So, What is cleansed, anyway?

The result of kipper being accomplished by the sin and guilt offerings is that the person can be forgiven—that is, he or she will not have to be cut off from the community. If a person is not forgiven or not cut off from the community, the person’s continuing presence in the community will continue to contaminate the sanctuary, resulting eventually in the withdrawal of the divine presence and favor. But the contamination remains on the sanctuary, not on the person, so there is no suggestion of kipper cleansing an individual of sin.—Walton and Walton, The Lost World of the Torah, 76

Discerning the spirits (Tozer for Tuesday)

Jesus Christ, our Lord, is indispensable; He is above all; and any experience, any interpretation of Scripture that does not make Him big and great and wonderful, is not of God. For God wants to make His Son glorious, and the Son wants to make the Father glorious, and the Holy Spirit wants to make the Father and the Son glorious. And so anything that comes to you, even an archangel with a wingspread of 40 feet and shining like a neon sign were to come down here and tell me that he has just seen a miracle and wants me to come, I would want chapter and verse. I would want to know that he was from God. I am not running after any will-o’-the-wisp.—A.W. Tozer, Reclaiming Christianity, 211

About those offerings…

We now turn attention to the sacrifices that are responses to offense: the so-called sin offerings and guilt offerings. These sacrifices feature blood rituals prominently (whereas blood is rarely used outside of them), with the logic being that life is in the blood (Lev 17:11). Blood rituals are uncommon in the rest of the ancient world. Animals are offered to other deities, but blood manipulation is not generally involved. In Israelite practice, the Torah establishes these two sacrifices as responses when some impurity encroaches on the sanctuary (sin offering) or when something that belongs to the sanctuary is appropriated for personal use (guilt offering).—Walton and Walton, The Lost World of the Torah, 75

The Son of God Goes Forth to War

419 The Son of God Goes Forth to War

1. The Son of God goes forth to war,
   A kingly crown to gain;
   His blood red banner streams afar:
   Who follows in His train?
   Who best can drink His cup of woe,
   Triumphant over pain,
   Who patient bears his cross below,
   He follows in His train.

2. That martyr first, whose eagle eye
   Could pierce beyond the grave;
   Who saw his Master in the sky,
   And called on Him to save.
   Like Him, with pardon on His tongue,
   In midst of mortal pain,
   He prayed for them that did the wrong:
   Who follows in his train?

3. A glorious band, the chosen few
   On whom the Spirit came;
   Twelve valiant saints, their hope they knew,
   And mocked the cross and flame.
   They met the tyrant’s brandished steel,
   The lion’s gory mane;
   They bowed their heads the death to feel:
   Who follows in their train?
                         Reginal Heber
                         The Methodist Hymnal, 1964 edition

<idle musing>
I don't recall ever singing this hymn, but it appears in more than 840 hymnals. As I was reading this, I was sure there would be more verses; it just seems to require them. Well, Cyberhymnal adds only one. I was expecting a parade of witnesses type of verses, but I guess this one sums them all up:

4. A noble army, men and boys,
   The matron and the maid,
   Around the Savior’s throne rejoice,
   In robes of light arrayed.
   They climbed the steep ascent of Heav’n,
   Through peril, toil and pain;
   O God, to us may grace be giv’n,
   To follow in their train.

</idle musing>

Christ Is the World's True Light

408 Christ Is the World's True Light

1 Christ is the world's true light,
   its Captain of salvation,
   the Daystar clear and bright
   of every land and nation;
   new life, new hope awakes,
   for all who own his sway:
   freedom her bondage breaks,
   and night is turned to day.

2 In Christ all races meet,
   their ancient feuds forgetting,
   the whole round world complete,
   from sunrise to its setting:
   when Christ is throned as Lord,
   all shall forsake their fear,
   to plough-share beat the sword,
   to pruning hook the spear.

3 One Lord, in one great name
   unite us all who own thee;
   cast out our pride and shame
   that hinder to enthrone thee;
   the world has waited long,
   has travailed long in pain;
   to heal its ancient wrong,
   come, Prince of Peace, and reign.
                         George W. Briggs
                         The Methodist Hymnal, 1964 edition

<idle musing>
Meditate on the words to this hymn. It definitely speaks to the need of our time! If only Christians would take seriously the call of Christ to be peace-makers, not peace-breakers! (Bearing in mind Glenn Stasson's call to just peace-making.)

That being said, this is not a terribly popular hymn, only occurring about 50 times. Take a minute to read the biography of the writer. He seems to have been an interesting person. For example, "he is the author of one of the prayers used at the time of the famous meeting of Churchill and Roosevelt on H.M.S. Prince of Wales in 1941 when the Atlantic Charter was framed." Another time when (just) peace-making was desperately needed.
</idle musing>