Apr
Yolandie Mostert, 14 April 2023
My beloved is white (Songs 5:10)
Holiness is like the sun
I like to use an analogy of the sun to explain God’s holiness. The sun has a certain degree or standard of heat with which it shines. It a constant. Just because we would like to visit the sun, doesn’t mean that the sun will drop its standard. Anything that comes near the sun, gets consumed by the heat. This is immutable. The essence of the sun is to shine and to consume. Imagine there was a heat resistant suit that could withstand the heat of the sun. Only with such protection will man be able to visit the sun. Any other attempt will result in being expended.
God’s holiness works in the same manner. He is holy. It is the essence of His being. Holiness is not a stand-alone characteristic of the Lord. It’s not a garment that can be put on or taken off by will. It’s also not a button that can be switched off just because man wants to draw near.
Holiness is who the Holy One of Israel is. And holiness consumes everything unholy. That is the reason why man cannot just draw near. Man will be consumed by His holiness. Not because He is cruel and want people to die. It’s the essence of who He is. His holiness is what consumes. Just like the sun will consume everything that comes close to it, holiness consumes everything unholy that tries to draw near.
Let’s read God’s words to Moses in Exodus 33:20:
But He said, “You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.”
Moses would’ve been consumed by the glory and holiness of God if he was to see it in it’s fullness.
A call unto holiness
The theme of holiness is central to the Scriptures. God did not change. He has called His people unto holiness under the Old Covenant and He calls His New Covenant people to the same level of holiness. The only difference lies in the method of access.
You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy. (Lev 11:45)
but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.” (1 Pet 1:15-16)
Under the Old Covenant, the Israelites had to obey the Torah. Remember that the Torah, the law, was a complete unit. The moment when one of the laws were broken, the Torah was broken. Should man be able to obey the complete Torah, it would’ve made him holy. Let’s go back to our example of the sun and the heat resistant suit. Imagine a perfect suit with no holes where the heat of the sun couldn’t penetrate. This represents a person who managed to obey the whole Torah all the time. But the moment when a small gap or hole is made, the suit is no longer heat resistant. The heat will be able to enter through the hole and consume the person. This is when man has disobeyd one of the laws within the Torah. Man is now no longer holy and cannot draw close.
The impossibility of the solution under the Old Covenant adds an extra layer of thankfulness for the Blood of the Lamb. It is the only way that we can draw close to the Father. It’s the perfect heat resistant suit. That is why we can come boldly before the throne of grace. It’s our only boast – the Blood of Jesus Christ, the Messiah, Son of God. Christians make light of this truth and is almost reckless in their approaching God. If it wasn’t for the Blood and the Body, the signs of the New Covenant, we would never be able to draw near expect by keeping the complete Torah all the time.
Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, (Heb 10:19-20)
The beauty of holiness
There lies a deep beauty in the holiness of the Lord. For those that dwell in Him, the beauty touches deep within our spirit and we long for it. We yearn for the holiness of the Holy One of Israel. When we’ve come to love and appreciate the beauty of holiness, everything unholy will be inferior. Then we will chase after sanctification out of our love for Him. We read in Hebrews 12 verse 14 the following:
Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord
Two verses earlier we find one of the recipes for holiness: chastisement and discipline. It is these principles that are referred to in Song of Songs chapter 1 verse 11 where God will make the bride of Christ jewellery of gold and silver. We can work together with the Holy Spirit and yearn for holiness. Then the jewellery making process will be much easier than when we resist and stronger equipment must be used to set each jewel in its place.
For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. (Heb 12:10)
Sanctification
Sanctification is the process of making us holy. And we need holiness to be able to see God. Holiness is not optional. We are predestined for it, even from the foundation of the world. It is extremely serious and there are so many in the church that reduces holiness to something unconfortable and optional.
just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love (Eph 1:4)
While I was praying for deeper revelation about the passage in Song of Songs 1 verse 11 that deals with the jewellery making, I heard these words in my spirit:
“Holiness is the reward for those that are willing to go through the treatment with myrrh”
Part of the preparation that Esther had to go through, included a six month long treatment with myrrh before the perfume and beauty treatments could commence. In this we find a pattern and order of events. Listen to what the Holy Spirit said. Sanctification is not a punishment of just something difficult that we have to endure. The end result, holiness, is a reward. The reward is already in this life where we can gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and be satisfied with His holiness.
Blessed is the one whom You choose and bring near to dwell in Your courts. We will be filled with the goodness of Your house, Your holy temple. (Ps 65:4)
