Grace Greets Groans

Why do we groan

This groaning isn’t just about physical suffering — it’s a deep, spiritual ache. A longing for restoration, for redemption, for the fullness of what God intended. So yes, I believe we can squeeze into that groaning the trials and temptations of sex — not in a way that excuses sin, but in a way that acknowledges the human struggle and pangs of disappointment, failure and repetition.

Sexual temptation is one of the most primal and, persistent battles. And the Bible doesn’t shy away from it:

David, a man after God’s own heart, fell hard with Bathsheba.
Solomon, wise beyond measure, was pulled into idolatry through his many wives.
Eli’s sons, priests in the sanctuary, were sleeping with women at the entrance of the tent of meeting — desecrating the sacred.

We don't know of their home life or their family life, or the neighbourhood they live in, but what could have caused these boys, growing up in a Christian home, your father is a priest in the church, what could have caused them to think they could have inveigled these women to have sex with them. And the girls too, I am sure they were not raped. Was it an attractive thing to sleep with the pastor's sons. Young girls on your worship team being enticed and yielding to the the subtle maneuvers of the brethren.

These weren’t random sinners — they were leaders, anointed, called. And yet they groaned, stumbled, and sometimes fell. So if you ask if we can include the “trickery of sex” in that groaning — I say absolutely. It’s part of the human condition, part of the spiritual warfare, part of the longing for holiness in a world that constantly pulls us toward brokenness.

But here’s the key: Groaning is not giving in. It’s the sound of resistance, the cry of the Spirit within us saying, “This isn’t how it’s supposed to be.” It’s the tension between flesh and Spirit, between desire and discipline, between brokenness and redemption.

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This is the groan that many feel but few dare to voice.

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Traditional Christians always felt groaning is about physical pains and suffering, but I feel it can include the strife and struggle as the flesh lusteth against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh. Paul’s language in Romans 8 is far deeper, more layered, more existential. It’s the groan of tension, of yearning, of spiritual warfare.

Gal. 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Of these works of the flesh 4 of them are sexual - Adultery, fornication, lasciviousness and uncleaness. These are massive body blows that the flesh weilds every day against our brothers and sisters - young and old.

Let’s step into the sanctuary and see how it responds to that kind of groaning — especially the groaning that comes from sexual struggle, temptation, and the flesh warring against the Spirit.

Under the Old Covenant the Groaner or the struggler would offer his burnt offering in the outer court at the Altar of Burnt offering. This is significant of his confession, his brokenness and his pain. The people could not enter the first compartment but the priests enterd into the firsts compartment where was the Lampstand, The Table of Shewbread, the Laver and the Altar of Incense. All of these were preparatory services before the Most Holy Place where God can be met, can be entered by the High Priest alone.

Under the New Covenant all that has changed, Jesus Christ offered himself on the cross and then made a once and for all entrance. For Jesus functioned not in the type of an Aaronic priest but in the Type of a Melchizedechian priesthood. He entered once into the Most Holy place Heb. 9:12. having obtaibed eternal redemption. Christ does not have to repeat that process as the Old Covenant priests and High priests had to.

Our Response

Our response to that is as a Sinner we meet Christ at the Altar of burnt offering, As a Christian we have already met him at the altar of burnt offering, as a Priest of God we meet inside the first Tabernacle where we can receive his word, his cleansing and enlightenment. But God is saying there is no deterrence any more for the child of God to receive full restoration. Christ has removed the curtain we can rush Straight in and receive mercy and grace to help in time of need.

Mercy, so we can forget all the past and move on with our lives and Grace so that we can face any new challenges the enemy hurls at us.

Question: What do you think is the greatest hindrance to the restoration of the sexually sinning believer?

The Veil: Torn but Still Sacred

The veil once separated man from God — but Christ tore it.
Now, even in our groaning, we have access.
The sanctuary doesn’t say “stay out until you’re perfect.” It says “come in, even if you’re groaning.”

The Most Holy Place: Where Groaning Becomes Glory

Inside is the Ark, the mercy seat, the Shekinah glory.
Here, the groaning is transformed. It’s no longer just struggle — it’s intercession, transformation, redemption.
The sanctuary responds not with condemnation, but with presence.
God says, “I hear your groan. I know your war. I’m not repulsed — I’m right here.”

David said Psalm 73:14-17 All the day long have I been plagued and chastened every morning ----- it was too painful for me -- until I went into the sanctuary of God.

The sanctuary doesn’t ignore the groaning of sexual struggle. It absorbs it, responds to it, and redeems it. From the outer court to the mercy seat, it’s a journey of grace.

Question: What can be done to facilitate reconnevtion with the sanctuary of God? Is our churches doing enough to help strugglers and groaners find their way back into the sanctuary?

I know of kings, David, Solomon. who had that struggle; priests: Eli's son who had that struggle, What about prophets?

We often think of prophets as untouchable, wrapped in fire and thunder, but they were still men — flesh and blood, groaning like the rest of us. Imagine Abraham, and the threat of losing his wife. Many a man will puke at the thought of losing his wife to another man. God saw the travail of Abraham soul when he said to Abimilech "You are a dead man .... Restore this man his wife for he is a prophet" Gen. 20:7. Maybe you are facing the risk of losing your wife or a husband to a seductive opposite sex, you are not alone. Prophets struggle with sexually related problems. When your husband goes to work, there are Abimilech's out there, there are strange women that "winketh with the eye". Go into the sanctuary and ask God to cover your spouse. To cover your children and shield them from sexual predators.

While the Bible doesn’t give us a prophet who fell into sexual sin as clearly as David or Eli’s sons, there are hints, implications, and symbolic parallels that suggest the struggle was not foreign to them either:

1. Hosea — The Prophet Who Married a Prostitute

God commanded Hosea to marry Gomer, a woman of harlotry, as a living parable of Israel’s unfaithfulness.
While Hosea himself is not said to have sinned sexually, he was intimately entangled with the pain, betrayal, and emotional weight of sexual brokenness.
His life was a prophetic groan — embodying the heartbreak of God over spiritual and sexual infidelity. Imagine Hosea's pain.

2. Samson — A Judge with Prophetic Calling

Though not always labeled a prophet, Samson was a Nazirite, chosen and empowered by God, and operated with prophetic authority.
His downfall? Delilah. His story is soaked in sexual temptation, manipulation, and eventual ruin.
He’s a tragic example of how anointing doesn’t cancel out vulnerability.

3. Balaam — A Prophet for Hire who went as far to give training in the Art of Fornication and Seduction.

Balaam’s story is complex. Though he spoke God’s words, he later advised Balak to seduce Israel with Moabite women (Numbers 31:16).
His prophetic gift was real, but his moral compass was compromised — showing how even prophets can be entangled in sexual schemes.

🧠 What This Tells Us

Prophets weren’t immune. They may not have all fallen, but they felt the pull.
Their groaning may have been more internal, more spiritual, but it was real.
The sanctuary’s response to their groaning? Mercy, correction, and restoration — not erasure.

This reminds us that no office, no anointing, no calling exempts us from the war within. And that’s why the sanctuary matters: it’s not just a place of worship, it’s a place of warfare and healing.

Let us explore how prophetic authority intersects with human weakness, and how the sanctuary covers even the anointed when they fall. This is sacred ground, so let’s tread with reverence and boldness.

Prophetic Authority vs. Human Weakness

Prophets Were Not Superhuman.

They were chosen, yes — but not immune.
Elijah got depressed. Jonah ran. Jeremiah wept. David was delusional. Hosea loved a woman who betrayed him and Habakuk was frustrated
Their groaning wasn’t always sexual, but it was deeply human.
The prophetic mantle doesn’t cancel the flesh — it magnifies the tension between calling and craving.

2. The Weight of the Word

Prophets carried the burden of divine truth — often while battling private turmoil.
That tension can lead to isolation, frustration, and yes, temptation.
The groaning of the prophet is often: “How can I speak for God when I’m still wrestling with myself?”

3. When Prophets Fell or Faltered

Balaam compromised for gain.
Samson, with prophetic strength, fell to Delilah’s seduction.

The takeaway? Prophetic authority doesn’t erase weakness — it demands deeper surrender.

How the Sanctuary Covers the Anointed When They Fall

1. The Mercy Seat Was for the High Priest Too

Even the high priest had to offer sacrifices for his own sins before entering the Most Holy Place (Leviticus 16:6).
The sanctuary never assumed the anointed were above falling — it prepared for it.

2. The Blood Was Sprinkled Seven Times

Seven: the number of completion.
The blood didn’t just cover the people — it covered the priest, the altar, the veil.
It’s a full-coverage policy for the fallen and the faithful alike.

3. The Incense Covered the Ark

When the high priest entered, he had to fill the Most Holy Place with incense before approaching the mercy seat (Leviticus 16:12–13).
Why? So he wouldn’t die.
That incense — symbolic of prayer and intercession — shows that even the anointed needs a cloud of mercy when they come close.

4. The Sanctuary Doesn’t Cancel — It Cleanses

David, after his fall, didn’t lose his calling — he went deeper into repentance.
The sanctuary doesn’t say “You’re done.” It says, “Come again — but come clean.”

💡 Final Word

Too many anointed ones have groaned in secret, thinking their struggle disqualifies them. But the sanctuary says:

“I knew you’d groan. That’s why I built this place.”

So whether prophet, priest, or king — the sanctuary is not just a place of worship. It’s a hospital for the holy, a refuge for the wrestling, and a mercy seat for the groaning.

Christ can be touched

So let me touch on a sensitive area.

Christ can be touched with the feelings of our infirmities & He was in all points tempted like as we are, It is then possible for christ himself to have groaned and still groans inside the veil and may have been could have faced sexual temptations?

Lets explore this:

✨ Hebrews 4:15 — The Groaning of the God-Man

“For we do not have a high priest who cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.”

This verse is a thunderclap in theology. It tells us that:

Jesus felt what we feel.
Jesus was tempted in all points — not just hunger, anger, or pride, but all.
Yet He did not sin.

So yes — it is entirely possible that Jesus faced sexual temptation. Not because He was flawed, but because He was fully human. To be tempted is not to sin — it’s to be human in a fallen world.

🔥 Did Jesus Groan Inside the Veil?

Absolutely. The veil isn’t just a curtain — it’s a symbol of intimacy, intercession, and identification.

Jesus, our High Priest, entered the heavenly sanctuary not just with blood — but with groaning.
Romans 8:26 says the Spirit groans with us. Hebrews 7:25 says Jesus ever lives to make intercession.
That intercession isn’t cold or clinical — it’s emotional, empathetic, intense.

Jesus groans inside the veil. Not because He’s weak, but because He’s with us. He feels the pull, the pain, the pressure — and He turns that groaning into grace.

💥 Sexual Temptation: Was Jesus Touched by It?

Theologians wrestle with this, but here’s the grounded truth:

Jesus was a man. He had hormones, desires, and lived in a culture where sexual temptation was real.
He interacted with women — some broken, some bold, some beautiful.
He was tempted in all points — and that includes the sexual realm.

When Mary and Martha, Salome and Zebedee's wife came with breasts bouncing and buttox shaking near our saviour, do you think that the devil was not whispering "Great woman, Look at Salo-me. You think Jesus Christ did not have to say "Get thee behind me Satan, thou Savourest not the things that be of God, but of men.

Resist the devil and he will flee from you. James 4:7

Whom resist steadfast in the faith 1 Pet. 5:9

But here’s the miracle: He never crossed the line. He groaned, but He didn’t give in. He felt, but He didn’t fall. That’s why He can stand inside the veil and say, “I get it. I’ve been there. I’ve felt that. And I’ve overcome.”

🕊️ Final Word from the Sanctuary

The sanctuary isn’t afraid of the real groans. And Jesus? He’s not just our Savior — He’s our Sympathizer, our Intercessor, our Groaning High Priest.

He groaned. He may have faced sexual temptation. And He still groans with us, inside the veil, turning our weakness into worship.

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Grace Greets Groans

Grace Greets Groans