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Holiness
Just a little more than three weeks ago, we set aside a
week of our lives to obey the commandment of God by reenacting the
Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread. With the spiritual metaphor of sin,
the leaven we put out of our homes and out of our lives for seven days was
a major adjustment. The vast majority of the world around us didn’t go to
the trouble of reorienting their lives; they just went on with normal
daily routines. By willingly obeying God’s instructions, we set ourselves
apart from most of the world. We were different.
If you were to ask average people on the street what they
thought the word "holy" means, they would probably respond by saying that
"holy" has to do with things about God or things about the church or
things about old time prophets who lived thousands of years ago. Most
people’s perceptions about holiness don’t really have anything to do with
day-to-day conduct in our modern lives; but is that really the way it
should be?
We often use words and expressions without really knowing
their meanings but we need to be accountable for the words we use and we
need to be knowledgeable about the language we hear. Do you know what the
word "holy" really means? We may hear it used a lot in common expressions
but do you really know what it means? When the word "holy" is attached to
another word, does it make it special or does it change its meaning? How
does God look at holiness and what standards has God established for the
term "holy"? What examples are set for us in scripture that can help us
learn more about God’s point of view on this subject?
Definitions
The first occurrence in the Bible of the word "holy" is
found in the third chapter of Exodus.
(Exo 3:5 NASB) Then He said, "Do not come near here;
remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are
standing is holy ground."
The word "holy" is translated from three Hebrew words. The
first, as used in Exodus 3:5, is qodesh. It’s Strong’s #6944 and
it’s defined it as "a sacred place or thing." The New American Standard
Concordance defines qodesh as "apartness, sacredness." Vine’s
Expository Dictionary defines qodesh as "holiness; holy thing;
sanctuary." Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon defines qodesh as
"apartness, holiness, sacredness, or separateness."
In Exodus 19:5-6, we find the second Hebrew word
translated "holy."
(Exo 19:5-6 NASB) 'Now then, if you will indeed obey My
voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among
all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine; {6} and you shall be to Me a
kingdom of priests and a holy nation.
It is the Hebrew word, qadosh. It’s Strong’s #6918,
and it’s defined as "sacred (ceremonially or morally)." The New American
Standard Concordance defines qadosh as "sacred or holy." Vine’s
Expository Dictionary defines qadosh as "holy" and goes on to say
"in the Old Testament qadosh has a strongly religious connotation.
In one sense the word describes an object or place or day to be "holy"
with the meaning of "devoted" or "dedicated" to a particular purpose."
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon defines qadosh as "sacred, holy,
the Holy One, a saint or set apart."
In Exodus 20:8, we find the third Hebrew word translated
"holy." Exodus 20:8 is the fourth commandment in the great law of God,
commonly known as the ten commandments.
(Exo 20:8 NASB) "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it
holy.
It is the Hebrew word, qadash, Strong’s #6942.
Strong’s Hebrew Dictionary defines qadash as "to be clean
(ceremonially or morally)." The New American Standard Concordance defines
qadash as "to be set apart or consecrated." Vine’s Expository
Dictionary defines qadash as "to be holy; to sanctify."
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon defines qadash as "to
consecrate, to sanctify, to prepare, to dedicate, to be hallowed, to be
holy, to be sanctified, to be separate."
A little earlier in verse ten of Exodus 19, we can see how
the word qadash was put into action.
(Exo 19:10-12 NASB) The LORD also said to Moses, "Go to
the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them
wash their garments; {11} and let them be ready for the third day, for
on the third day the LORD will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of
all the people. {12} "And you shall set bounds for the people all
around, saying, 'Beware that you do not go up on the mountain or touch
the border of it; whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to
death.
The word translated consecrate (it’s sanctify
in the King James version) is qadash. So, you can see that the
people were to separate or set themselves apart and they were to make a
distinction between themselves and the mountain that would be made holy by
the presence of God on the day he delivered his great law to his people,
Israel.
In the New Testament, we find that the word translated
"holy" from the Greek more often than any other is Strong’s #40, hagios.
It is defined as "hagios from hagos (an awful thing) [hagios is]
sacred (physically pure, morally blameless or religiously consecrated)."
In the New American Standard Concordance, it is defined as "hagios,
from hagos (religious awe); [hagios is] sacred or holy.
In Vine’s Expository Dictionary, it is defined as akin to
hagiasmos (Strong’s #38) which signifies separation to God and
hagiosune (Strong’s #42) which denotes the manifestation of the
quality of "holiness" in personal conduct. Both words are from the same
root (found in hazo, "to venerate"). They fundamentally signify
"separated" and, hence, in Scripture, separated from sin and therefore
consecrated to God."
Under the article "holiness" in the New Unger’s Bible
Dictionary, we find the following: "Holiness (Hebrew qodesh and
Greek hagiosune; in both cases "separation," or "setting apart").
Holiness is a general term used to indicate sanctity or separation from
all that is sinful, impure, or morally imperfect; i.e. it is moral
wholeness. The term is used with reference to persons, places, and things.
Holiness is one of the essential attributes of the divine nature. It is,
on the one hand, entire freedom from moral evil and, on the other,
absolute moral perfection."
The Source of Holiness
Since the Father is the source and author of all things
(including holiness), let’s first see what scripture has to say about
holiness in relation to God. Exodus 15 relates the great Song of Moses
which was sung as praise to God by Moses and the Israelites after God
saved Israel from the pursuing army of Pharaoh.
(Exo 15:1 NASB) Then Moses and the sons of Israel sang
this song to the LORD, and said, "I will sing to the LORD, for He is
highly exalted; The horse and its rider He has hurled into the sea.
Continue in verse 11.
(Exo 15:11-13 NASB) "Who is like Thee among the gods, O
LORD? Who is like Thee, majestic in holiness, Awesome in praises,
working wonders? {12} "Thou didst stretch out Thy right hand, The earth
swallowed them. {13} "In Thy lovingkindness Thou hast led the people
whom Thou hast redeemed; In Thy strength Thou hast guided them to Thy
holy habitation.
In verse 11, the word translated "holiness" and in verse
13, the word translated "holy" are both the same word, qodesh,
which is "apartness or sacredness." We see here, in both cases, that both
God and His habitation are referred to as something sacred or set apart.
In 1 Samuel 2, we read of Hannah’s praise to God and
description of God’s majesty. To capture the whole background leading to
Hannah’s praise to God, we should begin in 1 Samuel 1:1.
(1 Sam 1:1 NASB) Now there was a certain man from
Ramathaim-zophim from the hill country of Ephraim, and his name was
Elkanah the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son
of Zuph, an Ephraimite. {2} And he had two wives: the name of one was
Hannah and the name of the other Peninnah; and Peninnah had children,
but Hannah had no children. {3} Now this man would go up from his city
yearly to worship and to sacrifice to the LORD of hosts in Shiloh
[remember that Shiloh was where the tabernacle of God resided after the
Israelites had arrived in the promised land and before David had it
brought to Jerusalem centuries later]. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni
and Phinehas were priests to the LORD there. {4} And when the day came
that Elkanah sacrificed, he would give portions to Peninnah his wife and
to all her sons and her daughters; {5} but to Hannah he would give a
double portion, for he loved Hannah, but the LORD had closed her womb.
{6} Her rival, however, would provoke her bitterly to irritate her,
because the LORD had closed her womb. {7} And it happened year after
year, as often as she went up to the house of the LORD, she would
provoke her, so she wept and would not eat. {8} Then Elkanah her husband
said to her, "Hannah, why do you weep and why do you not eat and why is
your heart sad? Am I not better to you than ten sons?" {9} Then Hannah
rose after eating and drinking in Shiloh. Now Eli the priest was sitting
on the seat by the doorpost of the temple of the LORD. {10} And she,
greatly distressed, prayed to the LORD and wept bitterly. {11} And she
made a vow and said, "O LORD of hosts, if Thou wilt indeed look on the
affliction of Thy maidservant and remember me, and not forget Thy
maidservant, but wilt give Thy maidservant a son, then I will give him
to the LORD all the days of his life, and a razor shall never come on
his head." {12} Now it came about, as she continued praying before the
LORD, that Eli was watching her mouth. {13} As for Hannah, she was
speaking in her heart, only her lips were moving, but her voice was not
heard. So Eli thought she was drunk. {14} Then Eli said to her, "How
long will you make yourself drunk? Put away your wine from you." {15}
But Hannah answered and said, "No, my lord, I am a woman oppressed in
spirit; I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have poured
out my soul before the LORD. {16} "Do not consider your maidservant as a
worthless woman; for I have spoken until now out of my great concern and
provocation." {17} Then Eli answered and said, "Go in peace; and may the
God of Israel grant your petition that you have asked of Him." {18} And
she said, "Let your maidservant find favor in your sight." So the woman
went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad. {19} Then they
arose early in the morning and worshiped before the LORD, and returned
again to their house in Ramah. And Elkanah had relations with Hannah his
wife, and the LORD remembered her. {20} And it came about in due time,
after Hannah had conceived, that she gave birth to a son; and she named
him Samuel [in Hebrew, it is Shemuw'el, which means heard of God],
saying, "Because I have asked him of the LORD." {21} Then the man
Elkanah went up with all his household to offer to the LORD the yearly
sacrifice and pay his vow. {22} But Hannah did not go up, for she said
to her husband, "I will not go up until the child is weaned; then I will
bring him, that he may appear before the LORD and stay there forever."
{23} And Elkanah her husband said to her, "Do what seems best to you.
Remain until you have weaned him; only may the LORD confirm His word."
So the woman remained and nursed her son until she weaned him. {24} Now
when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, with a three-year-old
bull and one ephah of flour and a jug of wine, and brought him to the
house of the LORD in Shiloh, although the child was young. {25} Then
they slaughtered the bull, and brought the boy to Eli. {26} And she
said, "Oh, my lord! As your soul lives, my lord, I am the woman who
stood here beside you, praying to the LORD. {27} "For this boy I prayed,
and the LORD has given me my petition which I asked of Him. {28} "So I
have also dedicated him to the LORD; as long as he lives he is dedicated
to the LORD." And he worshiped the LORD there.
Continuing in the second chapter of 1 Samuel, we read of
Hannah’s thanks and praise to God.
(1 Sam 2:1-2 NASB) Then Hannah prayed and said, "My
heart exults in the LORD; My horn is exalted in the LORD, My mouth
speaks boldly against my enemies, Because I rejoice in Thy salvation.
{2} "There is no one holy like the LORD [that’s qadosh –
sacred], Indeed, there is no one besides Thee, nor is there any rock
like our God.
Other examples of God’s sacred eminence are shown by the
word qadosh in the Psalms. The first is in Psalms 71:22.
(Psa 71:22 NASB) I will also praise Thee with a harp,
Even Thy truth, O my God; To Thee I will sing praises with the lyre, O
Thou Holy One of Israel.
Another example is in Pslams 99:9.
(Psa 99:9 NASB) Exalt the LORD our God, And worship at
His holy hill [that is qodesh – set apart]; For holy [that’s
qadosh – sacred] is the LORD our God.
Another example is in Psalms 111:9.
(Psa 111:9 NASB) He has sent redemption to His people;
He has ordained His covenant forever; Holy [that’s qadosh,
meaning sacred] and awesome is His name.
Earlier, we spoke of the Greek words hagios and
hagiosune. We see another Greek word translated "holy" in Revelation
15:4. It is Strong’s #3741, hosios. Strong’s Greek Dictionary
defines it as "properly right (by intrinsic or divine character), i.e.
hallowed (pious, sacred, sure)." The New American Standard Concordance
defines hosios as "righteous, pious, or holy." Vine’s Expository
Dictionary defines hosios as "signifying religiously right, or
holy, as opposed to what is unrighteous or polluted. It is commonly
associated with righteousness."
(Rev 15:4 NASB) "Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify
Thy name? For Thou alone art holy; For ALL THE NATIONS WILL COME AND
WORSHIP BEFORE THEE, For Thy righteous acts have been revealed."
The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary sums up the holiness of
God by saying, "By the holiness of God, it is not implied that He is
subject to some law or standard of moral excellence external to Himself,
but that all moral law and perfection have their eternal and unchangeable
basis in His own nature. He is the One in whom these eternal sanctities
reside, who is Himself the root and ground of them all."
The Righteous Angels
Holiness can also refer to God’s creation, such as the
un-fallen angels as in Mark 8:38.
(Mark 8:38 NASB) "For whoever is ashamed of Me and My
words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also
be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the
holy angels."
Again we see the angels referred to as "holy" in
Revelation 14.
(Rev 14:9-10 NASB) And another angel, a third one,
followed them, saying with a loud voice, "If anyone worships the beast
and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or upon his hand,
{10} he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed
in full strength in the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with
fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the
presence of the Lamb.
Satan and the Demons
We find in Ezekiel 28 that even Satan, in his former state
before his rebellion against God, was referred to as "perfect" and
"blameless" and placed by God on the holy mountain of God.
(Ezek 28:12-19 NASB) "Son of man, take up a lamentation
over the king of Tyre, and say to him, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "You had
the seal of perfection, Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. {13} "You
were in Eden, the garden of God; Every precious stone was your covering:
The ruby, the topaz, and the diamond; The beryl, the onyx, and the
jasper; The lapis lazuli, the turquoise, and the emerald; And the gold,
the workmanship of your settings and sockets, Was in you. On the day
that you were created They were prepared. {14} "You were the anointed
cherub who covers, And I placed you there. You were on the holy mountain
of God; You walked in the midst of the stones of fire. {15} "You were
blameless in your ways From the day you were created, Until
unrighteousness was found in you. {16} "By the abundance of your trade
You were internally filled with violence, And you sinned; Therefore I
have cast you as profane From the mountain of God. And I have destroyed
you, O covering cherub, From the midst of the stones of fire. {17} "Your
heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom by
reason of your splendor. I cast you to the ground; I put you before
kings, That they may see you. {18} "By the multitude of your iniquities,
In the unrighteousness of your trade, You profaned your sanctuaries.
Therefore I have brought fire from the midst of you; It has consumed
you, And I have turned you to ashes on the earth In the eyes of all who
see you. {19} "All who know you among the peoples Are appalled at you;
You have become terrified, And you will be no more."'"
Jude 1:6 shows us that Satan wasn’t the only one to have
fallen from perfection. He took many of the angels with him.
(Jude 1:6 NASB) And angels who did not keep their own
domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has kept in eternal bonds
under darkness for the judgment of the great day.
Those angels, now known as demons, followed Satan in his
course of rebellion against God. They chose to develop the same
character as Satan. In Ephesians 6:12, we read of that evil nature of
Satan and his demons being the real unseen power of the universe against
which we struggle every day.
(Eph 6:12 NASB) For our struggle is not against flesh
and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world
forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in
the heavenly places.
In John 8:44, Christ gives a firsthand report of Satan’s
characteristics.
(John 8:44 NASB) "You are of your father the devil, and
you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the
beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in
him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature; for he is
a liar, and the father of lies.
It’s obvious when Christ is speaking of Satan being a
murderer "from the beginning," he is not speaking of that beginning as the
beginning of all time. We know from what we read in Ezekiel that Satan was
a created being and that he was created by God in a state of perfection or
blamelessness. Ezekiel said, "you were blameless in your ways from the day
you were created until unrighteousness was found in you." So, there was
some period of time (perhaps millions or even billions of years from our
perspective) from the time Satan was created by God until Satan was found
to have developed unrighteousness. However long that process took, we
heard directly from Christ that Satan "was a murderer from the beginning."
So, at some time called "the beginning," Satan had already chosen
unrighteousness and was deemed to be "a murderer."
We know from David’s writings in Psalms 119 that
unrighteousness is equated with the violation of God’s commandments.
(Psa 119:172 NASB) Let my tongue sing of Thy word,
For all Thy commandments are righteousness.
One of God’s commandments is the sixth commandment, "you
shall not murder." We just saw that Satan was deemed by Christ to have
been "a murderer" from "the beginning." Even though Satan was created in a
state of perfection or blamelessness, by the time of the creation of man,
he had sinned against God in rebellion by breaking His commandments of
righteousness. When man was created, Satan became a murderer by teaching
man to likewise sin in rebellion against God by breaking His commandments
of righteousness. The lessons learned from Satan resulted in man’s death
sentence.
Unacceptable Worldly Behavior
There are two types of behavior. One is holy and
acceptable to God. The other, called the "ways of this world" is
unacceptable to God. Romans 1:18 tells us how God regards worldly
behavior.
(Rom 1:18-32 NASB) For the wrath of God is revealed from
heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress
the truth in unrighteousness, {19} because that which is known about God
is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. {20} For since
the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power
and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what
has been made, so that they are without excuse. {21} For even though
they knew God, they did not honor Him as God, or give thanks; but they
became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was
darkened. {22} Professing to be wise, they became fools, {23} and
exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of
corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling
creatures. {24} Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their
hearts to impurity, that their bodies might be dishonored among them.
{25} For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and
served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever.
Amen. {26} For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for
their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural,
{27} and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of
the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men
committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due
penalty of their error. {28} And just as they did not see fit to
acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do
those things which are not proper, {29} being filled with all
unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife,
deceit, malice; they are gossips, {30} slanderers, haters of God,
insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents,
{31} without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; {32}
and, although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice
such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also
give hearty approval to those who practice them.
In Leviticus 18, when God brought the Israelites into the
promised land, He made a distinction to them regarding unacceptable
behavior. They were not to behave like the ungodly heathen in the lands
from which they had come nor were they to behave like the ungodly heathen
in the new lands in which they were settling.
(Lev 18:1 NASB) Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
{2} "Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, 'I am the LORD your
God. {3} 'You shall not do what is done in the land of Egypt where you
lived, nor are you to do what is done in the land of Canaan where I am
bringing you; you shall not walk in their statutes. {4} 'You are to
perform My judgments and keep My statutes, to live in accord with them;
I am the LORD your God. {5} 'So you shall keep My statutes and My
judgments, by which a man may live if he does them; I am the LORD. {6}
'None of you shall approach any blood relative of his to uncover
nakedness; I am the LORD. {7} 'You shall not uncover the nakedness of
your father, that is, the nakedness of your mother. She is your mother;
you are not to uncover her nakedness. {8} 'You shall not uncover the
nakedness of your father's wife; it is your father's nakedness. {9} 'The
nakedness of your sister, either your father's daughter or your mother's
daughter, whether born at home or born outside, their nakedness you
shall not uncover. {10} 'The nakedness of your son's daughter or your
daughter's daughter, their nakedness you shall not uncover; for their
nakedness is yours. {11} 'The nakedness of your father's wife's
daughter, born to your father, she is your sister, you shall not uncover
her nakedness. {12} 'You shall not uncover the nakedness of your
father's sister; she is your father's blood relative. {13} 'You shall
not uncover the nakedness of your mother's sister, for she is your
mother's blood relative. {14} 'You shall not uncover the nakedness of
your father's brother; you shall not approach his wife, she is your
aunt. {15} 'You shall not uncover the nakedness of your daughter-in-law;
she is your son's wife, you shall not uncover her nakedness. {16} 'You
shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother's wife; it is your
brother's nakedness. {17} 'You shall not uncover the nakedness of a
woman and of her daughter, nor shall you take her son's daughter or her
daughter's daughter, to uncover her nakedness; they are blood relatives.
It is lewdness. {18} 'And you shall not marry a woman in addition to her
sister as a rival while she is alive, to uncover her nakedness. {19}
'Also you shall not approach a woman to uncover her nakedness during her
menstrual impurity. {20} 'And you shall not have intercourse with your
neighbor's wife, to be defiled with her. {21} 'Neither shall you give
any of your offspring to offer them to Molech, nor shall you profane the
name of your God; I am the LORD. {22} 'You shall not lie with a male as
one lies with a female; it is an abomination. {23} 'Also you shall not
have intercourse with any animal to be defiled with it, nor shall any
woman stand before an animal to mate with it; it is a perversion. {24}
'Do not defile yourselves by any of these things; for by all these the
nations which I am casting out before you have become defiled. {25} 'For
the land has become defiled, therefore I have visited its punishment
upon it, so the land has spewed out its inhabitants. {26} 'But as for
you, you are to keep My statutes and My judgments, and shall not do any
of these abominations, neither the native, nor the alien who sojourns
among you {27} (for the men of the land who have been before you have
done all these abominations, and the land has become defiled); {28} so
that the land may not spew you out, should you defile it, as it has
spewed out the nation which has been before you. {29} 'For whoever does
any of these abominations, those persons who do so shall be cut off from
among their people. {30} 'Thus you are to keep My charge, that you do
not practice any of the abominable customs which have been practiced
before you, so as not to defile yourselves with them; I am the LORD your
God.'"
Set-Apart Rest
God is our righteous, holy Creator. His conduct is to be
our standard of conduct.
Do we venerate and hold as holy what God says is holy? Our
lives are made up of time and we are to be judged by what we do with our
time. Do we properly treat God’s Sabbaths as "qodesh shabat" or "set-apart
rest" or do we treat them as just another day of the week and scurry about
our daily duties, even if not our daily jobs?
In Isaiah 58:1, notice what God has to say about treating
His Sabbaths as common, ordinary days.
(Isa 58:1-14 NASB) "Cry loudly, do not hold back; Raise
your voice like a trumpet, And declare to My people their transgression,
And to the house of Jacob their sins. {2} "Yet they seek Me day by day,
and delight to know My ways, As a nation that has done righteousness,
And has not forsaken the ordinance of their God. They ask Me for just
decisions, They delight in the nearness of God. {3} 'Why have we fasted
and Thou dost not see? Why have we humbled ourselves and Thou dost not
notice?' Behold, on the day of your fast you find your desire, And drive
hard all your workers. {4} "Behold, you fast for contention and strife
and to strike with a wicked fist. You do not fast like you do today to
make your voice heard on high. {5} "Is it a fast like this which I
choose, a day for a man to humble himself? Is it for bowing one's head
like a reed, And for spreading out sackcloth and ashes as a bed? Will
you call this a fast, even an acceptable day to the LORD? {6} "Is this
not the fast which I choose, To loosen the bonds of wickedness, To undo
the bands of the yoke, And to let the oppressed go free, And break every
yoke? {7} "Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry, And bring the
homeless poor into the house; When you see the naked, to cover him; And
not to hide yourself from your own flesh? {8} "Then your light will
break out like the dawn, And your recovery will speedily spring forth;
And your righteousness will go before you; The glory of the LORD will be
your rear guard. {9} "Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; You
will cry, and He will say, 'Here I am.' If you remove the yoke from your
midst, The pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, {10} And if
you give yourself to the hungry, And satisfy the desire of the
afflicted, Then your light will rise in darkness, And your gloom will
become like midday. {11} "And the LORD will continually guide you, And
satisfy your desire in scorched places, And give strength to your bones;
And you will be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water whose
waters do not fail. {12} "And those from among you will rebuild the
ancient ruins; You will raise up the age-old foundations; And you will
be called the repairer of the breach, The restorer of the streets in
which to dwell. {13} "If because of the sabbath, you turn your foot From
doing your own pleasure on My holy day, And call the sabbath a delight,
the holy day of the LORD honorable, And shall honor it, desisting from
your own ways, From seeking your own pleasure, And speaking your own
word, {14} Then you will take delight in the LORD, And I will make you
ride on the heights of the earth; And I will feed you with the heritage
of Jacob your father, For the mouth of the LORD has spoken."
The Preparation Day
Do we properly use the Preparation Day? In Exodus 16:22,
God instructed the Israelites in the wilderness about the manner of
conduct pleasing to him. The Preparation Day is a tool made available to
us to properly prepare for God’s "set-apart rest."
(Exo 16:22-23 NASB) Now it came about on the sixth day
they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for each one. When all the
leaders of the congregation came and told Moses, {23} then he said to
them, "This is what the LORD meant: Tomorrow is a sabbath observance, a
holy sabbath to the LORD. Bake what you will bake and boil what you will
boil, and all that is left over put aside to be kept until morning."
Do we follow what Nehemiah did on the Sabbath day in
Nehemiah 13? God wrote down for our instruction the example set for us
about proper conduct on the Sabbaths in Nehemiah 13:15.
(Neh 13:15-22 NASB) In those days I saw in Judah some
who were treading wine presses on the sabbath, and bringing in sacks of
grain and loading them on donkeys, as well as wine, grapes, figs, and
all kinds of loads, and they brought them into Jerusalem on the sabbath
day. So I admonished them on the day they sold food. {16} Also men of
Tyre were living there who imported fish and all kinds of merchandise,
and sold them to the sons of Judah on the sabbath, even in Jerusalem.
{17} Then I reprimanded the nobles of Judah and said to them, "What is
this evil thing you are doing, by profaning the sabbath day? {18} "Did
not your fathers do the same so that our God brought on us, and on this
city, all this trouble? Yet you are adding to the wrath on Israel by
profaning the sabbath." {19} And it came about that just as it grew dark
at the gates of Jerusalem before the sabbath, I commanded that the doors
should be shut and that they should not open them until after the
sabbath. Then I stationed some of my servants at the gates that no load
should enter on the sabbath day. {20} Once or twice the traders and
merchants of every kind of merchandise spent the night outside
Jerusalem. {21} Then I warned them and said to them, "Why do you spend
the night in front of the wall? If you do so again, I will use force
against you." From that time on they did not come on the sabbath. {22}
And I commanded the Levites that they should purify themselves and come
as gatekeepers to sanctify the sabbath day. For this also remember me, O
my God, and have compassion on me according to the greatness of Thy
lovingkindness.
God is our righteous, holy Creator. In Leviticus 11:44, he
sets himself apart as the standard of holy conduct to which we are to
strive. His conduct is to be our standard of conduct.
(Lev 11:44-45 NASB) 'For I am the LORD your God.
Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy; for I am holy. And
you shall not make yourselves unclean with any of the swarming things
that swarm on the earth. {45} 'For I am the LORD, who brought you up
from the land of Egypt, to be your God; thus you shall be holy for I
am holy.'"
Again, we read of God setting himself as the standard of
holiness in Leviticus 19:2. This time, however, he further defines that
holiness by incorporating His commandments into the definition.
(Lev 19:2-18 NASB) "Speak to all the congregation of the
sons of Israel and say to them, 'You shall be holy, for I the LORD
your God am holy. {3} 'Every one of you shall reverence his mother
and his father [that’s the fifth commandment], and you shall keep My
sabbaths [that’s the fourth commandment]; I am the LORD your God. {4}
'Do not turn to idols or make for yourselves molten gods [that’s the
first and the second commandment]; I am the LORD your God.
Now continue in verse eleven:
(Lev 19:11 NASB) 'You shall not steal, nor deal falsely,
nor lie to one another [that’s the eighth and the ninth commandment].
{12} 'And you shall not swear falsely by My name, so as to profane the
name of your God [that’s the third commandment]; I am the LORD. {13}
'You shall not oppress your neighbor, nor rob him [that’s the eighth
commandment again]. The wages of a hired man are not to remain with you
all night until morning. {14} 'You shall not curse a deaf man, nor place
a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall revere your God; I am
the LORD. {15} 'You shall do no injustice in judgment; you shall not be
partial to the poor nor defer to the great, but you are to judge your
neighbor fairly. {16} 'You shall not go about as a slanderer among your
people [that’s the ninth commandment again], and you are not to act
against the life of your neighbor [that’s the sixth commandment]; I am
the LORD. {17} 'You shall not hate your fellow countryman in your heart;
you may surely reprove your neighbor, but shall not incur sin because of
him. {18} 'You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the
sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself
[that’s the second of the two great commandments cited by Christ]; I am
the LORD.
In Leviticus 20:26, we see God link his own standard of
holy, righteous behavior with the definition of the word holy we learned
earlier.
(Lev 20:26 NASB) 'Thus you are to be holy to Me, for I
the LORD am holy; and I have set you apart from the peoples to be
Mine.
In Matt 5:48, Christ reiterates the concept.
(Mat 5:48 NASB) "Therefore you are to be perfect, as
your heavenly Father is perfect.
Jesus didn’t say, "be perfect as I am perfect." One of the
reasons Christ came to earth was to honor and reveal the Father to humans.
It’s clear that the standard of holy, righteous conduct is God, the
Father. We are commanded to strive for that same standard of conduct.
What did Jesus say was that sure standard of holy,
righteous conduct? In Matt 19:17 we find Christ’s answer to the man who
asked him the question.
(Mat 19:17-19 NASB) And He said to him, "Why are you
asking Me about what is good? There is only One who is good; but if you
wish to enter into life, keep the commandments." {18} He said to Him,
"Which ones?" And Jesus said, "YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER; YOU SHALL
NOT COMMIT ADULTERY; YOU SHALL NOT STEAL; YOU SHALL NOT BEAR FALSE
WITNESS; {19} HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER; and YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR
NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF."
Again, Christ was asked about the standard set forth in
God’s commandments in Mark 12:28.
(Mark 12:28-31 NASB) And one of the scribes came and
heard them arguing, and recognizing that He had answered them well,
asked Him, "What commandment is the foremost of all?" {29} Jesus
answered, "The foremost is, 'HEAR, O ISRAEL! THE LORD OUR GOD IS ONE
LORD; {30} AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND
WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.'
{31} "The second is this, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.'
There is no other commandment greater than these."
What we just read was the great Shema. It was Christ’s
answer to the question of the foremost or greatest commandment. "Shema
Yisrael Adonai Eloheinu Adonai Ehad." In Deuteronomy 6:4, we can read
the complete text from which Jesus quoted.
(Deu 6:4-9 NASB) "Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God,
the LORD is one! {5} "And you shall love the LORD your God with all your
heart and with all your soul and with all your might. {6} "And these
words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart; {7} and
you shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when
you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down
and when you rise up. {8} "And you shall bind them as a sign on your
hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. {9} "And you shall
write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
How often do we do that? Do we daily recite to each other
what Christ called "the foremost of all commandments? Do we teach them to
our children every day or are the commandments just something to be
discussed on the Sabbath? We need to make more of an effort to obey this
greatest of all commandments on a daily basis. God the Father is one God.
God is not two persons or three or a dozen. God is one. He is not "three
in one" (like 3-in-One oil). He is one God: our Father and God Most High.
He is without equal.
Eternal Life
We have seen that Jesus gave a direct answer to a direct
question about what conduct of behavior is required for eternal life. Is
commandment keeping, though, an end in itself? Ephesians 2:8 shows us that
it’s not.
(Eph 2:8-10 NASB) For by grace you have been saved
through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; {9}
not as a result of works, that no one should boast. {10} For we are His
workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared
beforehand, that we should walk in them.
We are saved by the gift of God, which is grace or
forgiveness of sins through faith. That does not, however, negate our
commanded duty to continue to walk in good works as we can read in James
2:1.
(James 2:1-24 NASB) My brethren, do not hold your faith
in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal
favoritism. {2} For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring
and dressed in fine clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in dirty
clothes, {3} and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the
fine clothes, and say, "You sit here in a good place," and you say to
the poor man, "You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool," {4}
have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with
evil motives? {5} Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the
poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He
promised to those who love Him? {6} But you have dishonored the poor
man. Is it not the rich who oppress you and personally drag you into
court? {7} Do they not blaspheme the fair name by which you have been
called? {8} If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law, according to
the Scripture, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF," you are doing
well. {9} But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are
convicted by the law as transgressors. {10} For whoever keeps the whole
law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all. {11} For
He who said, "DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY," also said, "DO NOT COMMIT
MURDER." Now if you do not commit adultery, but do commit murder, you
have become a transgressor of the law. {12} So speak and so act, as
those who are to be judged by the law of liberty. {13} For judgment will
be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over
judgment. {14} What use is it, my brethren, if a man says he has faith,
but he has no works? Can that faith save him? {15} If a brother or
sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, {16} and one of
you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and be filled," and yet you do
not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? {17}
Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. {18} But
someone may well say, "You have faith, and I have works; show me your
faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works." {19}
You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and
shudder. {20} But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that
faith without works is useless? {21} Was not Abraham our father
justified by works, when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? {22}
You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the
works, faith was perfected; {23} and the Scripture was fulfilled which
says, "AND ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS
RIGHTEOUSNESS," and he was called the friend of God. {24} You see that a
man is justified by works, and not by faith alone.
1 Pet 1:14 sums up our duty to God.
(1 Pet 1:14-19 NASB) As obedient children, do not be
conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, {15}
but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all
your behavior; {16} because it is written, "YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I
AM HOLY." {17} And if you address as Father the One who impartially
judges according to each man's work, conduct yourselves in fear during
the time of your stay upon earth; {18} knowing that you were not
redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way
of life inherited from your forefathers, {19} but with precious blood,
as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.
Now, that is true holiness.
Sermon by Philip
Edwards
April 28, 2007
Copyright 2007, Philip Edwards
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