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Pastor's Blog May 9, 2019
"Holiness to the Lord"
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God's holiness is sometimes easy and clear to understand, but sometimes it can be difficult to comprehend. Isaiah 23:18 is one of the more difficult passages on holiness: "And her merchandise and her hire shall be holiness to the Lord: it shall not be treasured nor laid up; for her merchandise shall be for them that dwell before the Lord, to eat sufficiently, and for durable clothing" (KJV).
Most of Isaiah 23 is taken up with a call to "wail for Tyre." In many ways, Tyre believed itself to be a "king-maker," since most of its leaders were ruling elite and several of its traders and merchants were world-renowned. But God tells Tyre it will no longer be an island kingdom that dominates the sea, but instead will have to learn from the Egyptians (and other conquered peoples) to find a new way of life for itself. Nevertheless, this is not the end of the story for Tyre. God makes it clear that, just as he was the one responsible for the downfall of Tyre, after 70 years he will again restore the fortunes of Tyre and people will remember the city-state once again. But there is one catch: Tyre will now use its wealth for the benefit of God's people. In the past, Tyre accumulated a significant amount of wealth in order to enrich itself and serve its own interests; now, after the 70 years of "punishment," Tyre will use its vast wealth to bless those "that dwell before the Lord." What does this have to do with holiness?
As the passage indicates, God claims the merchandise and money of Tyre as his own and then calls it "holiness." In fact, even though the KJV is the only version that translates the word "holiness," the translation results of other Bible versions demonstrate that something more is going on here than just God's comments about Tyre's wealth. Isaiah 23:18 implies that Tyre had been using its wealth for very unholy and illegitimate concerns, but now God has sanctified Tyre so that he can call it his own. God's action produced a change in Tyre's fortunes and the ways it used its money, and God called this change "holiness."
As we worship God today, let us rejoice with gratitude for the ways God has made us his own and has set our actions apart for him. No matter what we do with our time, money, or possessions, let us remember that it is God who has already taken these things and used them for his own holy purposes, thus making us and our possessions part of his holiness. And this is cause to praise God indeed.
God Bless.
Pastor Nathaniel Gamble
