Holy War

Part 1

I want to suggest something that many of us might find hard to accept. That is the proposition that we, as Christians in the 21st Century, must fight a Holy War. I know that everything in modern society and culture would speak against this proposition, but if Christians are to be a peculiar people we must think contrary to popular culture and be willing to suffer the rejection and wrath of “the world”.

Actually, whether we know it or not, like it or not, we find ourselves already engaged in a Holy War. Most people just do not realize it or do not want to admit it. Each day is a personal struggle to remain holy unto God and apart from the world. That is, however, only one half of the Holy War of which I speak.

One major problem I believe we face, as believers today, is the common concept of a Holy War. A Holy War is generally seen as a negative thing. We immediately think of The Crusades, in which bloodthirsty men committed atrocities in the name of religion. Let me be clear, that is not the type of Holy War I am speaking of. I am not even sure that the "Crusades" were as much about evil intent as is portrayed in retrospect today.

The misconception begins with the common interpretation of the word holy. To most of us, especially Christians, the word holy denotes purity, or sinless-ness. Although it should lead to this, this is not what the term holy really denotes in most cases. In the Old Testament God spoke to His people of setting things and persons apart for His purpose. There were two types of setting apart. The first term comes from the ancient Aramaic word, Qadosh. Qadosh or holiness denotes a setting apart for a special blessing. There is another word, Charem, which also means to set apart or separate, but for another special purpose. That purpose was utter destruction. Charem would be more accurately translated as Taboo, and therefore, forbidden in today’s vernacular. God’s Qadosh (chosen for blessing) people were to avoid the Charem (taboo) person or thing. The person, or thing which came into contact with the Charem thing, and did not utterly destroy it, became Charem by that contact and/or association. In other words, one becomes either especially blessed by the people and things we associated with, or we became taboo by the same right.

In the Old Testament many things were set apart by and for God. Some for good purpose, and some for seemingly not so good purpose. Look, for example, at the cities in the land of Canaan, which the Israelites were to occupy. The land was considered special and holy but God designated certain cities, and everything in them, as Taboo. They were Charem (taboo) and, therefore, set apart for destruction. Every man, woman, and child, every living and inanimate thing was to be destroyed. In the one example where someone (Achan) disobeyed this rule, God’s wrath came upon the entire nation until the guilty party, and his entire family, were also destroyed. Achan had become one with the forbidden thing and was now himself set apart for destruction. We may have a hard time understanding or accepting this, and an even harder time explaining the concept, but it is how it was. On the other hand, the people of Israel were God’s holy (set apart for good purpose) people. They were set apart for blessing and protection, not destruction. Was this because they were sinless, or pure? No, that is clear in example after example. Deuteronomy 9 gives us the most clear and concise picture of this.

When the scripture says, be ye holy as He is holy, does it mean to be sinless as He is sinless, or does it rather denote a separateness or uniqueness. As in, be ye separate and uniquely among people as our God is unique among gods. No, I am not saying that trying to live a sinless life is wrong or not to be sought after, I am just saying that holiness is something else. When we speak of a holy God most of us think of the absence of sin, but God is most often speaking of His uniqueness and what makes Him distinct from all other gods men may worship. He is the One and unique God above all others. The absence of sin is just part of His character, as large a part as that may be.

When God, in the Old Testament, told His people to utterly destroy entire cities, including the people, animals, etc., He indicated that they were sanctified or set apart, and dedicated unto Him and for His purpose as well, but for a different purpose than the Israelites. For this reason no one was allowed to touch or appropriate what was set apart as God’s. This went two ways. No one was allowed to touch either the taboo or the holy thing without God’s clear instructions. Either would generally result in death.

Christians and Jews share in being God’s holy or Qadosh people. That means that we are set apart in some unique and special way, belonging to God. As such He expects us to act as a special people, and as such He also offers us His blessing and protection.

In today’s world there seems to be a constant cry for acceptance and/or tolerance. Everything is to be accepted, and tolerated, except the desire and need to be different, special and/or unique. The two concepts of tolerance and holiness are, however, at war with each other. Tolerance and acceptance cannot coexist with the idea separation and consecration. There is a basic conflict and there must, therefore, be a war between these concepts. This is the war of holiness or a Holy war.

It all comes down to "If My People......" and it is all about His people; and us living as that holy, special and set apart people of God.
---------------------------------------------------------
In Part 2 I want to discuss the focus of our Holy war

No Reason- No Season

I hope you will indulge me in diverging from the Holy War discussion for a week or so, as I believe the subject I want to discuss today is relative and very timely. I promise to thoroughly deal with the Holy War topic (Parts 2 and 3), right after "the holidays."

I had thought of naming this post, "They Can't Have It Both Ways."
What I am talking about is the the sudden absence, this year, of the mention of Christmas. Is it just me or does it seem like the anti- Christmas fervor has sprung up this year, like at no time past, to you too?

This afternoon a client of mine came into my office. After discussing business, he mentioned that one of his colleagues had asked him if he had gotten the memo referring the to office "Holiday" party. He told the guy, "you mean Christmas party," but the colleague said, "no, it says holiday party." So he went back and checked and sure enough, it said holiday party. They and several other employees emailed back and remarked, complained actually, about the absence of the name Christmas.

He and I then began a discussion of the seemingly sudden and blatant attack on this day (Christmas). Of course we brought up the fact that Jesus is the "reason for the season," and went into the historical facts of all of that. But after he left I was struck with a new concept and idea. I ask you to go with me here as I think out loud a bit and then tell me, as Bill O'Reilly would say: "where am I wrong here?"

As believers in Jesus Christ I would hope that the lack of celebration of, and/or the lack of reverence for, the birth of the savior of all mankind will not jeapordize our faith in that fact. Actually, most of us as true believers realize that He was not really born on December 25th anyway, and the more radical of us reject the symbolism all together as being of pagan origin. So, the fact that the day, or days, are not used in honoring Jesus is not really a factor in determining the reality of who He is in our hearts. I am convinced, however, that the Anti-Christian Liberties Union (ACLU), in their warped sense of reality, truly believes that they are hurting us in all of this, while they do not hurt us in any way. The truth is that they actually energize and empower us.

But I really would like to call their, that is the secular humanist's, bluff for a change. I would like to see someone in Congress propose a resolution that says, if we will no longer recognize the reason for it, we must revoke the holiday. In otherwords, there is no reason to celebrate any holiday, if there was no event associated with it.

Just think of it, employers would get another day or 2 or 3 of productivity per year out of their employees, while saving millions in holiday pay. Meanwhile educators would be able to have an extra few weeks to teach our children per year (school work right through to spring break).

And oh my, just think of the relief many of us will get in not having to shop for presents. There would be no more needless charging and incurring of debt by people feeling compelled to buy what they cannot afford, for those who will not really appreciate it anyway.

I do realize that children might not like it and of course many, like my dear wife, and the ladies I work with, who live to shop, will be devastated. But myself, I will see it as very liberating, that I will no longer be compared to Scrooge for not getting all tingly about the season. I will be able to continue to worship Jesus humbly, privately and maybe even more purely, absent the tyranny of holiday pressure.

Will you join me in calling your Congressman, Senator or both, and ask them to introduce such a resolution, or actual amendment? This might just be the thing to wake people up to the realities of what they are proposing or allowing by observing a holiday for no purpose.

If not and we continue on the road we are now on, it really will be just, Festivus for the rest of us.

Today's News God's Perspective

Please forgive me for being so presumptuous as to try and impute God's name on my own views. But if I am, as all Believers should be, His ambassador and an Epistle written on a tablet of flesh, then I believe I can claim to have God's perspective on things. It will be your right and even duty to "prove all things and hold fast to that which is true."

I will try to provoke you and even to anger you at times, but in all things I pray I may challenge you as followers of Jesus Christ to "redeem the time for the days are evil." If the world ever needed salt it's today. Let us bring it.

By the way, in most cases I will not give a chapter & verse reference for scripture I quote, as this will be an exercise to get you to look it up. For those of you who have not discovered the greatest site on the internet yet ( for believers at least) it is www.BibleGateway.com, which will put any and all scripture at your finger tips.

Blessings and Grace!
Eddie Huff