June 1, 2026

Introduction

Unfortunately, I think most people see God as harsh and stern, prone to punishing and rendering recompense. Throughout my early years as a Christian, I certainly did. This isn’t true, however. Psalm 145:8 tells us, “The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.” Exodus 34:6 describes Him as “merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.” And Micah 7:18 tells us He delights or takes pleasure in showing mercy.

Though there are many examples, the Cross is the greatest proof of God’s grace and kindness. It will stand forever as the greatest act of love in all of eternity, guiding us to the true heart of our Creator. Today’s title is:

Take Me to the Cross

The streets of London can be challenging to navigate. The city is huge, and its streets meander in different directions. I’ve been there on several occasions, and usually have no idea what part of the city I’m in or how I got there! I just leave the driving to my hosts and the cabbies. There are certain landmarks used by locals that serve as good reference points. One of them is Charing Cross, near the center of the city, well known to most Londoners.

On one occasion, a little girl was lost in this overwhelming maze of concrete, rivers, buildings, and roundabouts. A bobby, the informal term for a British policeman, found her wandering the streets. Between her sobs and tears, she explained to the bobby that she was lost. “I don’t know my way home,” she cried. When the policeman asked for her address, she said, even more panicky, “I don’t know what it is.”

“What is your phone number?” he inquired. She didn’t know that, either. “Is there anything at all you can think of?” the kind bobby asked the little girl. Suddenly, her face lit up.

“I know the cross,” she exclaimed, “Take me to the cross. I can find my way home from there.”(1)

The lost have been finding their way home through the Cross for two thousand years. Easy to find yet missed by many, it marks the way to Father's house. 

Jesus was the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8), and down through the centuries, God hid pictures of the Cross in various places and events. The pieces of furniture in the Tabernacle, for instance, were in the shape of a cross. Other representations came not through an object’s shape but from what transpired there. One of these places was a mountain named Ebal. Located across the valley from Ebal was another mountain, Gerizim, and these two mountains became very significant.

Mount Ebal was barren and rocky–that’s where it got its name, which means “bare or barren;”(2) Ebal was a stony heap of barrenness. Mount Gerizim, on the other hand, was fertile and lush. Consistent with their geography, Ebal became the mountain associated with the barrenness and curses caused by spiritual death. Gerizim pictured fruitfulness and the blessings of redemption. It was actually on these two mountains that the curses resulting from disobedience and the blessings associated with obedience were declared to the twelve tribes of Israel (Joshua 8:30-35). (The list of these blessings and curses can be found in their entirety in Deuteronomy 27 and 28.)

The reading ceremony was quite unique. With the Israelites gathered in the valley (Shechem) between the two mountains, delegates from six tribes went to the top of Ebal, and representatives from the other six climbed Gerizim. The curses rang out across the valley from Ebal, which was a stark picture of them, and the blessings were shouted from lush Gerizim. It would have been quite dramatic for the listeners below as these blessings and curses rang out across the valley. And the message to Israel was clear: the choice of whether you'll be blessed or cursed is entirely up to you.

What was not so clear at the time was the picture of the Cross and our redemption hidden in this event. Israel was commanded to build an altar on Ebal, the mount of cursing, upon which they offered sacrifices and offerings to Jehovah. Its barrenness and absence of life represented us humans in our spiritually dead and cursed condition. The altar and sacrifices offered there symbolized Jesus becoming our sacrifice in order to take our curse and spiritual death. He went to “Ebal,” the place of barrenness and cursing, in order to give us the fruitfulness and blessings represented by Gerizim. The New Testament makes this clear:

“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree’—in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.” (Galatians 3:14-15)

Christ took the curses…to give us the blessings.

But there was another part of the ceremony on Ebal that the Lord also used to picture this great truth. The Israelites were told to do more than just build an altar and offer sacrifices on the mountain of cursing. They were also instructed to whitewash the stones and write the Law of Moses on them. This is detailed in Deuteronomy 27:1-8. Why this strange act? Not until the Holy Spirit interpreted it for us through the apostle Paul’s writings do we find the answer:

“And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to His Cross.” (Colossians 2:13-14)

Absolutely amazing.

I’m sure these Israelites on “the mount of barrenness and curses” didn’t know they were painting a picture of the Cross where Christ would cancel the curses they wrote and bestow on us the blessings of redemption. But they were.

It must have been quite an experience for Christ as He watched this enactment from heaven. Perhaps He winced a little as He watched the sacrifices and listened to the curses shouted from Ebal, knowing the horrific level of pain He would endure when fulfilling these prophetic actions. And yet, He may have smiled when He heard the amazing blessings being read from Gerizim. “For the joy set before Him [Christ] endured the Cross,” the Hebrew writer told us (Hebrews 12:2).

Pray with me:

Father, as we start our week, I feel that You want to remind us of who You truly are: a gracious God, and a loving Father. Satan, the master deceiver, has convinced many — including many of Your kids — that You are harsh and unkind. Forgive us for ever believing this about You.

Many believers actually find it hard to believe that You want to send a great revival and spiritual harvest here in America and around the world. They believe our sins and rebellion have made You so angry that You cannot wait to send fiery wrath. But today, we are reminded from Your Word that You are slow to anger, abounding in love, and delight in showing mercy. We ask for this mercy. Let the love and power of the Cross rain down on us. Send it to our youth, our homes, and our communities. Send it to our government, schools, and military. And send it to the nations: signs, wonders, miracles, and love-generated salvation.

All of this we pray in the name of the slain Lamb and risen Lord, Jesus.

Our decree:

We declare our faith in the power of the Cross, the blood of the Lamb, and the unfailing Word of God.

Today’s post was adapted from my book The Pleasure of His Company, published by Baker Books.

Click on the link below to watch the full video.

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1. Adapted from D. T. Forsythe, quoted in Roy B. Zuck, The Speaker’s Quote Book (Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2009), p. 124.

2. James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), ref. no. 5858.