(74) The Holiness of Things

Before we look more closely at the depth of meaning and significance of God’s holiness, it will be helpful for us to look a bit more closely at the basic, root meaning of holiness as it is revealed in its usage in scripture. For this, we must take a deeper look at how scripture uses holiness to relate to and describe things like wood, metal, fabric and other very common, insignificantly ordinary, everyday objects.

When we look at scripture, we find something very fascinating. For example, we find some wood that might be sitting in a pile just like all the other wood a carpenter might use to make a table. The next day, that wood is holy. Why? Because that wood was donated to be use in the building of the Tabernacle. It was dedicated to the Lord. This is true for a number of plain, ordinary objects that had no distinctiveness but when they were dedicated to the building of the Tabernacle, making it’s furniture, or the objects used in worship at the Tabernacle, they became holy. They were now different, set apart from other wood, fabric, metal, grain, animals, etc. They were now unique. And God took this holiness very, very seriously.

As we consider the following scriptures and their meaning, keep in mind that we are laying a foundation for understanding that holiness is far more than moral purity. All this lays a foundation for understanding the holiness of God. All of this is critical to gaining a fully appreciate the holiness of God and worship Him as He deserves.

First, notice that God commanded the priests accountable for maintaining and protecting the holiness of the things that were dedicated to be used in worship.

They [priests] shall teach my people the difference between the holy and the common, and show them how to distinguish between the unclean and the clean. (Ezekiel 44:23 ESV)

Notice in this verse, we are reminded that holiness is a matter of difference, distinction, and uniqueness. God is intent on teaching His people that holiness is about recognizing and maintaining distinctiveness, uniqueness, and exclusivity. In fact, God takes this so seriously that He held the person who did not treat this seriously as guilty and under punishment – even if they didn’t mean to!

"If a person acts unfaithfully and sins unintentionally against the LORD'S holy things, then he shall bring his guilt offering to the LORD: a ram without defect from the flock, . . ..  "He shall make restitution for that which he has sinned against the holy thing. (Leviticus 5:15-16 NAU)

God takes this so seriously, that He cites it as one of the reasons He was sending the sinful nation of Israel into exile.

"Son of man, say to her [Israel]: 'You are a land that receives no rain or showers in the day of my anger.' . . . (26) Her priests abuse my law and have desecrated my holy things. They do not distinguish between the holy and the profane, or recognize any distinction between the unclean and the clean. (Ezekiel 22:23-24,26 NAU)

So, what do we learn from all this? We learn that God really takes these things seriously. God is unwaveringly serious about holiness. When God says something is set apart to Him, He means it. When God says something is to be treated as unique, to be treated differently than all else, He isn’t playing around. We learn that God demands that the distinction and separation be maintained between the holy, that which is set apart to glorify Him as holy, from the common. This isn’t just a religious, ceremonial formality. This is real, this is serious, this is demanded by God. To God, holiness is definitely not something to be taken lightly.

Next:  (75) The Importance of Holiness