Faulty to Forgiven

David’s life was a series of ups and downs. His story in the Bible begins in 1 Sam 16, when he was anointed by the prophet Samuel to replace Saul as the king of God’s people (1 Sam 16:1-13; Ps 78). This did not mean that he was immediately crowned as king. He was probably 10-12 years old when he was anointed. Two years later, he served as the king’s musician (1 Sam 16:14-23). Five years after he was anointed, he defeated Goliath (1 Sam 17:1-54). Ten years later, he was appointed by Saul as a commander of his army and was very successful in battles, earning Saul’s daughter Michal in marriage and also Saul’s jealousy (1 Sam 18:6-30; 19:9-17; 2 Sam 6:20-23). He was almost killed by Saul so he fled, hiding and pretending to be a crazy man in order to stay alive (1 Sam 21).

He became king, finally, thirty-two years after his anointing. He was named king of Judah (2 Sam 2:1-7), then of Israel (2 Sam 5:1-5; 1 Chron 11:1-3). Then he re-conquered Jerusalem from the Jebusites (2 Sam 5:6-16). As king, he accomplished many great things. After defeating the Philistines, David brought the ark back to Jerusalem (2 Sam 6:1-19; 1 Chron 13:1-14; 15:1-16:43), which earned him God’s wonderful promises (2 Sam 7:1-29). Second Samuel 8:1-18 lists his victories and officials. He is portrayed as a just and merciful king, pardoning and befriending Saul’s son Mephibosheth (2 Sam 9:1-13). Then he defeats the Ammonites (2 Sam 10:1-19). For 13 years, from the time he was made king (from ca 993-980 BC), his life was filled with victories. However, this rose-colored history changed in 2 Samuel 11. The story is tragic:

In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king’s men and the whole Israelite army. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem. ² One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful,³ and David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, “She is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.” ⁴ Then David sent messengers to get her. She came to him, and he slept with her. (Now she was purifying herself from her monthly uncleanness.) Then she went back home.⁵ The woman conceived and sent word to David, saying, “I am pregnant.”

¹⁴ In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it with Uriah. ¹⁵ In it he wrote, “Put Uriah out in front where the fighting is fiercest. Then withdraw from him so he will be struck down and die.” ¹⁶ So while Joab had the city under siege, he put Uriah at a place where he knew the strongest defenders were. ¹⁷ When the men of the city came out and fought against Joab, some of the men in David’s army fell; moreover, Uriah the Hittite died (2 Sam 11:1-5, 14-17, NIV).

The unthinkable happened. The man of victory over armies was defeated by his own self. It seems unfathomable that he would fall in such a dramatic way. But the honesty of the Scriptures is unmistakable. Good and godly men and women are not temptation-proofed. Even the most faithful lover of God can sin. David, full of wisdom as a military strategist, was also stupid, thinking with his penis. David’s lips that were full of praises were also full of deceit.

In fact, David’s story is so shocking because he is not only portrayed as having one fault. The story reveals that David had many faults. First, he was not where he should be (11:1). It was the season of war and he was in his palace, getting up from bed in the evening! Secondly, when he saw naked Bathsheba he stared too long. Like a hot-blooded male member of human species, he was deeply attracted to beauty and wanted to possess her. Thirdly, he abused his power as king to summon Bathsheba to his palace (11:4). She did not really have a choice but to comply to the summons. It was either obedience or death for her. Fourthly, David slept with her and sent her away after purifying herself (11:4). He did not realize that their one-night affair led to her being pregnant (11:5). So, fifthly, David schemed against Urriah twice. He wanted to cover up his sin and shift the responsibility of impregnating Bathsheba to Urriah. When his plots to make Urriah sleep with Bathsheba failed, David ordered his general—Joab—to send Urriah to his death. David committed both adultery and murder.

Also, the story is full of irony because David is portrayed in the Bible as one possessing a godly heart. When Samuel went to the house of Jesse to choose the king, David was chosen by God because of his heart: “The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Sam 16:7). God Himself testified concerning David: he “a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do” (Acts 13:22). Unfortunately, it was also David’s own heart that was attacked by the tempter. No matter how good his heart was, it was still vulnerable to temptations.

David also thought that he had covered his tracks very well. However, God knows everything. God is smarter than we are. He sent His prophet Nathan to confront David:

This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. ⁸ I gave your master’s house to you, and your master’s wives into your arms. I gave you all Israel and Judah. And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more. ⁹ Why did you despise the word of the Lord by doing what is evil in his eyes? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own. You killed him with the sword of the Ammonites (2 Sam 12:1-9, NIV)

           

Nathan’s direct confrontation forced David to make a decision. He could have birthed another sin—the sin of denial—but he chose to utter the most gallant statement of his entire life: “I have sinned against the Lord” (2 Sam 12:13). In Hebrew, David only said two words: hatati Yahweh. These two simple words would have the biggest impact in his life. Here lies his difference from king Saul, who sought to rationalize with God and defend what he did (1 Sam 15:20-21). Unlike Adam, David offered no excuses, no alibis, no blaming of Bathsheba. He dealt with his own self and sin—with boldness—and faced the reality that he was at fault. His heart is portrayed vividly in Psalm 51 (NIV), a psalm he wrote after Nathan confronted him:

Have mercy on me, O God,
    according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
    blot out my transgressions.
² Wash away all my iniquity
    and cleanse me from my sin.

³ For I know my transgressions,
    and my sin is always before me.
⁴ Against you, you only, have I sinned
    and done what is evil in your sight;
so you are right in your verdict
    and justified when you judge…
⁷ Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
    wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
⁸ Let me hear joy and gladness;
    let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
⁹ Hide your face from my sins
    and blot out all my iniquity.

¹⁰ Create in me a pure heart, O God,
    and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
¹¹ Do not cast me from your presence
    or take your Holy Spirit from me.
¹² Restore to me the joy of your salvation
    and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me…
¹⁷ My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit;
    a broken and contrite heart
    you, God, will not despise.

The immediate response of Nathan to David’s confession was surprising: “Then David said to Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord.’ Nathan replied, ‘The Lord has taken away your sin’” (2 Sam 12:13). After all of Nathan’s passionate speech and God’s denunciation of David’s sins, Nathan’s response was quite unexpected. I would not have been surprised if Nathan said that it was already too late and that God had already abandoned him like his predecessor Saul. David would have readily accepted if this were God’s punishment for him. After all, he knew that he had sinned against God big time.

David did not even ask for forgiveness. He only confessed what is truth and what both God and Nathan already knew. Then he was forgiven just like that. The immediacy and unexpected forgiveness that happened to David was precisely what happened to Jacob and Isaiah as well. Jacob asked the man of God to bless him, but the man asked him, “What is your name?” (Gen 32:27). This sounds like a simple question, but it was actually a question that deals with the core of Jacob’s identity. Jacob means “deceiver,” and the man of God wanted him to admit who he is, a deceiver who victimized his own family: his brother Esau, his father Isaac and his brother-in-law Laban. When Jacob said his name and therefore admitted his faults, the man responded: “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel (Gen 32:28). The story of Isaiah in the presence of the holy Lord narrates the same confession-forgiveness sequence.

“Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.” ⁶ Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. ⁷ With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for” (Isaiah 6:5-7, NIV)

In relation to what we are required to do, does God’s forgiveness sound cheap? I am grateful that it is. Otherwise, no one can afford it. I am grateful that God’s forgiveness is just a prayer away, that a contrite heart is all that God wants, that confession of what He already knows is enough, and that God is willing to restore me in His loving embrace. This was what the apostle John wrote about much later: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). The whole point of Nathan’s fiery charge against David was not to punish him, but to bring him to his senses. God confronted David not for him to be left feeling extremely guilty and ashamed.

We can find parallels between our lives and that of David. We all have faults (plural). David may have struggled with lust, but others might be struggling with food, desire for attention, and other things. Everyone has weaknesses and vulnerabilities. We may be strong against naked men or women, but we may be weak regarding gossiping, judgmentalism, slander, apathy and other attitudes that destroy other people. The good news is that people who have faults can receive forgiveness. God’s healing, restoring grace is available for those who are willing to face God with the same painful honesty about ourselves. This is the greatest step towards a rebuilt life.


(This is the third manuscript in the New Beginning sermon series. The first and second are also available in this blog.)

Lent: Desires of the Eyes

This is the third sermon on the series of the temptations of Jesus Christ in the wilderness, interpreted in 1 John 2:16. In The Desires of the Flesh, it was highlighted that Satan’s temptations appeal to our natural human appetites and needs. In The Pride of Life, what was underscored was the fact that Satan’s temptations appeal to our human sense of dignity and honor. This post will deal with the third temptation, which in the words of 1 John 2:16, are temptations related to “the desires of the eyes.” In the wilderness narrative, the temptation was actually very simple: “The devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, ‘All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me’” (Matt 4:8-9, ESV).

Three things can be said about the third temptation of Jesus.

First, it’s about Belongings

Owning property is not essentially bad. The eighth commandment, “You shall not steal” (Exo 20:15; Deut 5:19) was given precisely to protect private property. Even though “the earth is the Lord’s and everything in it” (Ps 24:1; 1 Cor 10:26), the Lord has given humanity dominion over creation as stewards (Gen 1:28). Hence, it is not wrong to own something. It is not wrong to own dresses, or homes, or food, or anything that sustains and promotes human life and well-being. Owning property is not wrong. It is our attitude about property that may be right or wrong.

It is important to have a proper view of ownership and property. We live in a world with a twisted mentality of ownership and a terrible concept of having. In fact, our view of having is so deranged that even interpersonal relationships are seen in terms of owning and having. It is quite appalling, but we unconsciously say things like: “I have a wife” or “I have children” or “I have friends” or “I had sex.” The language we use reflects a terrible mindset that we own even people. The language insinuates that people become our property and we can treat them as our possessions. It is alright to say that we have houses, land, money or cars, but when we use categories of having to speak about our interpersonal relations, something is terribly wrong.

Moreover, it is important to give material things their appropriate value. Satan’s temptation is very simple: the temptation to value earthly possessions more importantly than God’s divine purposes. Satan’s temptation was for Jesus to consider material things above everything else. Jesus Himself warned against this attitude: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal” (Matt 6:19-20). Jesus later on in His ministry again asked rhetorically: “What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?” (Matt 16:26; Mark 8:36). Satan’s temptation was for Jesus to exchange the eternal for the material.

There are stories in the Bible where people have failed because of how they valued material things. Saul disobeyed God and His purposes because he was blinded by the value of property: “Now go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction all that they have… But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep and of the oxen and of the fattened calves and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them. All that was despised and worthless they devoted to destruction… (1 Sam 15:3, 9). Saul valued the wealth of the Amalekites and taught that he can justify himself keeping them if he offers some of these things to God. Saul’s sin cost him his throne. Then we have the story of Achan who was blinded by “the devoted things” from Jericho (Josh 7:1), which led to God’s anger and punishment: “Israel has sinned; they have transgressed my covenant that I commanded them; they have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen and lied and put them among their own belongings” (Josh 7:11). Achan valued the beautiful and valuable devoted things of Jericho, which caused the death of his entire family. It was a poor bargain. He exchanged his family’s life over a few golden articles. We see these stories repeated in Gehazi (2 Kings 5:20-27), Ananias and Saphira (Acts 5:1-11), the rich fool (Luke 12:13-21), and the rich young man (Matt 19:16-22; Mark 10:17-31; Luke 18:18-30). They all portray ungodly attitudes about possessions and material things.

The Bible admonishes us not to attach too much value in materials things. The command not to covet (Exo 20:17) is included in the Ten Commandments. To covet is to yearn to have something. We are commanded—not encouraged—to not covet. As long as we do not have a strong yearning for material possessions, even though we are tempted in relation to them all the time, we should be alright.

Secondly, it’s about Beauty

Satan’s temptation not only appealed to material possessions, but also to our human nature to appreciate and value beauty. Imagine if you were Jesus, who was shown “all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.” The temptation would have been very real and appealing. Whether we care to admit it or not, we like beauty. People do not desire ugly things. Those who study culinary arts do not only learn how to cook but also learn food presentation. Restaurants not only appeal to our sense of smell but also to our sense of sight. A beautifully presented food is more appetizing than a sloppily prepared plate.

God created us to appreciate and love beauty. It is a part of our DNA to prefer the beautiful over the ugly. In movies and other forms of entertainment, the beautiful is always related to the good and the ugly to the bad. Handsome and gentle-looking actors always get the protagonist roles and the vicious-looking actors always play the bad guys. There is something about beauty that appeals to us.

Beauty evokes a sense of admiration and excitement. Beauty has the power to create a desire in us, and because this is true, it is a powerful avenue of temptations. The world offers a lot of  “eye candies.” Visual adverts in television, billboards, newspapers, and websites all appeal to our love of beauty, even to the point that even television adverts use half-naked women to promote ice cream! Billboards advertising shirts, pants and all sorts of products are filled with beautiful men and women. It is ridiculous how a billboard about a shoe brand has two-thirds of it occupied by a half-dressed lady. Why do advert agencies do this? The answer is simple: they are appealing to our love of beauty.

Several Bible stories actually illustrate the power of beauty in temptations. Eve ate the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil was because she “saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes” (Gen 3:6). Similarly, Achan was tempted to take the devoted things of Jericho because of their beauty: “Truly I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and this is what I did: when I saw among the spoil a beautiful cloak from Shinar,… I coveted them and took them’” (Josh 7:20-21). Saul disobedience was because he was blinded by “the best of the sheep and of the oxen and of the fattened calves and the lambs, and all that was good” (1 Sam 15:3, 9). David was led to adultery because when he saw that Bathsheeba bathing naked, he saw that “the woman was very beautiful” (2 Sam 11:2).

It is amazing how beautiful things can lead us to sin, and we can be so oblivious about it. Again, love of beauty is not wrong. We are created to admire beauty. What is wrong is making decisions in the light of what is appealing to our eyes. It is good to remember that “we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor 5:7). What is wrong is making decisions in accordance to beauty and aesthetics.  It is good to remember that “the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart” (1 Sam 16:7). What is wrong is love of beauty without love of righteousness, or love of beauty at the expense of righteousness.

Finally, it’s about Beholding

Satan’s temptation was grounded in a very simple showing: “The devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory” (Matt 4:8). The temptation was all a matter of showing on the part of the tempter and looking on the part of the tempted. This sounds so simple and ordinary that it absolutely insults the intelligence of the tempted. We can even think: “Who would fall for such a simplistic temptation?” The basic reality, however, is that temptations start off in seemingly ordinary ways: a married man who saw a beautiful young lady, a young man who saw a small picture on the side of the browser, a penniless woman who saw an expensive item in the store, and so on. It starts with just simple looking to elaborate sinning.

Of course looking is not sin in itself, but looking can become the starting point of sin. Going back to the Bible examples already cited here, the sins of the characters are related to their response when they looked and saw. Eve ate the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil was because she “saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes” (Gen 3:6). Achan was tempted because he “saw among the spoil a beautiful cloak from Shinar, and 200 shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing 50 shekels, then I coveted them and took them” (Josh 7:20-21). David was led to adultery because when he saw Bathsheeba bathing naked, he saw that “the woman was very beautiful” (2 Sam 11:2). Lot’s greed was prompted by what he saw as the greener pasture: “Lot lifted up his eyes and saw that the Jordan Valley was well watered everywhere like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, in the direction of Zoar. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) So Lot chose for himself all the Jordan Valley, and Lot journeyed east. Thus they separated from each other” (Gen 13:10-11). The disobedience of Lot’s wife, which also led to her being turned into a statue of salt, was because of looking (Gen 19:26; cf 19:17).

The eye is an important human body part, but it is also a fertile ground for temptation and sinning. Jesus said that “the eye is the lamp of the body” (Matt 6:22). Whatever we see affects our soul or inmost being. What we see affects our emotions, like how watching movies make us happy or sad or scared, or looking at a beautiful woman and our sexual desires are aroused. Whatever we look at affect our decision-making. The things that we see affect our lives more than we realize. This is why Jesus taught, “if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell” (Mark 9:47). We cannot claim that we can look at things because they do not affect us anyway. The reality is that things that we see infect our minds and they stay there! It is very hard to forget something that we have already seen. This is why the Psalmist said, “I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless” (Ps 101:3). As the song says, “Oh be careful little eyes what you see…” We also cannot claim that it is alright to keep looking as long as we keep a clean heart. This is like saying it is alright to possess a sex toy as long as we are not using it.

Conclusions

It is not wrong to have belongings. It is not wrong to appreciate beauty. It is not wrong to behold something. But these things can be used by Satan to tempt God’s people. Our eyes are God’s gifts. They are the instruments through which we see the abundant beauty in the world. But let us be reminded that our eyes can become Satan’s entry point in our lives. What we must do is imitate Job, who said, “I have made a covenant with my eyes” (Job 31:1). These are beautiful words containing a vow to the Lord to not profane his eyes by looking at ungodly things or stare at sights that lead to sin. Instead of looking at the things of the world, the writer of Hebrews offers an alternative: “Since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,  fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith” (Heb 12:1-2, NIV).

Consecrate Yourselves I: Cleansing

Joshua 3:5 

Moses died at Mount Nebo, and after thirty days of mourning for his death, the Israelites moved their camp to Shittim. The events recorded in Joshua 1-2 all happened in Shittim. There, God spoke to Joshua. God reminded him that the conquest of the promise land is God’s work. God was about to accomplish His promises to the Abraham (Josh 1:6). But God was clear that the conquest of the promise land will not be achieved by divine fiat alone. God needed Joshua to lead the Israelites. So God commanded Joshua to be strong and courageous (1:6-9).

Also, in Shittim, Joshua commissioned two spies to Jericho (2:1-24, including help from Rahab). Then they immediately left Shittim and went to the banks of Jordan (3:1). Upon arriving, they did not immediately cross. Rather, they stayed there for three days. On the fourth day, in preparation for the crossing of the Jordan river, Joshua gave instructions to the people. Yes – the people have a part in the conquest. In Shittim, God declared to Joshua that He is directly involved in the conquest. But God also had commands specific for Joshua the leader. But in the banks of Jordan, Joshua turns to the people and tells them that the conquest is not only the work of God and Joshua. The people had a role to do.

Entrance to the promise land is not something that God does for us, and we just sit back and watch God and our leaders do the work. We do not just wait for the news of the conquest. Right here, at the banks of Jordan, the promise land right before our eyes, God is telling His people: you have work to do. There are many instructions in Joshua 3, including things that the priests should do (3:6-8). But what I would like to focus on was the admonition of Joshua to all the Israelites in 3:5, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.”

To be consecrated to the Lord is not something that Joshua can and will do for them. Only they can do this for themselves. Joshua can pray for them. Joshua can preach to them. Joshua can guide them. Joshua can lead them. Joshua can do all sorts of ministry to them. But there is one thing that the Israelites should do for themselves: they must consecrate themselves. This is something they must do. This is something that is true in the church as well. The pastor can do many things for the congregation. But there are things that you should do on your own. No matter how the pastor leads you to where we must go, there are things that are up to you. We might be at the banks of Jordan, about to enter the promise land, but we must realize that crossing it and attaining the prize is a responsibility of the whole community.

Joshua commissioned the people to consecrate themselves. His statement is actually repeated several times in the Old Testament. The idea of consecration for the sake of something happening the next day or few days is quite common.

§  In Joshua 7:13, the Israelites were called to consecrate themselves in preparation for the judgment of the sinner in their midst the following day (sin of Achan story).

§  In Numbers 11:18-20, they were to consecrate themselves before the miracle of quail the next day. But they are to eat meat for a whole month, until they loathe it.

§  In Exodus 19:10-11, 14-15, they were to consecrate themselves because the Lord was about to meet them in three days. It is this passage in Exodus that I would like to deal with because it provides more material to work on, and matches the expected positive outcome in Joshua 3. Perhaps the reason Joshua did not need to elaborate the command was that the Israelites already knew what to do. So we need to go back to how the people consecrated themselves in Exodus 19 for us to understand what the command meant: “And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow. Have them wash their clothes ¹¹ and be ready by the third day, because on that day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people…’ ¹⁴ After Moses had gone down the mountain to the people, he consecrated them, and they washed their clothes. ¹⁵ Then he said to the people, ‘Prepare yourselves for the third day. Abstain from sexual relations’.”

The clues to understanding what it means to be consecrated are found in the repeated statements in the verses. The first group is…“Have them wash their clothes… they washed their clothes” (19:10, 14).

To consecrate is to set apart. To consecrate ourselves to God is to offer ourselves to God as living sacrifices (Rom 12:1). It is to dedicate our whole to God. It is to devote ourselves to Him. When God said that they should wash their clothes, what did this mean? Was God mysophobic or germophobic? Was it about physical presentability? Does He care about how we look?

In one sense, it is about acceptable offerings. Contrary to the opinion of the world, God is actually choosy. If He has specific demands about animal sacrifices, would He not be strict about us when we offer ourselves to Him? In Malachi 1, it was precisely about terrible offerings that God complained about: “When you offer blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice lame or diseased animals, is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you?” says the Lord Almighty (Mal 1:8). Reminding them about His commands in Leviticus 22:21-22 and Deuteronomy 15:21, God continued to complain: “When you bring injured, lame or diseased animals and offer them as sacrifices, should I accept them from your hands?” says the Lord. ¹⁴ “Cursed is the cheat who has an acceptable male in his flock and vows to give it, but then sacrifices a blemished animal to the Lord. For I am a great king,” says the Lord Almighty, “and my name is to be feared among the nations” (Mal 1:13-14).

It is important for us to realize that God desires the best from us. The world has its own view of God and who God should be. The world “acceptance” is used almost nonchalantly these days. People argue like this: “I am who I am. I do not want to change. I like who I am. I enjoy who I am. I am happy what I am. God will love me just as I am.” And so these people want to offer themselves to God and expect God to accept them, without the necessary cleansing required from them. The world wants a God who accepts “consecrated people who are full of dirt.” The world does not understand a God who requires transformation. The world does not understand a God who demands holiness. The world wants a God who accepts unconditionally.

But God’s commands are clear: Consecrate yourselves by getting rid of the dirt that you accumulated in your selves. Be clean. When we set apart yourselves to God, we should not carry our old dirt with us. The Israelites have been wandering the desert, and they have accumulated a huge amount of dirt in their clothing. In meeting God with Sinai, they were to purify themselves of the gods they have accumulated from Egypt. In the crossing of the Jordan, they were about to enter the promise land. It was time to get rid of the filth of the wilderness. They were to start anew.

The terms used for “washing” in Exodus 19 come from the Hebrew root word kabac. What’s interesting about kabac is that it is a washing that involves continuous beating. It is a term most appropriate to use when washing clothes in the river, in which the washer beats the clothes with a rock or a paddle. The idea is that the dirt is so entrenched in the fiber of the clothes that beating it out of clothes is the only way. When King David sinned against Bathsheba and asked for forgiveness, his prayer for cleansing used the same Hebrew term. When he prayed, “cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow” (Ps 51:7), he was saying that sin has permeated his entire being that God would need to beat it out of him. Kabac is not washing or cleansing that is enjoyable; it is actually a painful experience. It is this kind of washing that was required from the Israelites if they were to consecrate themselves to God.

It is totally illogical to have already crossed into the new life while carrying our old accumulated dirt. Consecration is separation from sin and being cleansed. This cleansing is a painful experience, and demands from us the willingness to be placed under God’s rod. What are you willing to give up for the sake of experiencing the “amazing things” that has prepared for you? What old sins have you been keeping with you that need to be washed away?