..."and a highway shall be there, and it shall be called the way of holiness; evil minded people shall not travel on it, but it shall be for those wayfarers who are traveling toward God. (Isaiah 35:8, adapted)



Saturday, January 24, 2009

Devotions From the Heart: Do You Know the Holy?

by Derek Gitsham


"I neither learned wisdom, nor have
the knowledge of the holy." Proverbs 30:3


The tabernacle that God instituted in Israel
for His dwelling place among them was a
wonderful picture of the heavenly. Referring
to the blood of Christ in Hebrews 9:23 the
apostle says, “it was therefore necessary
that the patterns of things in the heavens
should be purified with these, (the blood of
bulls and goats) but the heavenly things
themselves with better sacrifices then these
(the blood of Christ).”

The tabernacle was called a worldly sanctuary.
“For there was the first tabernacle made; the
first wherein was the candlestick, and the
table and the showbread, which is called the
sanctuary. And after the second veil, the
tabernacle which is called the Holiest of
all.” (Hebrews 9:1-3). It was the “Holiest of all”
because God came down and sat upon the mercy
seat, which was upon the ark of the covenant.
It could not be entered into by any other
than the High Priest once a year, not without
blood (Hebrews 9:7).

While that covenant remained and the
tabernacle, the Holy Ghost was saying that
the way into the Holiest of all was not yet
made manifest, because the first tabernacle
was still standing. After the death of Jesus,
the price and penalty for sin having been paid,
and Jesus having ascended up to heaven with
His blood, cleansing (purging) the things in
heaven, sat down on the right hand of God,
sent the Holy Ghost down from heaven on the
Day of Pentecost. He is the knowledge of the Holy.

It was the Holy Ghost that was going to confirm
now that the way into the Holiest was now open,
as the Hebrew writer says (Hebrews 10:19):
“Having therefore, brethren, boldness (liberty)
to enter into the holiest by (in) the blood of
Jesus.” The new covenant has opened the way into
the Holiest. Now God’s people may have the
knowledge of the Holy. Now we have no excuses,
the knowledge of the Holy has been made manifest.
What a wonder for the saint to enter the Holiest
of all! We are made holy by His sacrifice, we
are not going to be saints, we are saints. We
are sanctified, made holy, by His power.

Paul describes the Corinthians, in the first
epistle, as being many things before they met
the Lord. But then he says, “Such were some of
you, but ye are washed (regenerated), sanctified,
but ye are justified, in the name of Lord Jesus
and by the Spirit of God. This is the knowledge
of the Holy, being made holy! How are we made
holy and sanctified? By faith in Him (Acts 26:18b).
Oh, that God may give us more of the knowledge
of the Holy. The way is open.

2 comments:

Andrew said...

Derek has touched me deeply over the years; does he still have a church in America?

The Pen of The Wayfarer said...

Hi Andrew, please contact me directly at penofthewayfarer@yahoo.com
God bless,
Rose-Marie