It shall be a statute forever to them, even to him and to his offspring throughout their generations” (Exodus 30:21, ESV). Whenever the priests entered the wilderness tabernacle and approached the altar to minister to the Lord, they were required to cleanse their hands and feet with water from the bronze basin: “They shall wash their hands and their feet, so that they may not die. James’ use of the phrase cleanse your hands linked his command in a spiritual and moral sense to the language of the ancient Jewish ceremonial rituals of worship. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded” (James 4:8, ESV). He beckoned his readers to repent from their sinful ways and return to the Lord: “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. 12:14 1 Peter 1:22 Ps.James observed a widespread problem of worldliness infiltrating the lives of Christians in the early church.
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