![]() ![]() They were to set the standard-to be a model nation to surrounding peoples, a proper example reflecting the God they served ( Deut. Israel was to “be a peculiar treasure…above all people…unto a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation” ( Ex. Many of the physical regulations given to Israel were to teach spiritual principles to a physically minded people nevertheless, these laws reveal God’s mind on the matter of cleanliness. Notice the instructions for Aaron and his sons: “And Aaron and his sons you shall bring unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and shall wash them with water” ( Ex. The priesthood also was to make a distinction between the clean and unclean ( Lev. When Israel was to appear before God at Mount Sinai, He told Moses “Go unto the people, and sanctify them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their clothes…And Moses went down from the mount unto the people, and sanctified the people and they washed their clothes” ( Ex. God gave instructions regarding which animals, fish and fowl were clean to eat ( Lev. There were laws regulating sanitation ( Deut. Sprinkled throughout Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy are various instructions concerning the washing of pots and utensils ( Lev. ![]() God’s Word has much to say about cleanliness. How well (or poorly) are you doing, in all areas of life, in properly representing your Elder Brother? Israel Was Taught Cleanliness They will form opinions about the Church and you as a Christian, not just based on our doctrines, but on all that they see, hear and witness. How we look, speak, act, dress and maintain our possessions sends a powerful message to others. We reflect either positively or negatively in all that we say and do. For us this means we represent the living Jesus Christ and God’s way of life. An ambassador is an official representative of a government. II Corinthians 5:20 plainly states that we are ambassadors for Christ. The religion we practice is different from the vast majority of supposed Christendom. Our neighbors, co-workers or family members outside the Church often notice that we observe the Sabbath and Holy Days, disappear for eight-plus days every fall, and do not celebrate man’s holidays. 14:40)-or the god of this world, a destroyer, the author of chaos and confusion? Christ’s RepresentativesĪs members of God’s Church, we automatically stand out from the world. What about you? Do you follow this pattern with the possessions God has given you? Do you keep clean, maintain and preserve your possessions and living environment? Does your action in this area reflect the God of Creation, who does everything “decently and in order” ( I Cor. Together, they were to care for what their Creator had made “very good,” and follow a clear pattern already established by God. 45:18)-into which he and his wife were placed. Adam was expected to maintain, keep clean and tidy, a garden paradise-their home, the habitation ( Isa. This very first recorded instruction from God to man reveals God’s expectations of how man is to care for things entrusted to him. ![]() ![]() He had also planted a garden eastward in Eden, and commanded Adam “to dress it and to keep it” ( 2:15). He had caused dry land to appear, the seas and oceans to form, created flora and fauna, birds of the air, insects and creeping things, sea and ocean life, and Adam and Eve. At the end of the creation week, “God saw everything that He had made, and, behold, it was very good” ( Gen. ![]()
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