HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD Today we are going to talk about

HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD 

Today we are going to talk about the theme Holiness unto the Lord. After the Israelites were freed from Egypt, God didn’t just want them to be free—He wanted them to become a holy people. And that brings us to an important question: What does it really mean to be holy?

Many times we think being holy means being perfect or never making mistakes, but in these chapters, God teaches that holiness is a process. It is a path where we are cleansed, we change, and we draw closer to Him. It’s not something that happens overnight—it’s something lived little by little. And everything we’re going to see today points to one person, and that person is Jesus Christ.

Now, in Exodus 35 through 40, God commands Israel to build the tabernacle. This was not just a place to worship—it was a symbolic representation of the path back to God. We can see it this way: outside the tabernacle represents the world, the altar represents sacrifice, the laver represents cleansing, the Holy Place represents daily life with God, and the Most Holy Place represents the presence of God. God was teaching step by step how to return to His presence. When we read, “and let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them,” we see that God didn’t want distance—He wanted closeness. God didn’t just bring them out of Egypt; He was teaching them how to come back to Him.

When we enter Leviticus, we see many sacrifices, and if we’re honest, sometimes this can feel strange or repetitive. But these sacrifices were not empty rituals—they were symbols pointing directly to Jesus Christ. The sacrifice had to be without blemish, clean, perfect. Why? Because it represented perfection. And there is only one who was truly perfect—Jesus Christ. When John says, “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world,” he is connecting all of this. Every sacrifice the people performed was preparing them to understand the Savior. They didn’t fully understand it at the time, but God was teaching them through symbols.

Now we connect this to the Passover in Exodus 12. God commands them to take a lamb without blemish, sacrifice it, and place its blood on the door. They used a plant called hyssop to apply the blood to the doorposts and lintel. And when death passed through Egypt, it passed over the houses that were covered with that blood. And here is the powerful truth: the Israelites were not saved because they were perfect—they were not saved because they didn’t make mistakes—they were saved because they were covered. The blood of the lamb was the sign, and that sign was enough for death not to enter. So the question is: how does this connect to Jesus Christ?

Let’s talk about hyssop. Hyssop was a simple plant used as a tool, like a brush, to apply the blood. It was also used in purification rituals, which is why the scriptures say, “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean.” Hyssop didn’t have power by itself, but it became a symbol of cleansing. And this teaches us something very important: it’s not enough that the blood exists—it has to be applied. The lamb could die, but if the blood wasn’t applied to the door, there was no protection. In the same way, Christ has already shed His blood, but we must apply it in our lives through repentance, obedience, and covenants.

Now we see something very interesting in the New Testament. Six days before the Passover, Mary anoints the feet of Jesus with costly perfume. Then, shortly before His death, another woman anoints His head. Jesus Himself says this was preparation for His burial. This is important because it teaches us that Christ was not an accidental victim. He was not surprised by what was going to happen. He was prepared, He knew, and He accepted that sacrifice. Although we do not teach as doctrine that the Passover lamb was anointed this way, we do see a symbolic parallel in Christ. His feet were anointed, His head was anointed, and He was being prepared for the greatest sacrifice of all.

Now we return to hyssop, but this time at the cross. When Jesus is on the cross and says, “I thirst,” they take a sponge with vinegar, put it on hyssop, and lift it to His mouth. That detail is not accidental. In the Passover, hyssop touched the blood of the lamb that saved from physical death. At the cross, hyssop appears again when the true Lamb of God is shedding His blood. This connects both moments directly. In Egypt, the blood of the lamb protected from physical death. At the cross, the blood of Christ saves us from spiritual death. It is not coincidence—it is fulfillment.

Now we look at the Day of Atonement in Leviticus 16. Once a year, there were two goats. One was sacrificed, and the other carried the sins of the people and was sent into the wilderness. This teaches two things about Christ. First, Christ dies for our sins. Second, Christ not only forgives sin, but He removes it. Many times we think God forgives us, but we still carry guilt. But this symbol teaches that sin can be completely removed. We are not only forgiven—we can be cleansed and freed from that burden.

Inside the tabernacle there was a veil that separated man from the presence of God. Only the high priest could enter, and only at certain times. This represented the separation between God and man. But when Christ dies, the veil is torn. That means access is now open. There is no longer that barrier. Through Jesus Christ, we can approach the Father. Christ not only forgives us—He opens the way. And that’s why when we read “be holy,” it does not mean pretending to be perfect. It means changing, growing, repenting, and allowing Christ to transform us. Holiness is not an act—it is a real transformation.

And we end with this. Today we saw that the tabernacle is a path back to God, that the sacrifices point to Jesus Christ, that the Passover teaches us we are saved by the blood of the Lamb, that hyssop connects the Passover to the cross, that Christ was prepared through anointing, that the Day of Atonement teaches that He not only forgives but removes sin, and that the veil was torn because He opened the way back to the Father.

We are not saved because we are perfect—we are saved because we are covered by the blood of Jesus Christ.

And the final question is this:

What can you do this week to come closer to Christ and allow Him to make you more holy?

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