Sermon: Lave  …a sermon about spiritual washing

On the 18th of January of this year (2020), I presented to you the sermon, “Double Down” which shared with you a hands-on perspective to repentance.  I began that sermon with this statement:

“Back in July and August of 2014, I gave four sermons as part of a Holiness series.  You can see all these sermons at the Las Vegas site.  This sermon is the fourth in that series.  Each is a stand-alone sermon on the same overall subject: Holiness.”

So “Double-down” is part of the Holiness series of four (4) sermons.  From this one sermon, I have put together fourteen (14) sermons in what I call the, “Salvation series.”  You can see these sermon titles and subjects on the Schedule page of the Las Vegas site.  Each sermon has a key verse or two you heard in “Double-down.”  Today is the third sermon in this series.  Let us begin.

The name of this sermon is “Lave.”  Let us breakdown this title.

A simple word meaning to wash or bathe.

Words related to “lave”:

Imbue, soak, cleanse, scrub, scour.

Imbue:
to impregnate or inspire, as with feelings, doctrine, truth, or in our case, the Word of God.

Words related to, “Imbue”:
permeate, ingrain, suffuse, inculcate, invest, instill and pervade.

Suffuse:
To overspread with.  When you step into a filled bathtub or hot tub, you are overspread with water.

Let us go now to the key verse for today’s sermon.  It is found in the first chapter of Isaiah.

Isaiah 1:16-17
16 Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;
17 Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.

Double-down Phrases:
--Wash yourself.
--Cleanse yourself [
see sermon, Rampageous].
--Put away evil.
--Cease doing evil.

Definitions:
---
Cleanse: to remove by or as if by cleaning.
---
Put away:  put distance between you and the sin or negative element.
---
Wash: remove stains.  Word H7364: To lave [wash by pouring water].


All this washing takes water and water serves as an important element and living metaphor in the Word of God.  In one important place, it is referred to as, “living water.”  Turn to John 4.

John 4:7-14
7 There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.
8 (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.)
9 Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.
10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. (emphasis mine)
11 The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?
12 Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?
13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:
14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

Notice the commentary for the phrase, “living water” in verse 10.

Living water - By this expression, which was common to the inhabitants both of the east and of the west, is always meant spring water, in opposition to dead, stagnant water contained in ponds, pools, tanks, or cisterns; and what our Lord means by it is evidently the Holy Spirit, as may be seen, John 7:38.
 

As water quenches the thirst, refreshes and invigorates the body, purifies things defiled, and renders the earth fruitful, so it is an apt emblem of the gift of the Holy [Spirit], which so satisfies the souls that receive it that they thirst no more for earthly good: it purifies also from all spiritual defilement, on which account it is emphatically styled the Holy Spirit; and it makes those who receive it fruitful in every good word and work. ~Adam Clarke

Quoted verse:
John 7:38
He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

With this as background, let us go back to Isaiah 1:16 and the command/admonition to, “
Wash you, make you clean.” It was part of daily living and Temple worship that water was used to make people clean.

The first thing we find is the Laver of Bronze-
copper/tin alloy (Exodus 38:8 in brass-copper/zinc alloy)


 

Exodus 30:18-28
18 Thou shalt also make a laver of brass, and his foot also of brass, to wash withal: and thou shalt put it between the tabernacle of the congregation and the altar, and thou shalt put water therein.
19 For Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet thereat:
20 When they go into the tabernacle of the congregation, they shall wash with water, that they die not; or when they come near to the altar to minister, to burn offering made by fire unto the LORD:
21 So they shall wash their hands and their feet, that they die not: and it shall be a statute for ever to them, even to him and to his seed throughout their generations.
22  Moreover the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
23 Take thou also unto thee principal spices, of pure myrrh five hundred shekels, and of sweet cinnamon half so much, even two hundred and fifty shekels, and of sweet calamus two hundred and fifty shekels,
24 And of cassia five hundred shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of oil olive an hin:
25 And thou shalt make it an oil of holy ointment, an ointment compound after the art of the apothecary: it shall be an holy anointing oil.
26 And thou shalt anoint the tabernacle of the congregation therewith, and the ark of the testimony,
27 And the table and all his vessels, and the candlestick and his vessels, and the altar of incense,
28 And the altar of burnt offering with all his vessels, and the laver and his foot. (emphasis mine)

Take a look at the commentary on, “that they die not.”  It has much meaning for you and I.

That he die not - The bells also bore witness that the high priest was, at the time of his ministration, duly attired in the dress of his office, and so was not incurring the sentence of death.  An infraction of the laws for the service of the sanctuary was not merely an act of disobedience; it was a direct insult to the presence of Yahweh (God) from His ordained minister, and justly incurred a sentence of capital punishment. ~Barnes Notes

This is a sermon about spiritual washing.  It is the purpose of this sermon.  We are to be continually spiritually clean in the presence of God.

The other device used in those days was the Mikveh.


These were found in homes, throughout the towns and around the Temple.  The one I am showing here in the text is one found in a modern-day temple here in the US.  These were used throughout Israel for a multitude of purposes, both physical and spiritual.  One would cleanse themselves before the Sabbath, each Holy Day, Passover, going into the Temple and for all manner of spiritual event.  Interestingly, doing this cleansing was likened to Hope.  Hope for the Kingdom of God and salvation to eternal life.  We do this kind of cleansing both physically and spiritually as we are forever in the presence of Almightly God.  Spiritual cleansing and salvation are directly linked.

I told you at the beginning of this sermon that the meaning of the word, “Lave” is to imbue ourselves in doctrine, truth and the Word of God.  Let us immerse ourselves in our key scripture passage, Isaiah 1:16-17.

Isaiah 1:16-17

16 Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;
17 Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.

 

Wash you

Wash you - This is, of course, to be understood in a moral sense; meaning that they should put away their sins. Sin is represented in the Scriptures as defiling or polluting the soul and the removal of it is represented by the act of washing; Psalm 51:2. ~Barnes Notes

Quoted verse (it gives the second verse but I will read verses 1-12)

Psalm 51:1-12
1 Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.
5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.
6  Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.
7  Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8  Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.
9  Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.
10  Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
11  Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.
12  Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. (emphasis mine)

Psalm 26:6
I will wash mine hands in innocency: so will I compass thine altar, O LORD:

Jeremiah 4:14
O Jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved. How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee?

Acts 22:16
And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.

2 Corinthians 7:1
Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

James 4:8
Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
 


 

Make you clean

Wash ye, make you clean - These two words are to be regarded as one, since they intend the same thing, and suppose the persons spoken to to be unclean, as they were, notwithstanding their legal sacrifices and ceremonial ablutions; and are designed to convince them of it, to bring them to a sense of their inability to cleanse themselves, to lead them to inquire after the proper means of it, and so to the fountain of Christ's blood to wash in, which only cleanses from it: ~John Gill

The word, “wash” is word H7364, defined as, “to lave”.  It is rendered as bathe (self) and wash (self).

From the Geneva Bible:
Wash ye, make you clean - By this outward washing, he means the spiritual: exhorting the Jews to repent and amend their lives. ~Geneva Bible

 

Put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes;

Isaiah 55:6-7
6 Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:
7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

Ezekiel 18:30-31
30 Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord GOD. Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin.
31 Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel?

Zechariah 1:3-4
3 Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Turn ye unto me, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the LORD of hosts.
4 Be ye not as your fathers, unto whom the former prophets have cried, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Turn ye now from your evil ways, and from your evil doings: but they did not hear, nor hearken unto me, saith the LORD.

Matthew 3:8
Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:

Ephesians 4:22-24
22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
Titus 2:11-14
11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

1 Peter 2:1
1 Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings,
2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:
 

 

 

Cease to do evil

Cease to do evil - Learn to do well: Not only feel sorrow for the sin committed, but break off the practice. We must be doing, not stand idle. We must be doing the good the Lord our God requires. ~Matthew Henry Concise

Cease to do evil - Compare 1 Peter 3:10-11. The prophet is specifying what was necessary in order that their prayers might be heard, and that they might find acceptance with God. What he states here is a universal truth. If sinners wish to find acceptance with God, they must come renouncing all sin; resolving to put away everything that God hates, however dear it may be to the heart. Compare Mark 9:43-47 (...if thy hand offend thee; ...if thy foot offend thee; ...if they eye offend thee) ~Barnes Notes

Quoted verse:
1 Peter 3:10-11
10 For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile:
11 Let him eschew [avoid, shun or keep away] evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue [follow; come after] it.

Linked verses:
Psalm 34:14  [see sermon, Abdicate & Submerse]
Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.

Psalm 37:27
Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore.

Amos 5:15
Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish judgment in the gate: it may be that the LORD God of hosts will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph.

Romans 12:9
Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.

Ephesians 4:25-29
25 Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.
26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:
27 Neither give place to the devil.
28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.
29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.

 

Learn to do well

Learn to do well - Now comes the positive; first, in the general form" learn," etc.; which resembles the apostle’s "Put on the armor of light" (Romans 13:12). Then follow the particulars. ~Pulpit Bible commentary

Quoted verse:
Romans 13:12
The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.

The highest education from the Biblical Illustrator

We hear much about various grades of education—primary, secondary, and higher education; by the text we are reminded of that highest education which concerns all, and which it is the main end of life to secure. Moral culture is even more imperative than intellectual development.

I. THE NECESSITY FOR MORAL LEARNING. Numerous definitions have been given of man, but he might justly be defined as the being who learns. Other creatures can scarcely be said to learn; whatever pertains to their species they do instinctively, immediately, perfectly.

A lark builds its first nest as skillfully as its last, a spider’s first embroidery is as exquisite as anything it spins in adult life, a bee constructs its first cell and compounds its first honey with an efficiency that leaves nothing to be desired. We know that naturalists are not altogether agreed on this point, but we may conclude that substantially instinct dispenses with that laborious process which we know as learning.

It is altogether different with the human creature. If we are “to do well,” taking that phrase in its noblest [spiritual] sense, we must “learn” to do it, acquiring the splendid power through attention, repeated endeavor, and manifold sacrifice.  (emphasis mine)
II. CONSIDER THE METHOD OF THIS MORAL [Spiritual] CULTURE. Three things are essential to the liberal education of the soul.  “Culture” here means ability, practice, experience, perception, knowledge, learning and habit.

1. A pattern. “Looking unto Jesus.” He is the supreme Pattern. Said an American artist, “I would give everything I have to see [the famous painter], Velasquez paint for one week, one day.” But the splendid privilege is given to us to behold the Lord Jesus live through years! “Learn of Me,” says the Master, and a loving, thoughtful glance into the [Word of God] every day is a lifelong vision of perfection. Let us learn of Him in joy and sorrow, in work and leisure, in strength and weariness, in popularity and neglect, in success and failure, in life and death. He best teaches the art of life.

2. Power. We can never become holy except as we have a genius for holiness, and this genius in an adequate degree only the Spirit of God can impart. Let us in prayer seek for more inward vision, receptivity, and energy, more of the Spirit that worketh mightily in fully surrendered souls, and all things will become possible.

3. Practice. We learn to do well through doing well.



 

Seek judgment

Seek judgment - or, seek out justice; i.e. endeavor to get justice done to all men; see that they "have right." ~Pulpit Bible commentary

 


 

 

Relieve the oppressed


Relieve the oppressed - So the Septuagint, the Vulgate, the Syriac, and the Chaldean Versions. But the word translated "oppressed" is thought by many to mean "oppressor" (Kimchi, Gesenius, Cheyne). This is certainly its meaning in Psalm 71:4. Translate, tighten the oppressor; i.e. correct and chasten him. ~Pulpit Bible commentary

Quoted verse:
Psalm 71:4
Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man.

Example: Retired church couple travelling in Idaho.  Stiffed by hotel for extra charges.  Church member hears of this and notifies motel with a press release he intends to send to all newspapers, radio stations and TV stations within 300 miles of motel. The subject of the press release was something like, "Local Motel Harassing Retired Couple on Social Security." Motel immediately withdrew all charges from the couple.

 

Judge the fatherless

 

Judge the fatherless - rather, do justice to the orphan (Cheyne); see that he is not wronged—be his champion. ~Pulpit Bible commentary

Plead for the widow


Plead for the widow - i.e. plead her cause in the courts; or, if judge, and she have no advocate, lean towards her, as if her advocate. The widow and the orphan were taken under God’s special protection from the time of Moses, and constantly commended to the tender care of the righteous (Exodus 22:22-24; Deuteronomy 10:18; Deuteronomy 24:17; Deuteronomy 27:19, etc.). ~Pulpit Bible commentary

Quoted verses:
Exodus 22:22-24
22 Ye shall not afflict any widow, or fatherless child.
23 If thou afflict them in any wise, and they cry at all unto me, I will surely hear their cry;
24 And my wrath shall wax hot, and I will kill you with the sword; and your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless.

Deuteronomy 10:18

He doth execute the judgment of the fatherless and widow, and loveth the stranger, in giving him food and raiment.

Deuteronomy 24:17
Thou shalt not pervert (bend away from) the judgment of the stranger, nor of the fatherless; nor take a widow's raiment to pledge:

Deuteronomy 27:19
Cursed be he that perverteth the judgment of the stranger, fatherless, and widow. And all the people shall say, Amen.

 

I will end this sermon with some quotes on cleaning.  One or two of them will strike you as being just physical when, in fact, for us, they are all spiritual.

"We are used to cleaning the outside house, but the most important house to clean is yourself - your own house."

"The objective of cleaning is not just to clean, but to feel happiness living within that environment."  

"Cleaning and organizing is a practice not a project." 

“Every aspect of your life is anchored energetically in your living space, so clearing clutter can completely transform your entire existence.”

“Start your day with a clean heart; end your day with a revived mind!”

Continue to be clean in the presence of God

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