Cedar, Hyssop, And National Security

“Get Me a Car That Doesn’t Stink”**

When I was a captain at the Air Force Academy, I had the honor—and the anxiety—of escorting General Hornburg, the ACC Commander, during a visit for Corona. That was when all the generals came together for a high-level meeting, and it was the kind of event where *everything had to be perfect*.

So, being young and eager to make a good impression, I made sure I had the very best car in the fleet. It was the newest, cleanest, and a different color so it could be spotted from afar. I was proud of it—it looked sharp, and I thought I was ready to do my part for national security.

I went to meet the General at his lodging to take him to the Officer’s Club—a trip of less than a quarter of a mile. As we got in the car, I felt confident. But the first real conversation he had with me wasn’t about strategy, or flying, or even the Air Force. He looked around, wrinkled his nose a little, and said,

“Um, David… sometime today, get me a car that *doesn’t stink!*”

My heart stopped.

“Yes, sir!” I said, and then panicked.

I called transportation immediately, and within an hour, I had a completely new car delivered. We transferred all his belongings over, cleaned everything up, and when he came back out of the Officer’s Club, the new car was waiting—spotless, fresh, and ready. He blinked in surprise and said,

> “Darn, boy—I meant sometime today, not *right now*! But wow!”

At that moment, national security was safe once again.

That event reminded me of something deeply spiritual: sometimes what looks fine to us still “stinks” to a higher authority. We can look at our lives, polish them up, make them look good on the outside, but God can still detect what we cannot. He is not impressed by outward shine—He’s concerned with inward purity.

And in the Old Testament, God gave Israel a vivid picture of what that inner cleansing looks like. We find that in Leviticus 14—the cleansing of a leper. It’s a strange passage, full of symbols: cedar wood, hyssop, and a scarlet thread. But together, these three things form a picture of the cleansing work of Jesus Christ that reaches deeper than any outward act ever could.

Let’s explore this “hidden gem” and discover how God used these symbols to reveal His plan for total spiritual cleansing. Today’s sermon is entitled, Cedar Hyssop and National Security. Let’s start by reading Leviticus 14:1-7, “The Lord said to Moses, 2 “These are the regulations for any diseased person at the time of their ceremonial cleansing, when they are brought to the priest: 3 The priest is to go outside the camp and examine them. If they have been healed of their defiling skin disease,[a] 4 the priest shall order that two live clean birds and some cedar wood, scarlet yarn and hyssop be brought for the person to be cleansed. 5 Then the priest shall order that one of the birds be killed over fresh water in a clay pot. 6 He is then to take the live bird and dip it, together with the cedar wood, the scarlet yarn and the hyssop, into the blood of the bird that was killed over the fresh water. 7 Seven times he shall sprinkle the one to be cleansed of the defiling disease, and then pronounce them clean. After that, he is to release the live bird in the open fields..

Leviticus 14 describes the ritual for cleansing someone healed from leprosy. In ancient Israel, leprosy represented the ultimate defilement it was incurable, isolating, and socially devastating. The leper was considered ceremonially unclean, cut off from worship, family, and community.

Leprosy in the Bible is considered the *picture of sin*. It begins small but spreads silently. It numbs sensitivity. It disfigures what was once whole. And like sin, it isolates us from God and others.

When the leper was healed, he had to go through an elaborate ceremony before being restored to the camp. The priest would go outside the camp to meet him (v. 3)—symbolic of how Jesus came down from heaven to where we were, outside the camp of holiness, to meet us in our uncleanness.

Then, the ritual required:

Two clean birds; Cedar wood; Scarlet yarn (thread); and Hyssop

One bird was killed over running water. The living bird, the cedar wood, the hyssop, and the scarlet thread were dipped in the blood of the slain bird, and then the living bird was set free. The person was sprinkled seven times and pronounced clean.

It seems strange. But every detail speaks of Christ. And each element—cedar, hyssop, and scarlet—points to a different part of His cleansing work in our lives.