Holiness To The Lord Original Painting

This painting was inspired by the Holy Spirit and I consider this a prophetic painting because I don’t think I could have come up with the inspiration for this painting. The interpretation is a bit complicated and would require more words to explain than usual but I will do my best to keep it as simple as I can. I hope you can stick with me to the end and I hope the interpretation blesses you!

The word “Holy” is often intimidating to a lot of us. Recently,I’ve been fascinated by the phrase “Holiness to the Lord”. This phrase comes from the book of Exodus, when God, through Moses, gives the instructions for worship at the tabernacle (kind of a temple). He gives specific instructions on how the high priest should be dressed when entering the tabernacle during worship. One of the pieces of his priestly garment is the turban. This is what the text reads (in the book of Exodus)

Make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it as on a seal: holy to the Lord. Fasten a blue cord to it to attach it to the turban; it is to be on the front of the turban. It will be on Aaron’s forehead, and he will bear the guilt involved in the sacred gifts the Israelites consecrate, whatever their gifts may be. It will be on Aaron’s forehead continually so that they will be acceptable to the Lord. Exodus 28:36-38

Aaron, the high priest and the future generation of high priests were to wear this turban whenever they entered the tabernacle/temple to serve before the Lord. The gold plate on the turban was meant to be a constant reminder that the High Priest was Holy before God and set apart as mediator between man and God.

In the book of Zechariah, the Satan accuses the High Priest Jeshua and the Lord defends Jeshua. Jeshua’s filthy garment is then replaced with clean garment and a clean turban is placed on His head. This garment is considered to be the garment the high priest wears when ministering at the tabernacle. Then Lord mentions about the branch – thereby directly linking Holiness to what Jesus would do on the cross. Jeshua wouldn’t be holy, if not for Jesus! (Read Zechariah 3)

The Bible in various places shows how Jesus Himself is the High Priest, thereby bringing an end to priesthood in the temples. In fact, when Jesus died on the cross, the veil separating the most holy place (Sanctum Sanctorum) was torn into two from top to bottom. We no longer need a priest, performing various priestly duties to mediate between us and God. Jesus, once and for all, accomplished this, through His death on the cross. The Bible doesn’t stop there but goes one step further that the moment we receive grace through the death of Jesus, we become a part of the priesthood. Peter, in his letter to the church says,

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

1 Peter 2:9

Because of what Jesus did on the cross, you stand in equal standing with the High Priests of ages past and you stand with Christ in His priesthood. You no longer need a priest to make prayers or atonement on your behalf. You can boldly approach the throne as a co-heir with Jesus and stand “Holy to the Lord”.

Now about the painting – the priestly turban is the focal point of the painting. The turban is your turban. Just as God saw Jeshua (and Aaron) as Holy because of what Jesus accomplished, He sees you too as Holy. The blue fabric under the turban represents your priestly garment that replaced your filthy garment when you put your trust in Christ. The veil in the background is torn – representing the finished work of Jesus on the cross that is available to the whole humanity. The jar of anointing oil represents your anointing to perform the work of the kingdom, as a chosen people, a royal priesthood, to intercede for the world and those around you. If you see a feather in any of my paintings, it represents the work of the Holy Spirit. This painting is about you, about your priesthood and your Holiness. God sees you as ‘Holy to the Lord’ . Do you? Do you put your priesthood to good use or do you often forget your identity in God’s kingdom?