcomed the presence of God in the cool of the evening. This close communion dramatically changed immediately after the Fall, when the couple ran and hid. Not much has changed since then. Indeed, this reaction remains the consistent picture throughout Scripture. Whenever a human being truly encounters the living God, there is the initial horror of finally seeing the true depth of one’s own sinfulness.
When was the last time you got a real good look at your own sinful nature? A pretty horrible sight, isn’t it? What’s your only hope, and why?
Our God is the same as yesterday, today and ever!! We change, not our God
For lack of room, the lesson did not quote the following paragraphs in Desire of Ages:
Notice that Peter didn’t run away, exclaiming, “Get away from me!” No, he “clung to the feet of Jesus, feeling that he could not be parted from Him.” He didn’t want to be separated from Jesus! Peter must have felt just a little of that self-renouncing love that is at the heart of the character of God and the basis of His holiness. (1 John 4:7) This love drew Peter to cling to Jesus.
let me see if i get this right. Peter fell to his knees saying depart from me lord because he didnt feel worthy of being in Jesus presence but yet he couldnt let Him go perhaps because he knew that only through Jesus he could be safe kinda like saying iam not perfect but you make me perfect