Our God Demands Purity
The LORD said to Moses, "Command the Israelites to send away from the camp anyone who has a defiling skin disease or a discharge of any kind . . . Send away male and female alike; send them outside the camp so that they will not defile their camp, where I dwell among them."
The Israelites did so; they sent them outside the camp. They did just as the LORD had instructed Moses. Numbers 5:1-4.
The Israelites did so; they sent them outside the camp. They did just as the LORD had instructed Moses. Numbers 5:1-4.
God pitched his tent among the Israelites. He dwelt in their midst. God was intimately involved in their lives. He led them by the Pillar of Cloud by day and the Pillar of Fire by night. He fed them with food from Heaven and gave them water to drink. Our Holy God walked closely with His people.
The presence of God meant that extra care had to be taken to accommodate His holiness. Anyone with a defiling disease or a bodily discharge of any kind had to be sent outside the camp. God's reason was "so they will not defile their camp, where I dwell among them." The presence of divinity demanded absolute purity.
This must have been quite disruptive for families. A mother or father could be sent to live outside the camp because of a skin condition or bodily discharge. They came back only after they had gone through the prescribed ceremonial cleansing and had been certified as clean by a priest.
As disruptive of life as this must have been, there is a vital lesson: God's holiness is disruptive!
God's holiness disrupts every form of impurity. The holiness of God cannot be contained in an impure environment. In fact, the Bible makes it clear that if God is to use us in a special way, we must first cleanse ourselves (2 Timothy 2:20-21).
As children of God, God's Holy Spirit dwells in us. We live in Jesus, move in Him, and have our being in Him. To a far greater extent, we live in "greater proximity" to God than the Israelites could ever have imagined. We have been blessed and given much by God. But Scripture also reminds us that "to whom much is given, from him much will be required . . . " (Luke 12:48, NKJV)
It is imperative that we live with the constant reminder that our Holy God dwells in us and that we must continually cleanse ourselves of every form of defilement. Our confession of sin releases the cleansing power from the Blood of Jesus to wash away our sins and allow us to continually dwell in the presence of our Holy God.
Our God demands purity. Let us resolve to walk with Him in purity!
The presence of God meant that extra care had to be taken to accommodate His holiness. Anyone with a defiling disease or a bodily discharge of any kind had to be sent outside the camp. God's reason was "so they will not defile their camp, where I dwell among them." The presence of divinity demanded absolute purity.
This must have been quite disruptive for families. A mother or father could be sent to live outside the camp because of a skin condition or bodily discharge. They came back only after they had gone through the prescribed ceremonial cleansing and had been certified as clean by a priest.
As disruptive of life as this must have been, there is a vital lesson: God's holiness is disruptive!
God's holiness disrupts every form of impurity. The holiness of God cannot be contained in an impure environment. In fact, the Bible makes it clear that if God is to use us in a special way, we must first cleanse ourselves (2 Timothy 2:20-21).
As children of God, God's Holy Spirit dwells in us. We live in Jesus, move in Him, and have our being in Him. To a far greater extent, we live in "greater proximity" to God than the Israelites could ever have imagined. We have been blessed and given much by God. But Scripture also reminds us that "to whom much is given, from him much will be required . . . " (Luke 12:48, NKJV)
It is imperative that we live with the constant reminder that our Holy God dwells in us and that we must continually cleanse ourselves of every form of defilement. Our confession of sin releases the cleansing power from the Blood of Jesus to wash away our sins and allow us to continually dwell in the presence of our Holy God.
Our God demands purity. Let us resolve to walk with Him in purity!
Prayer: Father, I thank you for the privilege of your presence in my life. Your presence demands purity so help me to live with that conscious reminder. Amen.