“To be Holy”
is a misused and misunderstood concept. People
tend to make everything self pertinent, in order to become self sufficient,
which is why we get this concept wrong more often than right. The following is a little of my own insight
backed by reference to scripture.
The other morning I woke in a combination of
anger and depression. I was in the
middle of an ongoing self debate in which I tried my hardest to figure out what
the idea of being holy really meant. Some
would say that it means to be set apart or to be associated with divine
power. This was a definition from the
dictionary which I already knew. And, it didn't do much to cool my overheated brain.
There seemed to be more to this concept than mere words on a page. I had this feeling of something floating just
beyond my reach.
History
vividly reveals what happens when man tries to take up the cause for God by his
own means. At first it seems right. In fact it seems holy. But it always fails to be anything other than
the expression of self. And, Yes, I am
guilty as well; so I compared macro scale history to the micro scale, examining
my own personal record. I noticed that,
like so many figures in history, I too always struck out in the holiness arena.
I decided to
go take a shower. About the time I stood
up and began to walk down the hall, it hit me. Like a bolt of lightning, God reminded me of a
Bible story. It’s in the book of Numbers,
chapter 16, called, “Korah’s rebellion.”
In a nutshell it goes like this:
God tells
Moses, to set a guy named Aaron as high priest over the Israelite people. (This is the same Moses who led the nation of
Israel through the red sea). Men from a tribe within Israel, called Levi, get bent out of shape over
this. There are 250 of them. They don’t agree with God’s choice. They want to be priests too, so they demand
that God reconsider his decision. Moses
then asks God for direction. Immediately, God lays out instructions for Aaron
and the 250 Levites to stand at the front of the tabernacle, or tent of worship,
with bronze incense burners in their hands.
At the front door of the tabernacle, God will reconfirm who he has
already chosen as high priest over Israel. To make a long story short, the 250 Levites
die instantly engulfed in flames. Aaron
is left standing alone in a pile of empty incense burners. If this doesn't confirm the guy’s appointment
to office, what does?
What happens to the bronze censers? God gives special instruction for those. They are to be hammered flat and attached to
the outside of the alter where sacrifices are made.
This concludes the story and brings up
questions.
1.
Q.
What is so special about the bronze incense burners?
A. The censers are now
holy according to Numbers 16:37
2. Q.
How is this possible?
A. Verse, 38 gives the powerful explanation
that the objects are made holy simply because they were presented before God.
3. Q. Where is the connection?
A. You and I do not have to do any holy deed to
be worthy. You and I don’t even have to
understand the concept of “holiness”. We
just have to present ourselves surrendered before God.
If a chunk of metal which has no brain
to understand; and has no capacity for life, can suddenly be made holy just by
existing in the presence of God, we can too.
Because of the grace, shown by Jesus, who
marks the beginning of the New Testament and all life after, we can now come
before God the Father, to receive his love.
We simply need to be willing to acknowledge the presence of His Holy
Spirit within the heart of everyone who believes in Jesus; accepting that he
loves us, and understanding that it is only God who changes us.
There is an old song which says
something along the lines of, “we’re standing on holy ground… for the Lord is
here and where He is, is holy.” Remember
the story of the burning bush? It is an
Old Testament reference which refers to the book of Exodus chapter 3, where God
tells Moses to take off his shoes because the place where he stands is
holy. Changing this perspective to a New
Testament view, we can apply it to ourselves. In 1 Corinthians 6:19 NLT, we read,
“Don't you realize that your body is
the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God?”
The song might be sung a bit differently
now. A believer does not stand on holy ground… A believer is holy ground… “for the Lord is here
and where he is, is holy”
Needless to say, my day ended very well
and I now have peace of mind because my spirit is at rest in the Lord.
Thank you, God for your love, your peace, and
your word which is revealed to us by your Holy Spirit.
