Holiness: First Fruits

The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof,
the world and those who dwell therein,

-- Psalm 24:1

In Deuteronomy 6 we are told to love the LORD our God with all our heart, all our soul, and all our "might". That last word there, "might", has been interpreted by some to mean "possessions" (that is actually how it is rendered in the Targums). Which raises the question, How do you love God with your possessions?

The first thing that may come to mind is the tithe. There's actually a couple different tithes in Scripture, but they're all centered around the same two principles: the first fruits of our labor belong to God, and it is our responsibility to take care of the poor in our midst. But it doesn't stop there.

The tithe follows the same pattern as other things we have discussed. You set apart a portion as holy, not so that you can leave the rest as common but so that the whole thing might become elevated through the holy portion (Rom. 11:16). The fact is (as the Scripture above indicates) God owns everything. Your house, your money, your fields, your car--they are all on loan from God. And He has the right to remove these things from you at any time. We are simply servants whom God has entrusted with His creation.

The parable of the talents comes to mind. Three servants were each entrusted with a portion of their master's money and told to invest it. That is how it is with us. The question is will we be like the first two servants who invested their master's money wisely or like the third servant who hid it in the ground?

I like how the English word "talent" actually has two meanings. The one meant here, of course, is currency. But I think the other meaning--our skills and abilities--can apply as well. After all, we belong to God ourselves. Our talents, our skills, they all come from God. We have a responsibility to use those to His glory.

Think about what God has given you, about what He has entrusted you with. From you money to your talents to the fruit of your labor--how are you using these gifts to bless others and bring glory to God? If the task seems overwhelming, just start with the tithe and let it spread from there.

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Holiness: Words

With [our tongue] we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God....my brothers these things ought not to be so. -- James 3:9

"Words have power." We've heard it a million times. "Guard your tongue." So the preachers tell us over and over again. "Do not speak evil of others." We know it's wrong to gossip and slander (called "lashon hara" in Hebrew). Yet, our tongues slip so easily. And then there's all the noise, the words that mean nothing but take up space.

Last fall I wrote about perspective, how our focus steers the way we act. This is closely related to words. James tells us that the tongue is like the rudder of the ship. The way we speak affects the way we see things. The words you say become what you believe. When you speak negatively, your attitude becomes negative. But when you speak words of love, when you pray for your enemies, when you bless God who gives and takes away--your focus turns toward those things. Prayer is an amazing tool that we have been given to help us with this.

There's another tradition I've found helpful. The Jewish people have a tradition to say at least one hundred blessings a day. Now, I can't say that I make to one hundred each day, but I have found it helpful to say a quick blessing here and there. Look around you--there are so many things to bless God for. His daily provision, His wonderful creation, His loving discipline, His abundant grace. And when things don't go so well, bless our Redeemer who will one day make all things new.

Bless God for the people around you and pray for them. Bless and do not curse. Bless God who created you, who carefully formed your body and your mind and your spirit, who planted in you dreams and equipped you with talent. You bear the signature of divine, so do not degrade yourself. Bless and do not curse.

Think about how you use your words this week.


*As a side note, Jewish tradition connects leprosy to the sin of lashon hara (as when Miriam spoke against Moses and became leprous). Leprosy was considered the outward sign of the "uncleanness" that Yeshua spoke of in Matthew 15:18.

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Holiness: Purity

Well, this is what I originally intended to write about this week: purity. My brain just decided to break down a few days ago and write something else instead.

Let's start with the tzitzit. These blue fringes that God commands us in Torah to wear are traditionally made out of a wool/linen mixture--a mixture forbidden in any garment except that worn by the high priest. So, to me it's kinda like a small piece of the priesthood that we are given to wear. Just as the sons of Aaron were given as priests to Israel, we are like priests to the world--ambassadors of God, teaching His ways and leading the people to worship our King.

Another interesting fact about tzitzit is that the Hebrew word for "blue" (Techillot) is actually related to the Hebrew word for "bride" (Challah). And the language used in the commandment (Num. 5:38-40) echoes of remaining faithful to the marriage covenant between Israel and God. So, you could think of the tzitzit as a type of wedding ring.

In this light, I see the blue fringes as a reminder that we are to remain pure and faithful to our God just as a bride to her husband. Just as the priests were held to a higher standard of purity so that they could minister to the people, we must maintain a higher standard of purity so that we can minister before the nations. That means keeping ourselves pure from idols. That means guarding our eyes and our ears. That means guarding our hearts and keeping purity a priority in our friendships. We are not our own; we belong to God.

Do you wear tzitzit? What do they mean to you?

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Holiness: Fringes

I should have started here. It seems like such a small commandment. Put fringes on your garments. Let the thread of blue remind you of the commandments. Yet, within those blue fringes is where I see the beginnings of holiness. 

He doesn't say make whole garments out of blue. Just one thread. One tiny thread that makes the whole garment holy.

I'm listening to the radio today, hearing Brant talk about the Boston marathon explosion that just happened. Two explosions near the end of the finish line resulting in at least two deaths and dozens of injuries. And I'm tempted to just throw in the towel and let the whole world burn. I hear so much of this, the wickedness in the earth. The brokenness of the human race. I've become numb to it.

Brant pulled this quote from Mr. Rogers:

When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, "Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.”

God says tie a thread of blue onto the four corners of your garments. Four--as in the four corners of the earth. There is a thread of blue in the corners of the globe. A single thread of holiness and love, the mark of the people of God. And this is where we are told to look. This is who we are instructed to be. The helpers, the healers of the world.

The world is broken. It has been broken and torn for six thousand years. This is where we live. So, I tie a string to my garment to remind me of who I am--servant of the Most High God, child of the One True King. And when I look at that thread of blue, I remember to look for the fingerprints of God in this world and to be His hands and feet. Because wherever you look, if you look hard enough, you will find the helpers. And just maybe He will give you and me the chance to be helpers too. All He asks for is one small thread.

This week, my challenge is to look at life as one large tapestry and find one place to weave in a thread of holiness.

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Holiness: Gates

You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

-- Deuteronomy 6:9

After living in my apartment for half a year, I finally bought a mezuzah and affixed it to the doorway. For those who don't know, a mezuzah is a parchment of Scripture contained within a decorative case. It is the traditional way of fulfilling the commandment above, to "write these words upon the doorposts of your house." Others may interpret this command more metaphorically (which I think is fair), but I want to show you why I think the traditional interpretation has benefit.

First of all, I do think the metaphorical (or "spiritual" if you prefer) meaning is at the heart of the commandment. Our homes are to be set apart to God through His commandments. In a world where darkness and sin pervade, our homes are one place that we can exercise some control over. It is up to us to decide what comes in and what goes out of our dwellings. We are to guard the "gates" from any uncleanness that might threaten the sanctity of our home.

The physical mezuzah, for me, serves as a reminder. It is all too easy to walk in and out and totally forget the distinction between the holy and the profane. As we try to get on with our hectic lives, everything starts to blend together. But, every time I walk through my doorway and touch the mezuzah, I remember Who my Protector is--the One who guards me physically and spiritually both inside and outside the home. I'm not going to tell you that hanging a mezuzah on your doorpost is a commandment, but I would encourage you to consider it as something that may help you in your walk.

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Let's take a deeper look at this commandment. We are told to write words of Torah upon the doorpost and gateways of our house. Where are the gateways and how do we guard them?

The most obvious gateway would be the door to your home. This is where you walk in and out everyday. This is where guests enter and leave and where you bring in your "stuff" from the store. A lot can pass through this gateway on a daily basis. When a friend or neighbor comes over, they leave their baggage at the door. Your home is set apart by the Torah; unclean spirits are not welcome. When you walk out, you walk out as an ambassador for Messiah. A gateway is two-way, you guard what comes in so that love and holiness may flow out.

There are other gateways that may not be quite as apparent. Television, internet, and phones all serve as gateways into the home. What is entering your home through these avenues? How can you affix words of Torah to these doorways? Just some questions to think about. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Anyway, I've rambled long enough on this topic. How do you set apart your home?

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Holiness: Prayer

You shall speak of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way, when you lie down and when you rise up. -- Deut. 6:7

Time has always fascinated me. The way it speeds up and slows down. How we choose to spend each of the twenty-four hours we are allotted each day. The way no matter how hard you try to hold onto a moment, it always slips away. And I wonder, how does God see time?

I like to imagine time spread out like the universe full of stars--moments in time that shine with the light of eternity. Life is full of these sparks, the little things that make life worth living. But too often we miss them. An opportunity to do a good deed, a moment of beauty, they simply pass us by as we go about our busy lives. That's where prayer comes in, I think.

The verse quoted above is traditionally understood to be a commandment to recite the Shema in the morning and the evening. I take it as a calling to set apart time with prayer. At the beginning of the day and at the end, in our work and in our rest, our eyes should be turned to our Father in heaven.

When you lie down and when you rise up

I've been trying to set apart some time every morning and every evening for prayer and reflection. I'm not perfect at this by any means and often miss this time (especially in the evening). This week I want to add a small element to my daily prayers.

In the morning: "What can I do to bring out the holiness of today?"
God has hidden opportunities everywhere for us to fulfill a mitzvah, to encourage a friend, to create something beautiful. These are the things that set apart time, that raise it up above the mundane. Ask God to show you those opportunities and to give you the courage to act on them.

In the evening: "What has God revealed to me today of His holiness?"
How has God showed you His love, His beauty, His glory today? Reflect on these things and thank our God for His infinite goodness.

When you sit in your house and when you walk by the way

Prayer sets our focus for the day, but we cannot relegate God to our "prayer time." His presence is with us always in our work and in our rest. I'll touch on this more later as I want to talk about Sabbath in a separate post (this one is already getting quite long).  But for now, think about how you use your time, working and resting. Where are the sparks of holiness in your work and in your rest? Where have you sown seeds and where have they born fruit?

Sparks of Time

There's one more thing I want to touch on, something God showed me in my reading this morning. I think it's relevant because it touches on my tendency to obsess about using time "efficiently." In Mark 14, there is a woman who pours a flask of costly ointment over the head of Yeshua. The disciples complain that she could have sold it and given the money to the poor--she could have been more efficient in her work. As if God's work depended on us. Really, we can give nothing back to God (for it is all His already). Rather, He gives us opportunities to play a part in His story. Yeshua said to the disciples, "She has done what she could"--she found a spark in time and acted upon it. So, don't worry about being inefficient or not good enough. Just do what you can and thank God for the opportunities He has given you to perform a good deed.


There is so much more that could be said about prayer, so much that I've learned over the last several years. And yet, still I feel that I am only scratching the surface. Still, it is important to never forget what prayer is at it's core--a connection between man and God.

What are your thoughts on prayer?

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Holiness Challenge

Today is First Fruits and the beginning of the counting of the omer--fifty days that lead up from First Fruits to Shavuot (Pentecost). We are commanded to mark each of these days as we count toward the offering of first fruits of wheat. Traditionally, this is considered a time of preparation and spiritual growth, culminating with the giving of the Torah and the Holy Spirit at Shavuot.

One of the things I've been studying recently is holiness. So, I've decided to take these fifty days as a sort of "holiness challenge." I've divided these this out so that each week would correspond with certain "holiness" commandments. My hope is that this will not only help cultivate holiness, but also bring out some understanding of those commandments that are often regarded as purely "ceremonial." Things like kosher and tzitzit and Sabbath--I believe these are not only symbols, but practical boundary markers set in place to help us maintain a standard of holiness.

That being said, I don't claim this to be the best way to divide up holiness and I am almost certainly leaving something out. Nor is my understanding of holiness perfect. But I hope that this is a start in the right direction. You are welcome to join me on this adventure. I'm going to try to post something to the blog each week--I'd love to hear your thoughts as well. After all, challenging and encouraging each other helps us to grow. At any rate, I hope that this will be a season of spiritual growth and learning for all of us--growing closer to our Father and learning His ways as we prepare to receive His Spirit. The chase is on.


Week 1: Time (Sabbath & Prayer)
--focus your day with prayer
--six days of work, seventh day is a Shabbat

Week 2: Home (Mezuzah)
--let nothing unclean enter your gates

Week 3: Relationships (Tzitzit)
--know who you are
--conduct yourself with purity

Week 4: Tongue (Blessings / Leprosy)
--let your mouth and your deeds speak only blessings

Week 5: Possessions (Tithe)
--set apart the first part of everything God has given you

Week 6: Friendships (Kosher)
--maintain proper boundaries in friendship

Week 7: Selflessness (Light)
--do unto others as you would have them do unto you