5.12.26 – Cleansing Sacred Spaces, Part 5: Bring on the Water

In our last study, I ended by introducing three clear movements without stating them (mini cliffhanger :-). What was the prophetic hope? What are they actually saying? Because it looks like they are saying something else. First, the prophets know that God can and does forgive sin apart from blood. That, my friends, is a very big statement, and some people get nervous as well-learned scriptures begin to pop into their minds.

In our previous study, we already quoted David's deepest heart plea. Micah 7 asks, "Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression?" Why? Because God delights in mercy. Psalm 103: "He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor repaid us according to our iniquities. As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us." God's mercy. Isaiah 43: God says, "I am the one who blotted out your transgressions for my own sake." Jeremiah speaks of a time when iniquity will be sought and will not be found again, and again, and again.

The prophets and the psalms express confidence that God forgives simply because He is merciful—because this is the kind of God He is. Forgiveness at the deepest level is an act of divine grace. God's forgiveness is not contingent on blood—sacrificial blood, for sure. But with that apparently heretical statement, I know that some people immediately rush to the book of Hebrews, where the author says there is no forgiveness without the shedding of blood (Heb. 9:22). However, with a simple reading of the verse, we will find that our confirmation bias overlooks the obvious, which leads us to an incorrect path that will create problems down the road:

"And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission."
(Heb. 9:22)

Hebrews discusses the covenant and the sanctuary purification logic. It is 100% focused on the holiday of Yom Kippur. It is not laying down a timeless, abstract rule that God is incapable of forgiving unless something dies. The language and the writer's quill say "nearly all things." He qualifies his own statement, which is why I say Hebrews is not that easy. He is not speaking in generalities. Some people love philosophical, dogmatic, and religious absolutes.

That is not what the biblical text says, and that is just enough for now. We need to let the Tanakh speak in its own voice. The Tanakh clearly states that God forgives apart from blood. David knows it. Micah knows it. Isaiah knows it. Jeremiah knows it. The prophetic hope first rests where it should rest: on the mercy of God Himself.

Second, the restoration of the prophets' end vision is revealed as a new exodus. Restoration will look like a new exodus and a new covenant. Does this sound familiar? This idea of a new covenant—this prophetic insight did not start at the Passover table. Exile is never going to be the end of the story. There is a solution for exile; we have seen it before. The God who brought Israel out of Egypt will bring them out again. The God who established a covenant will reestablish it. He will renew a covenant with them again. Jeremiah 31 speaks of this (Jer. 31:31–34).

The prophets' return from exile is described using language reminiscent of Exodus: liberation, restoration, return, rebuilding, and renewal—all of it. And so it would not be surprising in the least, in the prophetic mind, that blood and covenant would come together. Do you know why? We have seen that before; we saw it in Exodus 24 when the Sinai covenant was ratified with blood (Ex. 24:3–10). Therefore, if God renews a covenant after exile, no one should be surprised or startled that the renewal might again be marked by blood in the presence of people. Blood and covenant go together. Moses sprinkles blood on the altar and the people.

I want you to remember something really important. What kind of sacrifice was that blood for the covenant inauguration? It was not anything like paying for sins. It was an inauguration sacrifice—a well-being sacrifice, a celebratory sacrifice. It marks, it seals, it celebrates restoration. And the prophets place all of this—this covenant—in the midst of God forgiving, cleansing, and restoring, and they place all their hope in the fact that He again will act in a redemptive, covenant-making way with His people. That is the prophetic insight. He will involve blood in some way, but it is not unique. And speaking of this new covenant, the prophets mention a particular way in which people would be prepared to participate in this covenant relationship. This is the third point—most important, actually, for where we are headed.

This new covenant provides something the "old" one could not. The prophet speaks of a divine purification of the people themselves. And again, guess what? It is not through blood. This is so important—so important. This is the anchor text from Ezekiel 36:

"For I will take you from the nations, gather you out of all the countries, and bring you back to your own land. Then I will sprinkle clean water on you. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean from all your uncleanness, from all your idols."
(Eze. 36:24–25)

Think about how radical this is. The language here refers to washing and cleansing. The language of purity exists. The prophets have not ignored this. They have not ignored the idea of contamination. There must be a cleansing from the major moral impurity that has occurred among the people. But now the answer is not to be found in the sacrificial process. God Himself steps in to purify the people.

Zechariah says that a fountain will be opened up for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and impurity (Zech. 13:1):

"In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness."
(Zech. 13:1)

Do you hear that? Water washing. There will be a fountain that opens up for sin and impurity—cleansing, purification. Then Ezekiel 36 goes deeper. He says, "I will give you a new heart. I will remove the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes" (Eze. 36:26–27).

The prophetic hope is not only forgiveness. It is not only cleansing. It is not only a covenant. It is a total transformation of you. A new heart. A new spirit. A divine washing. A restoration of covenant fidelity. A new creation. Have you ever heard that before (2 Cor. 5:17)? It is extraordinary because the prophets speak in the language of purification, and they are relocating the focus away from the sanctuary being purged so that God Himself can be with His people. They are now speaking of God purifying the people themselves so that covenant life will truly be an unhindered possibility.

Bring that day, please Lord!

Shalom,
Alan