This is Part 12 of our 15-part series walking through Session 1 of “The Assassins Among Us.” Check out the blog for previous posts.
ELEMENT 11: THE CLEANSING OF THE PRIESTS
Numbers 8:5-7 records God’s command for cleansing the Levites:
“And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Take the Levites from among the people of Israel and cleanse them. Thus you shall do to them to cleanse them: sprinkle the water of purification upon them, and let them go with a razor over all their body, and wash their clothes and cleanse themselves.'”
Those who serve in God’s presence must be cleansed by God’s process, not by human methods.
But here’s the critical distinction: The cleansing wasn’t something the Levites did to themselves. Moses sprinkled the water of purification upon them. God prescribed the process. They submitted to it.
WE ARE ALL PRIESTS
As believers today, we are all priests.
1 Peter 2:9 reminds us:
“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”
We are a priesthood. Not just the pastors. Not just the leaders. Every believer in Jesus Christ is called to priestly service. And priests must be clean.
But you cannot cleanse yourself.
WHO DOES THE CLEANSING
Titus 3:4-7 reveals who does the cleansing work:
“But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”
“The washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit.” God does the cleansing work. Through Jesus Christ. By the Holy Spirit. According to His mercy, not your efforts.
This is the same principle we saw in Element 5 (Confession and Restitution). You confess. He cleanses. You submit to the process. He does the purifying work.
CLEANSED BY THE BLOOD AND THE WORD
Hebrews 10:19-22 describes our access as cleansed priests:
“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”
“Our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience.” This fulfills what the water of purification foreshadowed for the Levites. Jesus Christ’s blood cleanses our conscience. The Holy Spirit washes us with the water of the Word.
Ephesians 5:25-27 shows how Jesus Christ cleanses His church:
“Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.”
THE PROCESS OF PRIESTLY CLEANSING
Here’s the process of priestly cleansing for those who follow Jesus Christ:
- Initial cleansing at salvation—Titus 3:5 calls it “the washing of regeneration.” When you’re born again, the Holy Spirit regenerates you, cleanses you, makes you new. This is not something you did—it’s something God did to you.
- Ongoing cleansing through sanctification—As we covered in Element 5, the Holy Spirit continues the cleansing work as you confess sin and submit to His conviction. 1 John 1:9 promises: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
- Daily cleansing through the Word—As we established in Element 10, the Holy Spirit uses the Word to reveal Jesus Christ and expose what needs to be cleansed. John 15:3 says: “Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.”
- Final cleansing at glorification—When Jesus Christ returns, the cleansing process will be completed. We will be presented “without spot or wrinkle”—fully cleansed, fully holy, fully conformed to His image.
WHERE MODERN CHRISTIANITY FAILS
Here’s where modern Christianity fails:
We try to cleanse ourselves through religious performance. We think if we just work harder, serve more, give more, attend more, we’ll somehow become clean enough for God’s service.
But Numbers 8 shows us: The Levites didn’t cleanse themselves. Moses (representing God’s authority) performed the cleansing according to God’s prescribed method. The Levites submitted to it.
Only the Holy Spirit cleanses—your part is submission to His work through the blood of Jesus Christ and the water of the Word, not manufacturing your own purity.
DAVID’S PRAYER
Psalm 51:2, 7, 10 records David’s prayer after his sin with Bathsheba:
“Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!… Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow… Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.”
Notice David’s words: “Wash me… cleanse me… purge me… create in me.” He’s asking God to do what David cannot do for himself. He needs God’s cleansing work, not his own religious effort.
This is the posture of a priest who understands the cleansing process.
THE CLEANSING ISN’T COMFORTABLE
Numbers 8 required the Levites to:
Have water sprinkled on them Shave their entire body Wash their clothes
This was thorough, invasive, complete cleansing. Nothing hidden. Nothing left uncleansed.
The Holy Spirit’s sanctifying work is the same. He doesn’t just clean the surface. He goes deep. He exposes what you’ve hidden. He cleanses what you’ve ignored. He sanctifies what you’ve compromised.
And you cannot rush it or skip steps. God’s cleansing happens on His timeline, according to His process. Your job is to submit to it, not to manage or control it.
APPLICATION
- Are you submitting to the Holy Spirit’s cleansing work, or trying to cleanse yourself through performance?
- Are you allowing the Word to expose what needs to be cleansed?
- Are you confessing sin as the Holy Spirit reveals it, or hiding and justifying?
- Do you understand that only God can cleanse—your part is submission?
God requires clean priests. Not perfect priests—cleansed priests. Not self-righteous priests—sanctified priests. Not performance-driven priests—Spirit-empowered priests who have submitted to His cleansing process.
Submit to the cleansing. It’s uncomfortable. It’s thorough. It’s invasive. But it’s essential.
Because only cleansed priests can stand in His presence and minister effectively in the warfare to come.
TOMORROW: Element 12: The Passover – Never Forget the Blood
We’ll discover why remembering the blood that delivered you is essential preparation for every battle ahead.
Most ministries stay in the safe middle. We bring marginalized truth back to the center.
THE PROPHET’S MARGIN Truth From the Narrow Place
ONE TRUE LIGHT MINISTRIES Calling believers to authentic faith Damascus Road Journey: STOP. LOOK. LISTEN. LIVE. www.onetrulight.org