In the Wilderness: It’s All About Holiness

Text: Numbers 5:1-8:26

Theme: Because God is holy, He calls us to holiness.

Date: 02/02/2020 Title: InTheWilderness-03.wpd No:

This morning we’re looking at another large swath of Scripture—too much to read through so I hope you read ahead. They are chapters that seem disjointed; hopping from one topic to another without much rhyme or reason. But if you read carefully, you’ll discover that there is an underlying theme to these chapters. It’s all about holiness of heart and life; the sanctification of our character and conduct. The first time we read God’s command be holy, for I am holy is in Leviticus 11:44. Five more times in the Book of Leviticus, God will make that demand of His people. Lest you think it’s simply an Old Testament theme, the Apostle Peter demands it of New Testament Christians, “Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. 14 As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16 for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”” (1 Peter 1:13–16, NIV84)

Why is God so hyper-scrupulous about this “holiness” stuff? Doesn’t God remember that we are made of flesh, and that the flesh lusts against the Spirit? Why is our holiness such a a big deal? The author of Hebrews is blunt: “Make every effort to ... be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.” (Hebrews 12:14, NIV84). To find acquittal from God on the last day there must be evidence flowing out of us that grace has flowed into us. On the last day, God will not acquit us because our good works were good enough, but He will look for evidence that our confession of faith was not phony. It’s in this sense that we must be holy.

Holiness in the Jewish understanding meant to be God-honoring in every aspect of life. In the New Testament understanding, holiness means to be Christ-like, because it was Jesus who showed us what it meant to passionately pursue the image of God in us ... to be holy, because He is holy.

This begs the question: “How passionate are you about personal holiness?” ILLUS. A few years ago, Kevin DeYoung, a Presbyterian pastor wrote a book entitled, A Hole in our Holiness. His thesis is simple, too many Christians simply don’t think about their holiness very much. We’re simply too preoccupied with too many other things. We need to think about our holiness.

I. THE PRIORITY OF HOLINESS

“The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,” (Numbers 5:1, ESV)

1. all that we will read and look at this morning is the word of the Lord

a. and if it is the word of the Lord, it must be plumbed for truth

2. when you read through chapter five of the Book of Numbers, you’ll be struck by three observations

a. 1st, the law concerning sick people seems draconian

b. 2nd, the law concerning restitution for a wrong committed seems insufficient

c. 3rd, the law concerning a purity test for a wife suspected of adultery seems ... well it just seem weird

A. SEND THEM OUT vs. 1-4

1. among the Hebrews physical wholeness was associated with spiritual wholeness

a. if a person had a serious skin disease or a discharge of blood, or an open weeping wound, that person was considered spiritually unclean

1) anyone that person came in contact with would also become spiritually unclean, and their very presence in the camp defiled the entire congregation

2. God’s command is to put them outside the camp, that they may not defile the camp

ILLUS. That seems pretty draconian to us until you consider what is happening in the world right now. Because of the Coronavirus outbreak, China has virtually locked down the entire Hubei Provence, and ordered 56 million people to stay in place. Our’s, and other western governments are considering suspending all travel to and from China until the virus is contained or has run its course. The threat of the Coronavirus is considered that serious.

a. the response to this outbreak has been extreme, and is taking place for health reasons

b. among the Jews, however, quarantining people from among the congregation had little to do with health concerns and everything to do with holiness concerns

c. fortunately there were purity laws that allowed for a ritually unclean person to have their spiritual purity restored, allowing them to come back into the camp

1) sadly, some people—like the Leprous—were permanently ostracized, and could never fully participate in the life of God’s covenant people

3. in Israel even inadvertent impurity had to be seriously dealt with

B. TREAT YOUR NEIGHBOR RIGHT vs. 5-10

1. vs. 5-10 are a reminder that holiness of heart and life requires treating our neighbors well

a. we tend to think that the command to love our neighbor as yourself, is a New Testament command

b. it is, but it comes right out of the Old Testament Law

“You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.” (Leviticus 19:18, ESV)

1) in Leviticus, chapter 19, God deals with all kinds of examples wherein we don’t treat our neighbor with love, and respect—and for us—with Christlikeness

2) what are some of the ways in which we express contempt of neighbor instead of love of neighbor?

a) by ignoring the needs of the poor and destitute with the congregation

b) by theft and/or dishonesty

c) by manipulation of wages or delay in paying wages

d) by disrespecting the disabled among us

e) by giving preferential treatment to the wealthy because they are wealthy or by giving special treatment to the poor simply because they are poor—true justice really is blind

f) by openly slandering one’s neighbor

g) by harboring secret hatred or animosity toward one’s neighbor

2. if we commit one of these offences against a neighbor, both Old and New Testaments link such offence with faithlessness to the Lord—which is unholy behavior!

a. to sin against a neighbor is to sin against God

b. how do we know this to be true? — God says so in Leviticus 6...

“The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “If anyone sins and commits a breach of faith against the LORD by ...deceiving his neighbor in a matter of deposit or security, or through robbery, or if he has oppressed his neighbor 3 or has found something lost and lied about it, swearing falsely—in any of all the things that people do and sin thereby— 4 if he has sinned and has realized his guilt and will restore what he took by robbery or what he got by oppression or the deposit that was committed to him or the lost thing that he found 5 or anything about which he has sworn falsely, he shall restore it in full and shall add a fifth to it, and give it to him to whom it belongs on the day he realizes his guilt. 6 And he shall bring to the priest as his compensation to the LORD a ram without blemish out of the flock, or its equivalent, for a guilt offering. 7 And the priest shall make atonement for him before the LORD, and he shall be forgiven for any of the things that one may do and thereby become guilty.”” (Leviticus 6:1–7, ESV)

ILLUS. This is why in the 51st Psalm, which is King David’s confession of sin regarding Bath-sheba and Uriah David tells God, “For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. 4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.” (Psalm 51:3–4, ESV). David has indeed sinned against Bath-sheba and Uriah, but more seriously, in sinning against them he has sinned against God.

c. OK—like WOW—that ought to make us think twice before we slander someone, or take something from a neighbor that doesn’t belong to us whether it be a rake or a reputation

3. holiness of heart and life demands confession and reconciliation between neighbors, and sometimes restitution

a. full restoration of the item stolen, or broken, plus 20% restitution was expected

1) their were no punitive damages for wounded egos, or hurt feelings

b. this is not merely a matter of law but concerns the holiness of the covenant community, and restoration of relationships

c. in God’s economy, huge punitive damages among the people of God were prohibited because punitive damages do not restore relationships, but fractures them

C. TRUST BUT VERIFY vs. 11-31

1. among the people of God, holiness must reign—even in the home

a. in the sanctified camp of Israel, not only was it necessary to deal with inadvertent impurity and deliberate transgression, even possible sin had to be investigated

2. the law of jealousies (vs. 5:11–31) was designed to reduce domestic strife

ILLUS. What is described in theses verses is essentially “trial by ordeal” wherein the parties put their ultimate trust in God to reveal truth and judge accordingly.

a. a man who suspected his wife of unfaithfulness, but who had no proof might make life miserable for his spouse

b. to quell domestic suspicion the husband was required to take his wife to the priest along with a special offering

1) the offering served to bring the legal case between the spouses before the Lord for a decision

2) this was a “put up or shut up” option which a husband could employ, or which a wife could demand, to establish once and for all her innocence

3. the ritual proceeded as follows:

a. the priest prepared a brew consisting of holy water and dust from the floor of the Tabernacle

b. curses against unfaithfulness were written on a scroll which was then dipped into the water

c. the woman stood before the Lord in front of the sanctuary and took an oath that she had been faithful to her husband, and then drank the brew

1) if the woman had been unfaithful, the bitter water made her thigh rot and her abdomen swell

a) she would thus be accursed among the people

2) if, however, she drank the water with no ill effect she was vindicated

4. again, the stress is upon holiness within the camp, expressed by marital fidelity among the people

a. adultery was taken seriously as it was a sin that defiled the entire camp, not just the wife accused

5. The Priority of Holiness

II. THE PRACTICE OF HOLINESS vs. 6:1-7:89

1. what did holiness among the Israelites look like?

a. Numbers, chapters six and seven continue the theme of holiness and give us a picture of what holiness looked like in its practice among the people

1) chapter six deals with the special separation of a person for spiritual service to the Lord

2) chapter seven deals with a permanent dedication of things and people for God

A. THE NAZIRITE VOW

“The LORD said to Moses, 2 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘If a man or woman wants to make a special vow, a vow of separation to the LORD as a Nazirite, 3 he must abstain from wine and other fermented drink and must not drink vinegar made from wine or from other fermented drink. He must not drink grape juice or eat grapes or raisins. 4 As long as he is a Nazirite, he must not eat anything that comes from the grapevine, not even the seeds or skins. 5 “ ‘During the entire period of his vow of separation no razor may be used on his head. He must be holy until the period of his separation to the LORD is over; he must let the hair of his head grow long. 6 Throughout the period of his separation to the LORD he must not go near a dead body.” (Numbers 6:1–6, NIV84)

1. a Nazirite was a person who took a vow of separation to the Lord

a. it was a time of deeper sanctification of heart and mind and life where a person sought the Lord through prayer, or served the Lord in a special way, or even as an expression of thanks to God

b. the word itself means to separate

1) most Nazirite vows were for a fixed period of time, and voluntary

a) even the Apostle Paul took such a vow

“Paul stayed on in Corinth for some time. Then he left the brothers and sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. Before he sailed, he had his hair cut off at Cenchrea [sen'-kre-e ] because of a vow he had taken.” (Acts 18:18, NIV84)

ILLUS. In the Book of Acts we see the Apostle Paul ending a Nazirite vow that he had taken. Evidently he had undertaken the vow after having his Corinthian vision (Acts 18:9-10), and took the vow as a way of beseeching the Lord for a successful journey to, and a successful mission in Corinth. In Acts 18:18, Paul ends the vow acknowledging that God had blessed their work in Corinth.

2) some Nazirite vows were for life, and could be involuntary

ILLUS. Both the prophet Samuel, and Samson were men whose mothers vowed a vow that if God would end their barrenness and give them sons, those sons would be Nazirites. If you know anything about these two men, you know that Samuel successfully lived out his vow, while Samson spectacularly failed at his.

2. a Nazirite did not separate themselves from society, but took actions that made them stand apart from others

a. according to God’s command to Moses that included ...

1) abstaining from alcoholic beverages and anything made from grapes

2) not cutting one’s hair

3) having no contact with corpses or graves, even those of family members

a) doing so would make the Nazirite ritually impure

b. at the end of the Nazirite vow the person would immerse themselves in water, and make three offerings: a lamb as a burnt offering, a ewe as a sin-offering, and a ram as a peace offering

1) in addition they offered a basket of unleavened bread, and grain offerings and drink offerings

2) they would also shave their head, and then place the hair on the same fire as the peace offering

3. throughout the history of the Church there have been both men and women who have vowed to live extraordinary lives of holiness that included chastity, asceticism, and disciplined lives of prayer, worship, and study of the Bible

a. sometimes this was done for a season, and sometimes for a lifetime

B. CONSECRATION OF THE HOUSE OF GOD vs. 7:1-89

“On the day when Moses had finished setting up the tabernacle and had anointed and consecrated it with all its furnishings and had anointed and consecrated the altar with all its utensils,” (Numbers 7:1, ESV)

1. chapter seven deals with the dedication of things and people for God

a. consecrate is a word we don’t use much in our culture

1) it means association with the sacred

2) it seems archaic and out of step in a society where nothing seems holy any longer

b. about the only things we consecrate in our culture any longer are buildings specifically for worship, men specifically for Christian ministry, and couples who choose to marry in the church

ILLUS. There’s a reason we call it Holy Matrimony.

2. consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service, and this is what God commands Moses to do with the Tabernacle and all the furniture and utensils associated with it

a. the Tabernacle is to be considered as holy, and used only for holy purposes

b. it is the place where God will meet and speak to Moses, and

c. it is the place where the sins of the people will be mediated by the Jewish Priests

ILLUS. In our culture, we still usually have some kind of consecration of a newly constructed, or refurbished church building. In my library, I have several Minister’s Manuals, and each of them contains dedicatory services for a church building. Last year, I attended a service at St. George Catholic Church when they rededicated their sanctuary after a major renovation. It was a major event ...virtually every part of the sanctuary was blessed by prayer or sprinkled with holy water, or anointed with blessed olive oil. It was a little more involved than a Baptist congregation would feel comfortable with, and yet we agree with the principle of consecrating a building for the worship of God and the administration of the Word. Some Christian traditions, like the Methodists and Anglians, even have deconsecration liturgies for when a building is to be town down or no longer used for worship.

3. since God is holy, He deserves a place especially consecrated to Him for worship, and service, and prayer and fellowship

III. THE PURPOSE OF HOLINESS

1. lastly, let’s consider what is happening in Numbers, chapter 8

a. it’s a summary of dedicating the Jewish Priests for service in the Tabernacle

1) Moses, as the representative of the congregation of Israel, symbolically purifies them with water (vs. 7)

2) in the presence of the people Moses is to lay hands on them, dedicating them to the service of the Lord

3) Aaron is to offer the Levites to God as servants of God, that they may offer sacrifices on behalf of the congregation

2. the purpose of all this is summed up toward the end of the chapter

“Moses, Aaron and the whole Israelite community did with the Levites just as the LORD commanded Moses. 21 The Levites purified themselves and washed their clothes. Then Aaron presented them as a wave offering before the LORD and made atonement for them to purify them. 22 After that, the Levites came to do their work at the Tent of Meeting under the supervision of Aaron and his sons. They did with the Levites just as the LORD commanded Moses.” (Numbers 8:20–22, NIV84)

a. this is all about acceptable worship of a holy God by a holy people

IV. SOME APPLICATION

1. why God would care about all these things?

a. why would God be so, to use our vernacular "uptight" about what his people ate, and what they wore, and the vows they made, and they way they lived with each other?

b. the Book of Numbers is one of those books that we frequently zip-line through because it seem so irrelevant to our Christian experience

2. I would beg to differ ... holiness of heart and character, of life and conduct are not irrelevant to the Christian experience

a. God calls us to live holy lives just as he called the Hebrews to live holy lives

b. the difference is that we’re actually enabled to do so through the new birth that brings the filling of the Holy Spirit

3. however weird, bizarre, or strange these religious rules and regulations may seem to us, they point to the importance of God’s people consecrating themselves to express holiness before the Lord

a. Jesus said it like this ... “And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23, ESV)

1) here is the Christian’s consecration of life ... daily fellowship in the cross

4. "Does the call to holiness come to us as well?"

a. the answer is an obvious "Yes!"

1) just as God says to the Israelites, "Be you holy, consecrate yourselves" God tells Christians, "Be you holy, consecrate yourselves"

b. so here is the question: "Have you consecrated your life to God?"

1) is your view of life, that you do not belong to the world, nor even to yourself, but that you belong to the Lord Jesus Christ?

2) let's be honest, too many Christians want Jesus to be merciful to them as Savior, but are unwilling to consecrate themselves to him as King of Kings and Lord of lords

c. there are simply too many Christians who are content with their current level of holiness

1) but you’ll never grow in the grace of God, and you’ll never receive all that God has for you unless you are discontent with your level of holiness

A. DESIRE TO LIVE A CONSECRATED LIFE

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. 2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Romans 12:1–2, NIV84)

1. in the Book of Numbers we learn that when a person offered something to God, it no longer belonged to the one offering it

a. it belonged to God for His use and His satisfaction

2. to become a living sacrifice, holy in God’s sight, means that we have completely put ourselves in His hands

3. as Christians, we accept that our lives are no longer our own, for we have been purchased at a high price—the sacrifice of Jesus

a. this scripture promises that God will accept the sacrifice of our lives as holy and pleasing no matter how sin-scarred and defiled by the world we may have been

b. this verse also tells us something about living in purity: it is an essential part of denying yourself, daily laying down your life to His direction, and taking up your cross

ILLUS. Kevin DeYoung, in A Hole in our Holiness, writes: "Holiness is the sum of a million little things — the avoidance of little evils and little foibles, the setting aside of little bits of worldliness and little acts of compromise, the putting to death of little inconsistencies and little indiscretions, the attention to little duties and little dealings, the hard work of little self-denials and little self-restraints, the cultivation of little benevolences and little forbearances."

4. how do we do that? what is involved in taking up our cross, and becoming a living sacrifice

a. it’s not rocket science!

B. DISCIPLINES OF THE CONSECRATED LIFE

1. discipline #1 You must Live in the Word

2. discipline #2 You must Pray in Faith

3. discipline #3 You must Fellowship Regularly with the Saints

4. discipline #4 You must Minister to Others

Con. “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—the world desperately needs to see the name and character of God displayed in the lives of Christians who still take holiness seriously.