Divine Holiness and Divine Justice

Among those who approach me I will show myself holy; in the sight of all the people I will be honored. [Lev. 10:3]

God consecrated Nadab and Abihu as priests to assist their father Aaron, but for some reason they offered “strange fire” before the Lord. We don’t know for certain what this meant, but we do know that “fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord” (Lev. 10:2). Aaron must have been devastated by the loss of two sons. Moses had to remind Aaron of what God had said (Lev. 10:3), and Aaron held his peace.

Another biblical story that shows the frightening holiness of God is found in 2 Samuel 6, the story of Uzzah the Kohathite. The ark, God’s earthly throne, was transported to Jerusalem in great celebration on an oxcart with the Kohathite priests walking alongside. Suddenly one of the oxen stumbled, and the cart began to teeter. It appeared the ark of God might slide into the mud and be desecrated. Instinctively, Uzzah reached out to steady it.

As Uzzah touched the holy ark, God struck him dead. While this may seem out of character for God, we can understand if we look at the history of the Kohathites. They were part of the tribe of Levi, set apart to be responsible for the priesthood and other religious duties. The particular task of the family of Kohath among the Levites was to take care of the sacred vessels. One of the rules drilled into them from childhood was never, ever, to touch the throne of God. God had said, “If you touch it, you die” (Num. 4:15).

What was Uzzah’s sin? He assumed that his hands were less polluted than the ground, that it would be better to touch the ark than for it to come into contact with the ground. But there is nothing defiling about the earth. It was the hand of man that God did not want touching his throne. Uzzah broke the law of God, and God justly took his life.

Coram Deo
God’s justice demands the death of each sinner. As he did with Uzzah, God could already have required this of you for any of innumerable sins. To ensure that you understand and can rightly distinguish justice from mercy, define both words according to their biblical meaning. Consider, with gratitude, how long-suffering God must be.

For further study: Genesis 18:22–25; Deuteronomy 32:1–4; Acts 5:1–11; Acts 10:34–35; 2 Timothy 4:6–8

Sproul, R. (2000, c1992). Vol. 1: Before the face of God : Book One: A daily guide for living from the book of Romans. Includes indexes. (electronic ed.). Logos Library System; Before the Face of God. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House; Ligonier Ministries.

Creation

Everything in time and space had a beginning. I had a beginning; you had a beginning. The houses we live in had a beginning. The clothes we wear had a beginning. There was a time when our houses, our clothes, cars, washing machines, and ourselves, did not exist. They were not. Nothing could be more obvious.

Because we are surrounded by things and by people that obviously had a beginning, we are tempted to jump to the conclusion that everything had a beginning. Such a conclusion, however, would be a fatal leap into the abyss of absurdity. It would be fatal to religion. It would also be fatal to science and to reason.

Why? Did I not say that everything in time and space had a beginning? Isn’t that the same thing as saying simply that everything had a beginning? By no means. It is simply logically and scientifically impossible that everything had a beginning. Why? If everything that exits once had a beginning, then there had to be a time when nothing existed.

Stop for a moment to reflect. Try to imagine nothing existing. Absolutely nothing. We can’t even conceive of absolute nothingness. The very concept is merely the negation of something.

Sanctified by Faith that is in Me (Acts 26:18).

A Sermon by Charles Hodge: Taken from Princeton Sermons [April 7, 1867]

In this verse the words “by faith” do not qualify the preceding clause, but indicate the means by which the inheritance among the sanctified is to be obtained. Nevertheless as we are sanctified by faith, and as that is the subject intended for consideration, it may be best to consider the passage as teaching that doctrine.

1. What is sanctification.
2. How it is by faith. This latter includes two points: first, what is here meant by faith; and, second, how sanctification is by faith.

I. Sanctification morally, is cleansing, a cleansing from sin.

And as sin includes guilt and pollution, sanctification includes both The sanctified are those whose sins are pardoned, and whose souls are renewed.

Sanctification, therefore, includes far more than moral reformation. It includes the removal of guilt by expiation, or satisfaction of justice, and the renovation of the whole soul after the image of God. It is a radical change of nature, involving the death or crucifixion of the old man and the putting on the new man, which is renewed after the image of God, in knowledge, righteousness and holiness.

II. The faith here intended is not,

1. A mere belief that God is, that we are his creatures, dependent upon him, and accountable to him. It is not faith in the great principles of religion and morals.
2. Neither in it simply faith in the Scriptures.
3. Nor faith in the fact that Jesus is the Messiah. But it is;
   1. Faith of which Christ is the specific object.
   2. Which includes belief of the record which God has given of his Son, viz. that he is all that he is set forth in the Scriptures as being, God manifest in the flesh, the Savior of men, the prophet, priest and king of his people. And this faith is not a mere conviction of the understanding, not a speculative, heretical or moral faith, but a conviction founded on the demonstration of the Spirit.
   3. It is not only this assent to the truth but confidence in Christ, reliance upon him as a teacher, as an atoning priest, and as an Almighty ruler, full of grace and truth.

Heaven’s Favorites

And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him.
-Hebrews 12:5

Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus (John 11:5). They were three of His special favorites, and thus He sent them an extraordinary trial (John 11:1). When a dealer in precious gems finds a stone of  minimum value, little time is spent cutting it. But when a rare diamond is found, that stone will be cut, and cut, and cut again. When the Lord finds a saint whom He loves much, He may spare others trial and trouble but not this one, His well–beloved. The more Jesus loves you, the more of the rod you will feel (Heb. 12:5–6). It is painful to be a favorite of heaven, but seek it and rejoice in it.

Being in the King’s council–chamber involves such work for faith that flesh and blood might cringe from the painful blessing. If a gardener gets an inferior tree, he lets it grow wild and takes whatever fruit it produces. But if the tree is exceptional, he will want every branch in its proper place, and he will cut here and cut there because this produces more fruit. The gardener leaves nothing on the tree that would be detrimental.

You who are God’s favorites must not be astonished when trials appear. Rather keep your door wide open, and when trials come say, “Welcome messenger of the King! The sound of your Master’s feet is behind you. You are welcome, for my Master has sent you.”

Spurgeon, C. H., & Clarke, R. H. (1999). Beside still waters : Words of comfort for the soul. Includes index. (316). Nashville, Tenn.: T. Nelson Publishers.

The Justice of God

Justice is a word we hear every day. We use it in personal relationships, in social conventions, with respect to legislation, and to the verdicts rendered in court. As commonplace as the word is, it has perplexed philosophers who seek an adequate definition of it.

Sometimes we link or equate justice with what is earned or deserved. We speak of people getting their just deserts in terms of rewards or punishments. But rewards are not always based upon merit. Suppose we hold a beauty contest and declare that a prize will be awarded to the person deemed most beautiful. If the “beauty” wins the prize, it is not because there is something meritorious in being beautiful. Rather, justice is served when the most beautiful contestant is rightfully awarded the prize. If the judges vote for someone they do not deem the most beautiful (for political reasons or because they are bribed) then the outcome of the contest will be unjust.

For reasons such as the above, Aristotle defined justice as “giving a person what is his or her due.” What is “due” may be determined by ethical obligation or by some prior agreement. If a person is punished more severely than his crime deserves, the punishment is unjust. If a person receives a lesser reward than she has earned, then the reward is not just.