‘Wherefore, receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, may we have grace, whereby we may offer service well-pleasing to God with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.'
At Sinai Israel received a kingdom that could be shaken (Exodus 19:6). It was a kingdom of priests, and it was earthly. But Israel failed in its destiny to be priests to the nations, and as we have seen their priesthood has been superseded. It has passed away as far as God is concerned. And it would soon be gone. But we are even now continually receiving and accepting a Kingly Rule that cannot be shaken, a spiritual Kingly Rule, the Kingly Rule of God which Jesus declared was present in Him and is to be ours for ever, which we enter into when we put our trust in Jesus Christ. We thus need to ensure that we have continual grace, God's gracious love and favour revealed in action in a way which we can never deserve, received through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9), so that by it we may offer service which is well-pleasing to God with reverence and awe.
And we are under His Kingly Rule as priests. We have become the ‘kingdom of priests' (Rev 1:6; 1 Peter 2:5; 1 Peter 2:9), replacing the old (Exodus 19:6). The idea here is of priestly service, acceptable to God because we come through our great High Priest, Jesus Christ. It is a priestly service of the offering of spiritual sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving (Hebrews 13:15; 1Pe 2:5; 1 Peter 2:9; Psalms 50:14; Psalms 107:22; Psalms 116:17; Philippians 4:6; Colossians 4:2) and of the offering of ourselves to total obedience (Romans 12:1 compare Philippians 4:18). A sacrifice of doing good and helping and encouraging one another (see especially Hebrews 13:15-16). And these sacrifices are to be brought ‘with reverence and awe'. Though we come boldly we must not approach God lightly. For we must ever remember Sinai (Deuteronomy 4:14). ‘Our God is a consuming fire.' He is a God Who destroys all that is unworthy.
The words ‘may we have grace' (the literal rendering) could also be translated ‘let us be thankful'. But grace, God's gracious activity in sustaining and keeping us, is surely what is needed for such a ministry.