Glorious Cleanliness

Exodus 19:1-9; 1 Peter 2:4-10; Psalm 19 (read online ⧉)

Have you ever had a period of that seemed completely crazy and unbelievable? The Israelites were it! It was a hard life in Egypt, but it was still home for generations. They left. This big sea to cross to freedom, and a powerful nation’s army coming after them. The sea splits open and they cross on dry ground. And a powerful nation’s army disappears forever. They have their first military battle and unbelievably win! They have a weird food that just appears with the morning dew, then disappears.

Then they take a .

Moses meets with God, and God explains. God is calling these people to be his priestly kingdom. They are his treasured possession, above the of the earth, which is God’s, too.

God’s requirements are simple, obey God’s voice and keep the covenant. This is foundational to between God and the Israelites. Their lives are to be aligned to the covenant, and the relationship it represents. In the same way, Peter calls believers in Jesus to have Jesus as their cornerstone, so that they (we) become the spiritual home of the , and become a holy priesthood.

Just like the Israelites, followers of Jesus have a task. Theirs (ours) is to proclaim the acts of God who called them (us) out of the we were in.

As the psalmist writes, all of Creation pronounces the of God. We, too, have our part in declaring and showing the glory of God and being the light (reflectors of God) in the world.

1) What has kept you from believing you are called to and capable of declaring God’s glory?

2) The covenant represents a type of cleanliness. You house the . How do you keep the Holy Spirit’s home in you clean?

3) What more can you do to keep it clean, or get it cleaner?

4) How does this cleanliness help to declare God’s glory?