Holy is not Common
I still find myself in awe of how detailed God is and how He cares about very specific elements when it comes to building, creating, sacrificing, worshiping, living, etc. It blesses my heart to know that I serve a God Who cares about the finest details. My mind immediately goes to the specifications He gave Noah for building the ark for the coming flood:
“Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch. And this is how you shall make it: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits. You shall make a window for the ark, and you shall finish it to a cubit from above; and set the door of the ark in its side. You shall make it with lower, second, and third decks.”
Some theologians believe that this was at a time when the earth had not experienced the phenomenon of rain yet. While the Bible does not explicitly say this, what is clear is that Noah obeyed God by faith and built the ark with the specifications God gave him. And the details mattered because of how high the waters would be, because of who and what would be on the ark, and for the amount of time they would be on it, about a year.
Coating the ark inside and outside with pitch was to waterproof it. The window placed high on the structure created much-needed ventilation. Building it long and wide added to its stability. And there’s so much more behind the science of it all that would absolutely amaze you. My point, though, is that God gave detailed instructions to Noah for everyone’s survival and stability.
Today’s blog is about another set of detailed instructions that acts as a warning to us present-day believers, as well as an encouragement. I’ll explain in a bit.
Exodus 30 has a section where God is giving Moses instructions for the Holy Anointing Oil:
“Moreover the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: ‘Also take for yourself quality spices, five hundred shekels of liquid myrrh, half as much sweet-smelling cinnamon (two hundred and fifty shekels), two hundred and fifty shekels of sweet-smelling cane, five hundred shekels of cassia, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, and a hin of olive oil. And you shall make from these a holy anointing oil, an ointment compounded according to the art of the perfumer. It shall be a holy anointing oil.’”
After explaining to Moses where the oil is to be used and on what, the last thing He mentions that needs to be anointed is Aaron and his sons, the Levitical priests. “And you shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may minister to Me as priests.”
God held these priests to an incredibly high standard. They served in the tabernacle, and later, the temple. They ministered unto the Lord and were mediators between Him and the people. They were, quite literally, set apart for God and by God. There were restrictions on these priests that did not necessarily apply to the rest of Israel. For example, ordinary priests were prohibited from marrying certain women, including divorced women, while the high priest was held to an even stricter standard and was required to marry a virgin. They also could not drink wine or strong drink before entering into the tabernacle of meeting to serve. God was detailed in how He wanted to be ministered to and by whom. It mattered to Him then, and it still matters to Him today. In our text, God even forbids them to make any other oil like the oil He’s giving them ingredients for. He does not want it to be treated as common or used on any random person. He was very specific. There wasn’t some special power in the oil, but the fact that God wanted it to be holy unto Him and holy unto them caused it to be a marker for separating the sacred from the profane.
I want to take the principle a step further, and then we’ll be finished.
The book of Malachi addresses the lack of the fear of the Lord that the priests had at that time and how they did not worship Him in sincerity, faith, and humility. They presented defiled food on The Father’s altar by bringing stolen, sick, and lame animal sacrifices instead of perfect and whole ones. They would even consider God’s requirements a nuisance. He reminds them of His standards in Malachi 1:11: “My name will be great among the nations, from the rising of the sun to its setting. Incense and pure offerings will be presented in my name in every place…” He later asks them, “Am I to accept these offerings from your hands?” In chapter 3, Malachi looks ahead to the Lord’s coming and the purification that would accompany it: “But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire And like launderers’ soap. He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi, And purge them as gold and silver, That they may offer to the LORD an offering in righteousness…”
God wanted, NEEDED, to be ministered to by pure priests with genuine hearts of worship. He did not want them cutting corners or viewing His way and standard as a nuisance. It was insulting to Him, and if you take the time to read Malachi for yourself, you’ll hear His disappointment in every rebuke.
God is God. God is worthy of high praise and true worship. He does not cheapen Himself or anything else that He gives to us. He abides by His greatness and His holiness. We are made holy and righteous because of Christ and the finished work on the cross. However, at times, we ignore the Holy Spirit’s promptings, convictions, and instructions and depart from The Father’s way. We treat Him and His things as common and attempt to present ourselves to Him apart from abiding in Christ and yielding to His Spirit. We refuse to subject ourselves to His order while simultaneously believing that we can present ourselves as living sacrifices when we refuse to die to self. I’m not talking about stopping bad behaviors. I’m speaking of a lifestyle that is laid down for Christ, empowered by His Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is literally our Helper, but we refuse His help all the time and then wonder why we are out of alignment with The Father. We will not be perfect on this side of eternity, but we can be made pure if we submit to Christ. We submit to Christ by submitting to His way, His Word, and His Holy Spirit. If you feel like there’s an area in your life that you can’t seem to get right, the remedy is not to try harder. It is to ask The Holy Spirit for help and to listen and obey when He gives you the answer.
You are called to be set apart. God has anointed you and given you His Spirit. You have received an anointing from the Holy One. You cannot do what everyone else does because of Who you belong to and by Whom you are loved.
God is a loving, merciful, forgiving God, but His standards have not shifted with the times. God is God. Ask Him if what you’ve been offering from your life is acceptable. And when He responds, it’s not your job to fix it on your own. He does not expect you to. Ask Holy Spirit to help you, because “…you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ…”
Scriptures: Genesis 6:14–16; Exodus 30:22–33; Leviticus 10:8–11; Leviticus 21:7, 13–14; Malachi 1:6–14; Malachi 3:2–4; Romans 12:1–2; 2 Corinthians 1:21–22; 1 John 2:20, 27; 1 Peter 2:5, 9.
