13 Then Haggai said, “If a person defiled by contact with a dead body touches one of these things, does it become defiled?”
“Yes,” the priests replied, “it becomes defiled.” – Haggai 2:13 (NIV)
In 32 days, my wife and I will be boarding a gigantic cruise ship and sailing away to the Southern Caribbean. One of the things that Royal Caribbean is famous for is their intentional efforts to make sure everyone who’s eating at the buffet washes their hands before getting any food. They even make fun songs and dances about it while reminding everyone the importance of “washy-washy.”
Why are they so adamant and intentional about this? Because they know any germs on your hands will immediately be spread to everything you touch. And not only that, but everyone who touches the things you’ve contaminated now has it all over their hands and will join you in spreading it everywhere.
The Lord is communicating the same thing to us in today’s verse. If there’s sin in your life that hasn’t been cleansed, then everything you do is affected and infected by that sin. And not only that, but you’ll be spreading it further than you ever thought possible as the consequences of your sinful touch spread out like a virus completely out of your control.
So what’s the remedy? How can we be clean?
I’m reminded of one of my absolute favorite songs, “Nothing But the Blood of Jesus” that so beautifully gives us the simple, yet powerful solution:
What can wash away my sin?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
O precious is the flow
that makes me white as snow;
no other fount I know;
nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Knowing that it was the love of God for you that brought about the shed blood of Christ for the forgiveness of sin, come to Him today without fear. Come to Him in humility. Come to Him with complete honesty and transparency and confess your sin. When you do, you’ll find healing, peace, grace, mercy, and freedom.
But don’t stop there. Don’t just ask for forgiveness. Repent of the very sins you’ve confessed. Run far away from the things that have defiled you and run to the arms of Jesus. He will transform your sinful heart. He will give you the strength to overcome. He will sanctify you and make you holy as He is holy.
“Nothing But the Blood of Jesus” by Robert Lowry
Words: Public Domain; Music: Public Domain