Standing Before God

In 1 Samuel 6:1-21 we see that when the Ark of the Covenant was in the Philistine cities, the Philistines were unable to stand before the Lord because of their failure to believe. When the Ark was brought back to the Israelites, they were unable to stand before the Lord because of their failure to honor God--they honored God with their lips, but not with a contrite heart. Through Christ, God has provided a way for us to stand before Him when we come to Him through grace, in contrition and repentance.