Early in my ministry years a mentor invited me to regularly read cover-to-cover through the Bible. Thirty years later I find myself grateful that I have taken his advice to heart.
This year, in reading through the Message, I stumbled across this gem, “soaked in holiness,” in Exodus 29. Moses recounts the story of how God was forging a new nation. The raw material of this new entity came from an extended family of two million slaves who had endured four centuries of brutal oppression. This new nation required extraordinary leadership by ordinary people. God wasn’t asking the leaders to be perfect; he was requiring them to be holy. The phrase “soaked in holiness” appears when Aaron and his sons are being ordained to serve the people, and a new altar is being consecrated for seven days. “The Altar will become soaked in holiness–anyone who so much as touches the Altar will become holy.”
Holiness does not mean perfect or prudish or self-righteous or standoffish. Holiness means set apart for special use.
The idea of being soaked in holiness complements well the new testament’s exhortations for saints–people set apart to God–to walk in and be filled with God’s Spirit.
Lord Jesus, would you make me, as your disciple, a man soaked in your holiness? Not a man dripping in my goodness or competence or self-righteousness. I repent of all attitudes and actions that get in the way of my life being set apart to you. Amen.
How about you? Are you a leader soaked in holiness?
4 replies on “Soaked in Holiness?”
Well said, Ken. Love the imagery!
This is hard. Sermon today from Galatians 5:25-6:11 talked about how keeping in step with the Spirit is the opposite of being conceited. Dripping in your own goodness and rightness is much easier to do – and much less effective – than being soaked in real holiness like this.
Thank you.
Well said, Travis. Thank you.