HOLY THINGS by W. N. G.

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Sep 30, 1897

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 23, No. 38.

HOLY THINGS.

By W. N. G.

"As HE which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy." 1 Peter 1:15, 16. The apostle gives this instruction "because it is written" in the Word of God. Where is it written?—In Lev. 11:44, 45. Thus he sends us for instruction to the same source whence the literal Israel were instructed.

Then the apostle goes on to describe the exalted position of those who "have tasted that the Lord is gracious." To such he says, "Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ." 1 Peter 2:5. Again he says, "Ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light." Verse 9.

For an example of holiness the apostle points us to Christ: "For even hereunto were ye called; because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps; who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth." Verses 21, 22.

The Sabbath Is Holy.—"And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it; because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made." Gen. 2:2, 3. Now when God sanctified the seventh day he made it holy. Some weeks before the Israelites came to Sinai, Moses reminded them on the sixth day that "to-morrow is the rest of the holy Sabbath unto the Lord." Through centuries of Egyptian slavery and consequent darkness, the law of God had become well-nigh obliterated from their minds. And when they came to Sinai, the Lord repeated the law to them by his own voice, wrote it upon tables of stone, and otherwise provided for its being continually taught to the people. In this law there is the command to "remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy." Again, in Isa. 58:13, God calls the Sabbath "my holy day."

Holiness of the Sanctuary.—The first apartment of the sanctuary was called the "holy place," and the second apartment was called the "most holy." Everything about the sanctuary was holy; the high priest had to wear holy garments in his ministrations, and certain persons were sanctified or set apart for all the various duties. Nadab and Abihu were stricken dead because they used common fire in their censors to burn incense. Lev. 10:1, 2. To be brief on this point, and yet comprehensive, it is only necessary to show that Israel was given into the hands of her enemies because of the defilement of the sanctuary. Eze. 5:11 is sufficient for this purpose: "Wherefore, as I live, saith the Lord God: Surely, because thou hast defiled my sanctuary with all thy detestable things, and with all thine abominations, therefore will I also diminish thee; neither shall mine eye spare, neither will I have any pity."

This carefulness in regard to the sanctuary typifies the care that should be exercised in building up the church of Christ. "Know ye

not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are." 1 Cor. 3:16, 17. Again, in the same epistle, the holiness of the sanctuary is applied to the individual Christian. "What! know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?" Chapter 6:19.

The Tithe Is Holy.—"And all the tithe of the land, whether the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord's; it is holy unto the Lord." Lev. 27:30. The Lord would have us recognize that all we have comes from him. From him cometh "every good gift and every perfect gift." James 1:17. "He giveth to all life, and breath, and all things." Acts 17:25. "Of him, and through him, and to him, are all things." Rom. 11:36. But he would have us acknowledge him in a practical way, not merely in the formality of words, but in the reality of deeds. "Faith without works is dead."

All the faithful patriarchs mentioned in Hebrews 11 demonstrated their faith by practical works. God has set his seal of sanctity upon the tithe of all our income. He has given us all, and requires a return of one-tenth as a pledge of our recognition of that fact. Our profession of such recognition is nothing without the required substantial proof. Moreover, God has pronounced a curse upon the one who withholds the tithe, that which is holy, and has pronounced a blessing upon him who is faithful in this duty.

It is well to note the similarity between the Lord's regard for the holiness of the Sabbath and that of the tithe. We will set them side by side:—

THE SABBATH.

"If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable; and shalt honor him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words; then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father; for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it." Isa. 58:13, 14.

THE TITHE.

"Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse; for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it." Mal. 3:8-10.

Thus it seems clear from the Word of God that it is his pleasure that we defile not the sanctuary, which is holy; that we keep from desecrating his Sabbath day, which is holy, and that we faithfully return to him the tithe of the substance we receive from him, which he has also declared to be holy. Also, that we be ourselves holy, because he is holy. Nor has he set one of these duties above the other. No one has a right to use as common that which God has sanctified, or made holy.