You grow, grow, grow pt. 1

As we think about growing, let’s think of the overall aim.

Tonight and for the coming months, it will be to hear afresh God’s challenge to holiness,

encouraged by the promises on which it is grounded and

guided by the teaching with which it is associated.

The holiness of God

First and foremost, holiness in Scripture is a description of God and his character. God is regularly identified as ‘the Holy One’

10 "It would still bring me comfort, and I would leap for joy in unrelenting pain that I have not denied the words of the Holy One.” ()

25 "“To whom will you compare me, or who is my equal?” asks the Holy One.” ()

15 "I am the Lord, your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your King.” ()

9 "I will not vent the full fury of my anger; I will not turn back to destroy Ephraim. For I am God and not man, the Holy One among you; I will not come in rage.” ()

3 "God comes from Teman, the Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah His splendor covers the heavens, and the earth is full of his praise.” ()

Isaiah describes him more completely as ‘the high and lofty one who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy’ ().

Yet the same prophet goes on to indicate that the Lord who dwells in ‘the high and holy place’ dwells also with ‘those who are contrite and humble in spirit’.

God’s holiness is particularly associated with his majesty, sovereignty and awesome power (e.g.

11 "Lord, who is like you among the gods? Who is like you, glorious in holiness, revered with praises, performing wonders? 12 "You stretched out your right hand, and the earth swallowed them.” (; cf.19:10–25; ).

As the one who is supreme over all, he is transcendent, exalted and different from everything he has made.

He cannot be compared with the gods of human imagination or be judged by human standards.

God alone is holy in Himself.

An important dimension to God’s separateness and distinctness is his moral purity and perfection.

He is presented in the Old Testament as ethically unique, ‘too pure to behold evil’ and unable to tolerate wrong (; cf. ; ).

He must act with holy justice when his people rebel against him, yet his love will not allow him to wipe them out.

Speaking through Hosea, he explains his restoration of them in these terms, ‘for I am God and no mortal, the Holy One in your midst, and I will not come in rage’ ().

This means that his love is also ‘holy’.

God loves with an incomparable and distinctive love.

The holiness of God revealed

From the time of the exodus from Egypt, the Lord was recognized by Israel as being ‘majestic in holiness, awesome in splendour, doing wonders’ ().

The defeat of Pharaoh and his gods and the passage of Israel through the sea revealed the uniqueness of the God who had

always been there,

sustaining his creation,

making promises to the patriarchs and

fulfilling his plans.

‘The Song of Moses’ declares that the Lord, though different from the gods of human imagination, and

finally beyond description,

had been met in history—

in his saving acts and

in the revelation of His glory

associated with those wonderful deeds.

There were two sides to God’s holiness which Israel witnessed in the exodus and subsequently.

He brought judgment upon those who flouted His purposes and

salvation to those who trusted in Him.

At Mount Sinai, the revelation of his holiness made him seem threatening and unapproachable (; cf. ; ).

But the giving of the law was an expression of His mercy and grace

and a sign of His intention to dwell among His people as ‘the Holy One’ (cf. ; ; ).

The tabernacle in the wilderness and the temple in Jerusalem were to be the physical means of

identifying and responding to His kingly presence in their midst.

Let’s look at .

At a later stage in Israel’s history, the prophet Isaiah had a vision of the holiness of God encapsulating much of what had been revealed before.

The Lord appeared to him in the Jerusalem temple as king of the universe, enthroned in a heavenly palace (), with His supernatural attendants proclaiming: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory’. Let’s read this:

1 "In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne, and the hem of his robe filled the temple. 2 "Seraphim were standing above Him; they each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. 3 "And one called to another: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Armies; His glory fills the whole earth. 4 "The foundations of the doorways shook at the sound of their voices, and the temple was filled with smoke.” ()

God’s glory is His holiness revealed.

Overcome and exposed by what he experienced, the prophet confessed that there was no hope for him or

for rebellious Israel in the presence of such a God.

5 "Then I said: Woe is me for I am ruined because I am a man of unclean lips and live among a people of unclean lips, and because my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Armies.” ()

As the representative of God’s people, Isaiah acknowledged their rejection of God’s rule and their failure to worship him appropriately.

Judgment on their sin would inevitably follow.

With a burning coal from the altar of incense, however, a seraph expressed God’s extraordinary mercy:

6 "Then one of the seraphim flew to me, and in his hand was a glowing coal that he had taken from the altar with tongs. 7 "He touched my mouth with it and said: Now that this has touched your lips, your iniquity is removed and your sin is atoned for.” ()

The paradox of holiness is that God acts to judge everything that is unholy and yet

provides a way of cleansing and sanctification for sinners.

Purified from sin, the prophet was able to stand in God’s presence and be commissioned as his mouthpiece.

His task was to announce God’s judgment on that unrepentant nation until all was fulfilled (6:8–13).

Yet, even beyond terrible devastation and destruction, God’s purpose for His people would continue.

The holiness of God’s people

God’s ‘offspring’ would be holy because of his actions on their behalf.

As the Holy One, God cannot be associated with anything that is ‘unholy’.

Purified and preserved by the Holy One, the inhabitants of a renewed Jerusalem would become a symbol of hope for the whole creation (cf. 4:2–6; 65:17–25).

Nevertheless, many Old Testament passages indicate that holiness can be imparted to people or objects

because they are cleansed and consecrated to the Lord and his service.

Sanctified by God’s initiative

For Israel, holiness was to be found in a relationship with the Holy One.

The Lord himself sanctified Israel, by rescuing His people from Egypt, bringing them to Himself at Mount Sinai, and giving them his law (; ; cf. ).

A common factor in the three terms describing Israel’s calling. Let’s read it in

5 "Now if you will carefully listen to me and keep my covenant, you will be my own possession out of all the peoples, although the whole earth is mine, 6 "and you will be my kingdom of priests and my holy nation.’ These are the words that you are to say to the Israelites.”” ()

(‘my treasured possession’, ‘a priestly kingdom’, ‘a holy nation’) is the note of separation from the nations,

so as to be uniquely at God’s disposal.

They were to demonstrate what it means to live under the direct rule of God.

As a priestly kingdom, they were to serve the Lord exclusively and thus be a people

through whom His character and will

might be displayed to the world.

When they came to Sinai, Moses was told to consecrate them ritually, to prepare for a unique encounter with God ().

14 "Then Moses came down from the mountain to the people and consecrated them, and they washed their clothes.” ()

They were already a holy nation because God had drawn them to Himself (separated them),

but now they would discover the awesome implications of

being in a special relationship with Him.

Even the priests were required to ‘consecrate themselves’, lest he ‘break out against them’ (19:22).

22 "Even the priests who come near the Lord must consecrate themselves, or the Lord will break out in anger against them.”” ()

The point of these instructions was to teach Israel about God’s overpowering holiness.

Even ‘a holy people’ could only approach him and relate to him on the terms that He laid down.

A system of mediation was necessary to prevent the Israelites from being destroyed by God’s holiness (19:22, 24).

24 "And the Lord replied to him, “Go down and come back with Aaron. But the priests and the people must not break through to come up to the Lord, or he will break out in anger against them.”” ()

He’s going to deal with these people through His appointed mediator.

Sanctification as a way of life

After Sinai, the ritual provisions of the covenant were meant to sustain Israel as a holy nation.

You have Aaron and his sons as priests were consecrated and the Levites.

Elaborate instructions were given for consecrating Aaron and his sons as priests (, ; , , ; cf. ).

Here the emphasis was on separation, purification and initiation into a distinctive role before God, as representatives of the people.

Levites were also set apart ‘to do service’ for Israel and assist the priests ().

Both groups were consecrated to God so that Israel could remain a consecrated people and continue to draw near to God in His holiness.

The altar was to be consecrated by an atoning sacrifice and by anointing, so that the altar became ‘most holy’ ().

Similarly the

tent of meeting,

the ark of the covenant, and

the furniture and utensils of the sanctuary were to be consecrated by anointing with ‘a holy anointing oil’ ().

Holiness demanded separation with respect to places, times, persons and acts.

In different ways, the demand for separation from the beliefs and practices of the surrounding nations was to come to bear upon the life of every Israelite.

The tabernacle, and later the temple, would constantly represent God’s holy presence in the midst of His people and His rule over them.

The covenant relationship established by God contained at its heart the assurance

that he would be their God and

they would be His people (e.g. ; ).

Consequently, He would be uniquely with them, to fulfill His purposes and bring blessing to them (e.g. ; ).

God’s sanctifying presence would continue to mark them as a holy people and demand holiness of living as a response.