The Sacred and the Profane

 

Since only God is holy, He is the ultimate standard of holiness.  He has given the Holy Bible to teach us about His holiness and our sinfulness- and ultimately our need for a Savior.  Admittedly, this is a hard lesson to learn, especially when you consider we have a sin sick heart (Ro 3:23) Holiness is particularly hard to understand given the deceptiveness and duplicity of our very nature (Jer 17:9-10; James 4:8; Ps 86:11)

 And yet, the book of Leviticus is an instruction manual on holiness…

 ‘For I am the LORD who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your God; thus you shall be holy, for I am holy.’ ” (Le 11:45)

Leviticus is built around a simple but profound structure- "do this, don't do that."  One verse gives the clue we need for proper interpretation…

The LORD then spoke to Aaron, saying, “Do not drink wine or strong drink, neither you nor your sons with you, when you come into the tent of meeting, so that you will not die—it is a perpetual statute throughout your generations— and so as to make a distinction between the holy and the profane, and between the unclean and the clean, and so as to teach the sons of Israel all the statutes which the LORD has spoken to them through Moses.” (Le 10:8-11)

 The term "holy" originates from the Old English word "halig," which means "whole" or "uninjured." It conveys a sense of being set apart, sacred, and dedicated to a divine purpose. "Holy" refers to something that is considered pure, worthy of reverence, or associated with God.

The term "profane" originally comes from the Latin word "profanus," which means "outside the temple" or "not sacred." In its earliest use, it referred to something that was secular or non-religious, often contrasting with what was considered holy or sacred.

 So, Leviticus teaches holiness by comparing what is holy to what is common.  God's people must learn to make a "distinction" between what is sacred and what is profane. The prophet Ezekiel spoke against the priests of his day on this very issue. Speaking through Ezekiel, God said, “Her priests have done violence to My law and have profaned My holy things; they have made no distinction between the holy and the profane, and they have not taught the difference between the unclean and the clean; and they hide their eyes from My sabbaths, and I am profaned among them. (Eze 22:26; also, Eze 44:23)

I have been trying to reflect on this issue lately.  What are some examples of mixing the sacred with the profane?  There are many.  Profane or common things are not necessarily evil, but we must understand the distinction between them.  They have no place being intermingled with what is by nature more holy. I was asking my thirteen-year-old grandson to help me think of some.  We thought of someone who might make a loud burp in the middle of a prayer meeting.  There is nothing evil about a burp, but it could disrupt a solemn moment of prayer.  And many other examples come to mind, like blasphemous images in some modern art.  Also, the television is filled with profanity.  This week I saw the holy eucharist being mocked by a woman serving a Dorito chip as through serving communion.  I'm sure you can think of many more examples.  Our culture is lacking any sense of the sacred.  Like they say, "Nothing is sacred, anymore."

As Christians we must do something about this.  We cannot simply float along in the cultural current of our day.  We must make it a habit of seeking to understand what the Lord means when He says, "you shall be holy, for I am holy."  The Apostle Peter put it this way in 1 Peter 1:14-16…

As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, “YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.”

Of course, the entire Bible teaches us much about God's holiness.  But I would like to suggest we meditate on the person of Christ.  Consider these verses:

For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, WHO COMMITTED NO SIN, NOR WAS ANY DECEIT FOUND IN HIS MOUTH; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls. (1 Pet 2:21-25)

Also Acts 3:14; Heb 4:15; 7:26; 1 John 3:5

Remember, "you shall be holy, for I am holy." 

 

All passages in this post were taken from The New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995).