“If the man who is unclean does not cleanse himself, that person shall be cut off from the midst of the assembly, since he has defiled the sanctuary of the LORD. Because the water for impurity has not been thrown on him, he is unclean. And it shall be a statute forever for them. The one who sprinkles the water for impurity shall wash his clothes, and the one who touches the water for impurity shall be unclean until evening. And whatever the unclean person touches shall be unclean, and anyone who touches it shall be unclean until evening.”
Holiness and purity matter to God. The central aspect of God’s relationship with Israel is that holiness was required throughout the camp. The Tabernacle was at the center of the camp and that was the seat of God. God was holy, therefore the entire priesthood and community were to be holy. In the above text we are reading about what happens when someone comes in contact with dead body and “becomes unclean.” Purity matters to God. Since God is holy any act, situation or circumstance that produces unholiness is a matter of concern for God. This is so serious to God that anyone who does not cleanse themselves will be “cut off” from the people. God is not passive when it comes to His holiness. God is very much demanding that we, too, are holy. Notice a couple of verses from the New Testament that speak to us in a similar manner:
but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,
Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.
God, as a consuming fire, is holy. He demands that our worship also be holy. We can not live a life of impurity and believe God will simply look the other way. God is a holy, consuming fire!
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