earth is the Lord's, He declared in Leviticus 25:23, 'the land is Mine', and

this governed all transactions regarding the sale of land and property.

Again Isaiah 14:2 calls it 'the land of the Lord', and Isaiah 62:4 tells us

that the name of the land in that day will be Beulah or 'married'.  Again, in

Jeremiah 2:7 God speaks of the land as 'My land' and 'Mine heritage' and

declared that Israel had defiled it, and a reference to Leviticus 18 will

reveal how Israel could defile the land.  We are not surprised, therefore, to

read in Zechariah 2:12 that this chosen spot of earth is called 'the holy

land'.  The fact, however, that Israel possessed this holy land, did not give

them immediate access into the Presence of the Lord.  They, too, had to be

denominated a 'holy nation'.  First they were a redeemed nation, 'And what

one nation in the earth is like Thy people, even like Israel, whom God went

to redeem for a people to Himself?' (2 Sam. 7:23).  This nation was moreover

an elect people, 'For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God; the Lord

thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto Himself, above all

people that are upon the face of the earth' (Deut. 7:6).

This choice of this people was attested by 'signs and wonders', as we

read in Deuteronomy 4:34, 'Or hath God assayed to go and take Him a nation

from the midst of another nation, by temptations, by signs, and by wonders

...' and by convenant they might have become a 'peculiar treasure' unto the

Lord above all people, 'a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation' (Exod.

19:5,6).  A people thus designated in a land so set apart, might have felt

that nothing more could be done or was needed.  This, however, is far from

the truth.  While Korah and his associates spoke the truth when they said,

'All the congregation are holy' (Num. 16:3), their presumption and inaccurate

deductions cost them their lives (Num. 16:31 -35).  One tribe out of this

'holy nation' was separated from all the rest for the work and service of the

tabernacle, the tribe of Levi.  'And thou shalt give the Levites unto Aaron

and to his sons: they are wholly given unto him out of the children of Israel

... and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death' (Num. 3:5 -10).

Inasmuch as the Lord hallowed unto Himself all the firstborn that came out of

Egypt, the Levites were taken from among the children of Israel 'instead'

(Num. 3:12,13).  Most elaborate purifyings, however, were necessary before

the chosen Levites could attempt their holy tasks, 'And thus shalt thou do

unto them, to cleanse them'.  They were sprinkled, shaven, laundered, and

sanctified by the offering of bulls 'that there be no plague among the

children of Israel, when the children of Israel come nigh unto the Sanctuary'

(Num. 8:5 -26).

By this time both Israel, and we who read, begin to realize that

holiness is something to be dealt with in awe, for God even though merciful

and gracious, is at the same time 'a consuming fire'.  (See Millennial

Studies9).  One family must next be separated from the tribe of Levi, the

tribe already separated from the holy nation, a nation already separated from

the rest of the world, and functioning in a land called the holy land,

separated from the rest of the earth !

'No stranger, which is not of the seed of Aaron (may), come near to

offer incense before the Lord' (Num. 16:40; cf. 2 Chron. 26:18).

'And the Lord said unto Aaron, Thou and thy sons and thy father's house

with thee shall bear the iniquity of the sanctuary: and thou and thy

sons with thee shall bear the iniquity of your priesthood ... only they

shall not come nigh the vessels of the sanctuary and the altar, that

neither they, nor ye also, die ... I have given your priest's office