THE HIGHEST VALUE IN GOD'S ECONOMY
Dr. Paul Manuel—2009
Introduction
The biblical writers use many different attributes to describe God—righteous, just, good, merciful—but there is one attribute that encompasses all others. It is the one the seraphim call out before the heavenly throne: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty" (Isa 6:3; Rev 4:8).
Holiness occupies the foremost rank among the attributes of God. It is the attribute by which God wanted to be especially known.... It is emphasized by the bounds set about Mt. Sinai when God came down upon it...the division of the tabernacle and temple into the holy and most holy places...the prescribed offerings that must be brought if an Israelite would approach God...the special priesthood to mediate between God and the people...the many laws about impurity...the feasts of Israel...and the special position of Israel in [Canaan].... The Lord is called "the Holy One" some thirty times in Isaiah alone. (Thiessen 1979:84)1Holy is the attribute God uses more than any other to describe Himself. It is also that quality He expects will characterize those who serve Him. Holiness is The Highest Value in God's Economy. It is, therefore, the standard by which we measure and seek to understand what God does and what He demands. The term occurs over a thousand times in scripture!2
Because we have few representations of holiness in society today, it is an abstract concept to most people.
- We may understand that to be holy is to be set apart, but the implications of this notion are vague: Set apart how and to what end?
- We may also think too narrowly about holiness, that it means only separation from sin. There is more to it than that.
Our task in this study is to survey what God has said about holiness, especially in the Old Testament, which has the greatest number of references to that subject. As I attempted to collate the vast amount of material here, I began to feel like a guide who has far less time than he needs to show a tour group the magnificence of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, with its three floors (excluding the Cloister), twenty-five collections, and hundreds of galleries—not to mention four gift shops, two libraries, an education wing with classrooms, and a restaurant. If we move quickly, we might make it from one end of the building to the other before the bus leaves, but we cannot pause to admire or contemplate what we see. You will forgive me, then, if I hurry us along.
The foundation of divine revelation is the Pentateuch, the Five Books of Moses, the Torah.
It is the first collection that God's people recognized as inspired, and all subsequent additions to the biblical canon rest on its authority.
- The Prophets evaluate God's people by their adherence to Torah.
- The authors of the Writings (like Psalms and Proverbs) illustrate life in obedience to Torah.
- The New Testament authors and Jesus repeatedly appeal to Torah as their authority.
What is the first reference in the Bible to holiness? Does it describe the character of God or the conduct of God? ...Turn to...
Gen 2:3 And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.Here we see God's setting apart of the Sabbath as a day that has special significance for Him. There is no evidence, however, that anyone else in Genesis recognized this designation—no indication that Adam, Enoch, Noah, or the Patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) recognized the Sabbath's sanctity.5 In fact, neither the Sabbath nor the term holy appears again in Genesis.6 It is not until the exodus of Israel from Egypt that holiness becomes a prominent issue in scripture,7 and that is where our Roadmap to Holiness begins.8
When God brings Israel out of Egypt, it is not only to save them from bondage; it is also to select them for blessing. So, when the people are finally a safe distance from their former captives, God does not say to them: "You're on your own now. Have a nice life." Rather, He tells them His plan for their new life together.9
Exod 19:4 You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. 5 Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, 6 you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites."Although God will lead them to the land He promised their forefathers, there is another destination He has in mind for them as well: "[Y]ou will be for me...a holy nation." For that destination, God gives His people a Roadmap to Holiness.
The roadmap comes with four kinds of travel aids, corresponding to four areas of holiness.
- Personal Holiness which is the transformation of people.
- Spatial Holiness which is the transformation of places.
- Material Holiness which is the transformation of things.
- Temporal Holiness which is the transformation of time.
- Objective holiness is what God does. It is a condition that exists when He declares it so.
- Subjective holiness is what we do. It is a condition that exists when we make it so by following His instructions.
I. Personal Holiness
- God gives His people a compass to show them the direction they must travel to reach their destination.
A. What God does (objective holiness)Following the exodus from Egypt, God indicates the plan He has for Israel, a plan to make them different from all other people.
Exod 19:5 Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, 6a you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.This is not a gradual process but a declaration of fact.10 God has chosen Israel to be what other nations are not, and this selection alters the people's position in the divine plan. They are servants of the LORD their God.
1. Personal holiness is God's separation of people for His service (Exod 19:6)11
After God outlines His plan for the people, the next reference to personal holiness pertains to an issue Seventh Day Baptistss hold dear.[Y]ou will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.
Exod 31:12 ...the LORD said to Moses, 13 "Say to the Israelites, 'You must observe my Sabbaths. This will be a sign between me and you for the generations to come, so you may know that I am the LORD, who makes you holy [D50].God gave the Sabbath specifically to Israel,12 and He called it a sign, an abiding indication of His unique relationship with the people. Hence, their observance of the Sabbath is a reminder to them of the One they serve and of what He does.
2. Personal holiness is God's transformation of people to His image (Exod 31:13).13
As they continue to obey His commands, including the command of the seventh day, God conforms Israel to His character in greater and greater measure.14I am the LORD, who makes you holy.
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Problem: What about all the killing?15Before Israel enters Canaan, God reiterates His intention to transform His people, explaining what they will need to do if the process is to proceed
unhindered.
Deut 7:1 When the LORD your God brings you into the land you are entering to possess and drives out before you many nations—the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites, seven nations larger and stronger than you— 2 and when the LORD your God has delivered them over to you and you have defeated them, then you must destroy them totally. Make no treaty with them, and show them no mercy. 3 Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, 4 for they will turn your sons away from following me to serve other gods, and the LORD's anger will burn against you and will quickly destroy you. 5 This is what you are to do to them: Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones, cut down their Asherah poles and burn their idols in the fire. 6 For you are a people holy [A] to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession.While the prohibition against marrying those who will likely be more of a spiritual hindrance than a help is understandable,16 what about all the killing (v. 2)?
What is often disturbing to modern Christians is the work God has the Israelites perform when they encounter the inhabitants of Canaan: "destroy them totally...show them no mercy" (Deut 7:2a).17 Such disregard for human life is contrary to the values of our enlightened age and has caused many to dismiss the Old Testament as testifying to a primitive idea of God, one that does not match the New Testament God of love.
The fallacy of such an evaluation is that it derives from a truncated view of the divine nature. God is love, but He possesses other attributes as well, such as righteousness and justice, as both testaments affirm. We err when we make the wrong thing the most important thing. God values human life, but there is something else He values more—the topic of our study—holiness, and it is in light of this supreme value that we must understand the many instances of divinely sanctioned killing in scripture.18 Through the instructions of Deut 7...
- God is fulfilling His word.
- He warned that the inhabitants of Canaan would suffer for their sin (Gen 15:16).
In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.
- He promised that the descendants of Abraham would inherit the land (Gen 15:18).19
Later, Moses reminded that fourth generation of Abraham's descendants...20On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram and said, "To your descendants I give this land...."
Deut 9:5 [O]n account of the wickedness of these nations, the LORD your God will drive them out before you, to accomplish what he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
- God is illustrating His priority.
What our enlightened age does not recognize is that, as far a God is concerned, life is second to holiness.21
- He values holiness above all else, even life.
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As in other areas of holiness, God plays an essential role in personal holiness, giving His people a part in the divine plan and changing their character as that plan proceeds. Is it all His doing, though, or is there a role that man plays? ....Indeed, there is. In fact, God addresses this subject repeatedly to the Israelites, and we will look at two examples from the book of Leviticus.
B. What man does (subjective holiness)Christians often think of Leviticus as a mind-numbing encyclopedia of rules and regulations from a by-gone era. As such, they often dismiss its usefulness for believers today, except in the supposed typological way that it prefigures Christ. No serious study of holiness, though, can ignore the contribution of Leviticus, which contains more references to this subject than any other biblical book. It is particularly relevant as it speaks to man's responsibility. The first example is in chapter 11.
Lev 11:1 The LORD said to Moses and Aaron, 2 "Say to the Israelites: 'Of all the animals that live on land, these are the ones you may eat:The rest of the chapter is a catalog of what God permits and prohibits His people for food. What is significant for our study is the way He closes the chapter.
Lev 11:44 I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy , because I am holy. Do not make yourselves unclean by any creature that moves about on the ground. 45 I am the LORD who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God; therefore be holy , because I am holy .From this passage, we can make several observations about what man does in developing personal holiness.
1. Personal holiness is the proper condition for a relationship with God (Lev 11:44).In all three cases, God indicates what is incumbent upon His people. That is, personal holiness is obligatory not optional.
I am the LORD your God; [therefore] consecrate yourselves.2. Personal holiness is the proper reflection of the character of God (Lev 11:45).
[B]e holy, because I am holy.3. Personal holiness is the proper response to the grace of God (Lev 11:45).
I...brought you up out of Egypt...therefore be holy.
We have some appreciation of the need for personal holiness, especially as Paul
advocates moral purity for gentile believers.22
Eph 5:3 [A]mong you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity...because these are improper for God's holy people.We may wonder, though, at the reason for many of God's precepts, which present expectation without explanation. For example, why does He consider some animals suitable for food and others not? We speculate about the answer, but that is all we can do. He does not give a reason, except that it relates to His people's holiness.23
Lev 11:45 I am the LORD who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy. 46 These are the regulations concerning animals, birds, every living thing that moves in the water and every creature that moves about on the ground. 47 You must distinguish between the unclean and the clean, between living creatures that may be eaten and those that may not be eaten.We may not understand God's rationale. His commands may even seem arbitrary, but He makes the rules and, in some cases, He is more interested in our compliance than our comprehension.24
However much we as Christians like to avoid certain issues, it is difficult to ignore the fact that God links holiness here to diet.25 He does not explain why this is so; if, for example, some meat is healthy while other meat is unhealthy. He simply says that some creatures "may be eaten [while others] may not be eaten" (v. 47). I will leave that for your contemplation. Suffice it to say that God has made man partially responsible for developing personal holiness, which man does in his diet.
At this point, let me simply add two more examples of the second principle, these from chapter 19.
Lev 19:1 The LORD said to Moses, 2 "Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: 'Be holy [A] because 1, the LORD your God, am holy [A].The rest of this chapter is a catalog of what God permits and prohibits in a host of different areas. Some of these laws repeat what we find in the Decalogue, yet there are others as well.26
- Do not leave a fellowship offering uneaten for more than three days (Lev 19:58).
- Do leave some of the produce of your fields and orchards for the poor (Lev 19:10b).
- Do not eat meat insufficiently drained of blood (Lev 19:26a).
- Do show respect for the elderly (Lev 19:32).
Lev 19:18 Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.The extensive and assorted commands in this chapter all follow and describe the opening admonition28—"Be holy"—and I recommend them for your continued study of this subject.
The final example we will consider of man's part in personal holiness is from chapter 20. The opening verses prohibit idolatrous worship, especially the practice of child sacrifice. Notice the effect should one of God's people engage in this pagan ritual.
Lev 20:1 The LORD said to Moses, 2 "Say to the Israelites: 'Any Israelite or any alien living in Israel who gives any of his children to Molech must be put to death. The people of the community are to stone him. 3 I will set my face against that man and I will cut him off from his people; for by giving his children to Molech, he has defiled my sanctuary and profaned my holy name.This is the opposite of personal holiness—personal profanation. Notice also that, however horrendous we might regard the killing of one's own children, the crime God identifies is the affront to His "holy name."29
The rest of the chapter deals with more prohibitions, all against activities that occur among other people but that must not occur among God's people, particularly concerning physical relations (e.g., adultery, incest, homosexuality, sodomy). God brackets this list, before and after, with references to holiness similar to what He made earlier.
Lev 20:7 "Consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am the LORD your God. 8 Keep my decrees and follow them. I am the LORD, who makes you holy.... 26 You are to be holy to me because I, the LORD, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own.In case they missed it earlier in the book, God repeats it twice here that personal holiness is a reflection of His character.
This section is especially relevant today, given our society's toleration for much of the sexual promiscuity God forbids here.30 Anyone who holds to His standard receives some uncomplimentary titles: He is narrow-minded, bigoted, homophobic. The temptation is to keep silent or to agree that such restrictions are outmoded. What we fail to realize is that this difference of opinion is not a modern problem. Israel's neighbors held the same view as people today hold, which is why God's comments in vv. 23-24 remain applicable.
Lev 20:23a You must not live according to the customs of the nations.... 24b I am the LORD your God, who has set you apart from the nations.In some ways, God holds Jews to a higher standard of holiness than He holds gentiles,31 but not in the matter of morality. Paul, writing to a congregation of Jews and gentiles, issues a common call.
Eph 5:3 ...among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people.In other words, you, too, must maintain a high standard of personal holiness.32
These passages all illustrate that holiness, personal holiness, the kind God demands of His people, is not a vague concept. It is not some ethereal state of being they achieve by meditating on it or by hoping for it. Have you ever seen the bumper sticker that says: "Visualize World Peace?" That kind of idealistic, head-in-the-clouds thinking strikes some as inappropriate for driving in the real world and has inspired other bumper stickers, such as: "Visualize Using Your Turn Signal." If God had a bumper sticker for holiness, it would be closer to the second one. His method is down-to-earth. He has made man's role both clear and concrete. Whatever we think about the specifics, the compass God has given indicates that the road to holiness is in the direction of obedience.
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As I mentioned earlier, God's Roadmap to Holiness comes with four kinds of travel aids. While the compass of personal holiness is the most important, if we confine our study to that area, we may get the impression that the Roadmap is about us—our journey, our transformation, our reaching the destination—but it is not about us; it is about God—His character, His influence in the world, His setting apart a people for His service. Therefore, I would be remiss in my duties as a tour guide if I did not at least acquaint you with the other areas of holiness. Some of these are more difficult to grasp because they are part of another culture and time, yet they still inform our understanding of holiness, and God will use them in the future as He used them in the past. The second travel aid corresponds to...
II. Spatial Holiness
- God gives His people guardrails to prevent them from straying into dangerous territory.
A. What God does (objective holiness)There are a few examples in Torah of God's setting apart a place for His use,33 but the most prominent and frequent references are to one site in particular. After the exodus, Moses composes a song that recognizes what God will yet do...
Exod 15:17 You will bring them in and plant them on the mountain of your inheritance —the place, O LORD, you made for your dwelling, the sanctuary, O Lord, your hands established.The Hebrew word for "sanctuary" employs the root letters for "holy," and here we see the reason. It serves as a physical place for God to be, a base of operations from which He will model His holy character to the world.34
1. Spatial holiness is where God lives with His people (Exod 15:17).
While the Israelites will actually build it, God's holiness, the need for perfection, extends to the blueprints He provides for this structure. Later, He says to Moses...[Y]ou made for your dwelling, the sanctuary, O Lord.
Exod 25:9 Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you.This is not like "Designer Challenge" on the Home & Garden channel, where three architects pitch their different plans for a homeowner's job. The place where God will dwell must be more than eye-catching or innovative. To host God's holiness, it must be holy, perfect in every way, which is only possible if it meets His exacting standard, if it is up to His building code.
What actually happens in the sanctuary? In chapter 29, God describes the various offerings the priests are to make. Then, in vv. 42-43, He explains to Moses what He will do in the sanctuary.
Exod 29:42 "For the generations to come this burnt offering is to be made regularly at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting before the LORD. There I will meet you and speak to you; 43 there also I will meet with the Israelites, and the place will be consecrated by my glory.Because God is holy, the place where He dwells must be holy as well, and God certifies the meeting of that standard by displaying His glory. The rabbis refer to God's glory as the Shekinah (lit. "dwelling/resting"). It was the visible manifestation of the divine presence, sometimes a fiery pillar, others times a billowing cloud.35 In whatever form, God's glory confirms His commitment and availability to Israel.
2. Spatial holiness is where God meets with His people (Exod 29:43).
[T]here...I will meet with the Israelites, and the place will be consecrated by my glory.
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Query: Where is holy ground today?
Several years ago, there was a popular chorus entitled, "Holy Ground." As with many such pieces, it includes a hodgepodge of biblical imagery.
As I walked through the door I sensed his presence,However emotionally satisfying it may be to others, I do not find it so. Moreover, it misrepresents an important biblical concept.
And I knew this was a place where love abounds.
For this is a temple; the God we love abides here,
And we are standing in his presence on holy ground. (v. 1)
- The only one who can make a place holy (objectively) is God; we cannot...
- Thinking any place Christians are standing is holy36 trivializes those rare occasions when God actually sanctifies a piece of ground.37
- The only time God calls a place holy is in conjunction with a theophany—a supernatural appearance of His physical presence.38
- We may consecrate a place for His use, but that in no way obligates Him to appear there.
- The only place God regards as holy (permanently) is the Temple mount in Jerusalem.39
While some Christians may consider "Holy Ground" a perfectly good song, we must conform our worship of God to the word of God.
- Since the construction of that edifice, no other (earthly) location has received that designation.
Query: Where is the temple today?
Christians sometimes think Israel's sanctuary is like a church's sanctuary. We even call our church building God's house,40 but they are not the same. He is with us in our worship because He is omnipresent, but...
- A church building is not the temple (except in a figurative sense).
Similarly, Christians sometimes think that God, who once dwelled in the temple, now dwells in the believer's heart. Following the apostle Paul, we call our bodies the temple of the Holy Spirit. Again, they are not the same. God's Spirit has always dwelled in believers, even in the Old Testament,42 when the temple still stood and before the temple even existed—otherwise those Old Testament saints could not have been saved. God's presence in the sanctuary, though, was different, so...
- God chose only one place to dwell and to manifest His physical presence.41
- A believer's body is not the temple (except in a figurative sense).
While there is no temple today, in the Kingdom Age, the messiah will rebuild it, and the Shekinah will inhabit it.44
- The Shekinah was a physical manifestation, visible to all who were in attendance.43
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B. What man does (subjective holiness)While God will establish His presence in the holy space of the sanctuary, the Israelites must first build it. That is what He commands Moses soon after the exodus.
Exod 25:8 Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them. 9 Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you.
1. Spatial holiness is necessary to host God's (physical) presence (Exod 25:8).
Although the Israelites were becoming a holy people, they did not reach that destination in the wilderness or in the land. As long as they were less than completely holy, they would defile the sanctuary simply by their contact with it. Therefore, God prescribes special sacrifices the high priest must make once a year to purify it.[M]ake a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them.
Lev 16:16 In this way he will make atonement for the Most Holy [lit, holy of holies] Place because of the uncleanness and rebellion of the Israelites, whatever their sins have been. He is to do the same for the Tent of Meeting, which is among them in the midst of their uncleanness.Without such a provision, God could not continue to dwell there.
These passages illustrate again that holiness, spatial holiness, the kind God established for His people, was not a vague concept. It had a concrete reality with specific, physical dimensions as well as clear guidelines governing access to the area God had set apart for Himself. There was also a specific procedure for maintaining the sanctity of the place, all to ensure God's continued physical presence with His people.2. Spatial holiness is a necessary to keep God's (physical) presence (Lev 16:16). [H]e will make atonement for the Most Holy Place because of the uncleanness and rebellion of the Israelites.
Unfortunately, Israel did not maintain that condition. Forsaking God, the people turned to idolatry. They crossed the guardrails God had set, defiling the sanctuary with all manner of pagan practices.45 In response, God withdrew His presence46 and allowed the Babylonians to destroy the place and exile the people. Those who came back to the land seventy years later had learned their lesson. They rebuilt God's house, as He commanded them, and consecrated it, reestablishing the guardrails, but the glory of His presence did not return.
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The third travel aid on A Roadmap to Holiness is for an area similar to spatial holiness in that it pertains primarily to the sanctuary. This is...
III. Material Holiness
- God gives His people caution signs to point them in the right direction and to keep them from making wrong turns.
A. What God does (objective holiness)Just as God establishes spatial holiness by setting apart a particular place, so He establishes material holiness by setting apart particular items for use in that place.47 One such item is the sacred anointing oil.48
Exod 30:26 [U]se [the sacred anointing oil] to anoint the Tent of Meeting [and its contents].... 29a You shall consecrate them so they will be most holy [lit, holy of holies].... 30 Anoint Aaron and his sons and consecrate them so they may serve me as priests. 31 Say to the Israelites, 'This is to be my sacred anointing oil for the generations to come.The furnishings and personnel of the sanctuary require the same consecration as the sanctuary itself.49 To that end...
- Material holiness is what God provides for His use (Exod 30:3 1).
This use of oil is a permanent part of the sanctuary service, "for the generations to come." While the Israelites will actually blend it, God's holiness, the need for perfection, extends to the formula He provides for its production.This is to be my sacred anointing oil for the generations to come.
Exod 30:22 Then the LORD said to Moses, 23a "Take the following fine spices.... 25 Make these into a sacred anointing oil.... It will be the sacred anointing oil....The Israelites must follow the formula in the manufacturing process carefully, lest the product be unfit for use in God's sacred space.
This distinction applies to other things as well, such as the special incense priests use, whose formula God also provides.
Exod 30:34 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Take [the following] fragrant spices...all in equal amounts, 35 and make a fragrant blend of incense, the work of a perfumer. It is to be salted and pure and sacred."Later, He says to Moses...
Exod 31:6b I have given skill to all the craftsmen to make everything I have commanded you... 11 [including] the anointing oil and fragrant incense for the Holy Place. They are to make them just as I commanded you.God's concern for holiness is such that He provides both the formulas and the technical ability to ensure both products meet divine specifications.
B. What man does (subjective holiness)God's concern for holiness is also evident in the restriction He places on the things He sanctifies and on how His people must treat them and may or may not use them.
Exod 30:31 Say to the Israelites, 'This is to be my sacred anointing oil for the generations to come. 32 Do not pour it on men's bodies and do not make any oil with the same formula. It is sacred, and you are to consider it sacred. 33 Whoever makes perfume like it and whoever puts it on anyone other than a priest must be cut off from his people."The Israelites must not use a sacred product for a profane purpose.50
- Material holiness is what man prevents from other use (Exod 30:32).
This restriction applies to the anointing oil as well as to the fragrant incense.51Do not pour it on men's bodies and do not make any oil with the same formula. It is sacred, and you are to consider it sacred.
Exod 30:37 Do not make any incense with this formula for yourselves; consider it holy to the LORD. 38 Whoever makes any like it to enjoy its fragrance must be cut off from his people."Twice a day, the priests burn incense on an altar. That altar has no other use—the Israelites do not make sacrifices on it—and the incense can be no other kind.
Exod 30:7 Aaron must burn fragrant incense on the altar every morning when he tends the lamps. 8 He must burn incense again when he lights the lamps at twilight so incense will burn regularly before the LORD for the generations to come. 9 Do not offer on this altar any other incense or any burnt offering or grain offering, and do not pour a drink offering on it.Any deviation from God's instructions invalidates the holiness of the incense and the altar, rendering them unfit for the sanctuary. Nothing holy can have a profane use,52 and the Israelites have to ensure this strict separation.53
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What God describes as material holiness is foreign to us. Baptist services have no incense, so we do not understand the reason for God's insistence that it accompany all sacrifices (another aspect of material holiness we may find strange).54 Some people today assume that the destruction of the sanctuary means God no longer cares about spatial holiness or material holiness. What do you think about this advertisement (BAR 25/2:12)?
What is the problem here?
Exod 30:31 Say to the Israelites, 'This is to be my sacred anointing oil for the generations to come. 32 Do not pour it on men's bodies and do not make any oil with the same formula. It is sacred, and you are to consider it sacred.... 35 and make a fragrant blend of incense, the work of a perfumer. It is to be salted and pure and sacred.... 37 Do not make any incense with this formula for yourselves; consider it holy to the LORD.This advertisement violates a clear and abiding command, one that has no expiration ("for the generations to come").
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These passages illustrate further that holiness, material holiness, which God linked closely to the sanctuary, was not a vague concept. It, too, had a concrete reality, and the Israelites could point to any number of examples. The connection to the sanctuary was a strength for material holiness, at least while the sanctuary stood. In its absence, however, many of these caution signs do not currently apply. His people cannot make sacrifices, but that does not mean God no longer cares about material holiness. They should still observe what they can observe (e.g., no profane use for sacred incense). Furthermore, the current situation is temporary. The prophet Ezekiel states that in the Messianic Age the sanctuary will again be the center of spatial holiness, for God will restore His presence there, and the people will treat His holy things (material holiness) with the utmost care.55
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The fourth and final travel aid is a bit more familiar to us, because it is still part of our experience.
IV. Temporal Holiness
- God gives His people rest stops, opportunities to refuel, refresh, and review where they are on their journey.
A. What God does (objective holiness)The most prominent of these sacred assemblies is the Sabbath, which God declared holy at the creation of the world.
Gen 2:3 And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.As far as we know, there was no weekly cycle of seven days prior to creation. It came into existence with that event, when God divided time and invested the last portion of that period with his own nature.56 Like personal holiness, which is God's transformation of people to His image...
1. Temporal holiness is God's transformation of time to His image.
He did not need to rest, but He chose to rest and, in so doing, set the seventh day apart from the other six days."God...made it holy, because on it he rested."
As I said at the beginning of our study, the next mention of the Sabbath, which is its first mention in conjunction with people, is when God assigns it to Israel after the exodus from Egypt.
Exod 16:23 He said to them, "This is what the LORD commanded: 'Tomorrow is to be a day of rest, a holy Sabbath to the LORD. So bake what you want to bake and boil what you want to boil. Save whatever is left and keep it until morning.'"Here, the precedent God established at creation, when He rested on the seventh day, He now uses for the benefit of His people following their redemption. Again, like personal holiness, which is God's separation of people for His service...
2. Temporal holiness is God's separation of time for His service.
God is quite selective in this regard. As with other aspects of holiness, like the spatial holiness of the sanctuary, He gives temporal holiness, the Sabbath, to no other nation. With privilege, though, comes responsibility."Tomorrow is...a holy Sabbath to the LORD."
B. What man does (subjective holiness)What God declared to be holy, He expects man to make holy. You will recall that personal holiness derives from obedience to a host of commands. Likewise, temporal holiness, at least as it relates to the Sabbath, also derives from obedience. Curiously, what He commands is essentially nothing...just rest. Nevertheless, God does hint at what the Israelites are to do with their free time. As "a sacred assembly" (Lev 23:3), the Sabbath is a day the believing community comes together, and when people cease from their labor they can turn their full attention to Him. Other sacred assemblies commemorate God's past activity on behalf of the nation, and so does the Sabbath.
There are two versions of the Decalogue in the Pentateuch. They are identical, except for a variation in the Sabbath command. The first rendition, in Exod 20, Moses addresses to the generation that left Egypt.
Exod 20:8 Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. 11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.Here, the reason Moses gives for observing the Sabbath is that it recalls what God did in the distant past.
1. Temporal holiness is an occasion to celebrate God's creation.
Moreover, by resting on that day, the people are imitating their creator."For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth...but he rested on the seventh day."
The second rendition, in Deut 5, Moses addresses to the generation about to
enter Canaan.
Deut 5:12 "Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the LORD your God has commanded you. 13 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 14 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor the alien within your gates, so that your manservant and maidservant may rest, as you do. 15 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the LORD your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the LORD your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.Here, the reason Moses gives for observing the Sabbath is that it recalls what God did in the recent past.
2. Temporal holiness is an occasion to celebrate God's redemption.
By resting on that day, the people are doing as freemen what they could not do as slaves."[T]he LORD...brought you out of there.... Therefore...observe the Sabbath day."
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Query: What would make you take the Sabbath more seriously?
The answer to this question involves two considerations, two responses that reflect how seriously we regard the Sabbath command.
First, we extol the virtues of keeping the Sabbath, but do we really—consistently and completely— avail ourselves of what the Sabbath offers? This part of the journey on the road to holiness is not a temporary detour. It is a major rest stop along the highway toward the goal God has for His people.
Exod 23:12 Six days do your work, but on the seventh day do not work, so that you[] may be refreshed.57The Sabbath is an opportunity to regain what the common activities of the week rob from us, the energy and focus that makes our service to God productive during those other days when we are on the road. So...
- Would your observance be different if you took seriously the benefit God offers for obedience?
Exod 31:14 Observe the Sabbath, because it is holy to you. Anyone who desecrates it must be put to death; whoever does any work on that day must be cut off from his people.While keeping the Sabbath is incumbent on Israel, being the chief indication of that nation's separation to God,58 He does not force gentiles to keep the Sabbath. It is an opportunity He offers us,59 Nevertheless, it is an opportunity we must not treat lightly by keeping it whenever and however we wish.60 So...
- Would your observance be different if you took seriously the penalty God imposes for disobedience?61
[K]eep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day. Call the Sabbath a delight and the LORD's holy day honorable. Honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words.How well does your submission accord with His admonition (instruction)?
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These passages illustrate further that holiness, temporal holiness, was not a vague concept. Every sacred assembly, including the Sabbath, is a rest stop along the road to holiness, enabling God's people to renew their strength and to reflect on their journey.
Conclusion
This has been a brief survey of holiness in the Pentateuch, the foundational collection of scripture, and there is much there we passed over. Most of it, though, fits within the four areas we discussed, and the rest of the Old Testament (i.e., Prophets, Writings) reiterates much of what we have seen here. The Roadmap to Holiness comes with four kinds of travel aids, corresponding to four areas of holiness.
I. Personal Holiness is the transformation of people. To accomplish that...
- God gives His people a compass to show them the direction they must travel to reach their destination.
- God gives His people guardrails to prevent them from straying into dangerous territory.
- God gives His people caution signs to point them in the right direction and to keep them from making wrong turns.
- God gives His people rest stops, opportunities to refuel, refresh, and review where they are on their journey.
- Objective Holiness is what God does, a condition that exists when He declares it so.
God has chosen to relate to people, but those with whom He associates must reflect His character, especially this attribute of holiness. Hence, the secondary version pertains to that association.
- Whatever He sets apart for His service is holy.
- Subjective Holiness is what man does, a condition that exists when he makes it so by following God's instructions.
These two versions, objective and subjective, identify the party responsible for producing holiness in each case, and it is necessary to maintain a clear distinction between them, lest we develop an erroneous understanding of what God expects or attempt to do something that only He can do. Moreover, holiness will forever elude us if we start the process but then stop somewhere in the middle rather than sticking with it to the end. As the writer of Hebrews exhorts his readers,
- Whatever God's people, in obedience to Him, set apart for His service becomes holy.
Heb 12:14 Make every effort...to be holy; [for] without holiness no one will see the Lord.The biblical material in this study, coming as it does from the Pentateuch, is written by an Israelite (Moses) for the Israelites. While believing gentiles may obey commands God gave to His people (e.g., Sabbath), most Christians do not. Moreover, the conditions that made holiness such a necessary part of life then, like the existence of the sanctuary, are not in effect at this time, absent the sanctuary. How can we determine if holiness should be a concern for believers now? ...One way to answer that question is to examine biblical passages that treat this issue but are addressed to a general audience, like those in the letters of Paul, "apostle to the gentiles" (Rom 11:13; Gal 2:8). What does Paul say about gentile holiness ...your holiness?63 How can you implement his instructions?64
- Being holy is to eschew...
- Improper associations (2 Cor 7:1; cf. 6:14-18)
2 Cor 6:14 Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? 15 What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? 16 What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people." 17 "Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you." 18 "I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty." 7:1 Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.
- Immoral conduct (Eph 5:3)65
Eph 5:3 But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for Gods holy people.
- Being holy is to embrace...
- God's calling (2 Tim 1:9a)66
2 Tim 1:9a God...saved us and called us to a holy life.
- Godly conduct (Col 3:12)67
While the Lord does not require the same demonstration of holiness from gentiles as He does from Jews, He expects all believers to reflect their relationship to a holy God in their behavior, specifically in what they approve and disapprove.... How well does your life reflect God's holiness? ...What should you change to improve the quality (the clarity) of that reflection?Col 3:12 Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe Yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
How many of you came to this place as a passenger? The ad for Greyhound Bus line says, "Leave the driving to us." That is a nice feeling. You do not have to read a map or watch for the proper exit or fret over the possibility that you might get lost. You can just sit back and enjoy the scenery, page through a magazine, or take a nap. You will reach the destination without any stress on your part. Oh, if only our spiritual pilgrimage were that effortless! Alas, it is not. There are no passengers on our journey to reach God. You cannot hitch a ride with a friend. Each person is responsible for his own travel arrangements. Nevertheless, while you must travel the Road to Holiness on your own, you need not travel alone. God accompanies you, as do other believers, and you make the journey unnecessarily difficult (as well as lonely) when you ignore them.
For the Bibliography and Endnotes, see the pdf here.
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Jim Skaggs