Holy To The Lord (Zechariah 14:20)

 


Tuesday, November 26, 2024


Psalms 65; 70

Zechariah 14:12-21

Revelation 11:15-19


Observance: Ember Day


Holy To The Lord (Zechariah 14:20)


The wild ride of the prophet Zechariah comes to its glorious conclusion, and it is wonderful reading it alongside Revelation. We have the new Jerusalem, with people being brought in from all around the world, and everything has become “HOLY TO THE LORD”.


No longer is there a separation between holy and profane. (It might be worthwhile going back over our study of Leviticus to remind us of the importance of this separation.) There is no need for any separation; there is no longer anything profane to worry about. Everything is now holy; from the bells on the horses to the crockery in the kitchen. God is in the midst of his people.


You may already be starting to get a sense of the fact that this separation is already starting to break down. We still have profanity in this world, but the number of things that fall into the category of “holy” is a larger than it was in the days of the temple. This is the wonder of the “now and not yet” tension of Christ’s work on the cross.


We may not have horses and bells, but we do have cars and horns: is your car horn “HOLY TO THE LORD”? And we no longer have sacrificial crockery, nor a temple to hold them in. But we do have kitchens and pots: is your kitchen adorned with the banner “HOLY TO THE LORD”?


The king stands above all creation and is drawing people in from all over the world to celebrate the feast. One day all things will come to its glorious conclusion; but in the meantime, the work is still ongoing. On the one hand, the old laws about things like our diet have been left behind; yet on the other, they have been fulfilled by Jesus. Everything we do, think, eat, say and work on is to be holy to the Lord; the old Law of Moses finds its fulfilment when the principles behind that Law inform our entire lives. And Jesus has given us a new and eternal life in which to live this way.


What mundane thing could you slap the label of “HOLY TO THE LORD” onto today?


Thrice-Holy God, you are drawing all your people to yourself through the miraculous power of your Spirit and by virtue of the precious blood of Jesus. Make us into a holy people, holy as you are holy.

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