Leviticus 11:45 & John 6:69 Roger@talkofJesus.com reading today's devotional scriptures
Isolation
Observe how some react to isolation (as in #StayatHome #Pandemic etc.) and you might just wonder how any wall of separation can exist between mankind. Human beings made in the inage of God are social. We must live and work together as families, as neighbors and as citizens of nations, even the world.
So how does separation from those crucial to our lives work?
And who makes the rules?
In fact we currently see several struggles between many authorities of this world, nations, states, media, social and professional organizations, international corporations, wealthy philanthropists and more.
Of course few in this world will first ask,
‘What is the will of the LORD for our interactions with others?‘
Festivals of the LORD
Now Jews and Christians alike must ask additional relational questions of gathering to worship the Lord God. Add to the urgency of questions in the year of our Lord 2020:
- How will I celebrate Passover?
- How will I celebrate Easter?
We enter a HOLY WEEK in A.D. 2020 without possibility of practical obedience to traditional scriptural worship of the Lord God.
Roger Harned – talkofJesus.com
- We must realize that obedient worship of the Lord has changed at times. Congregational worship began with a traveling Tabernacle, pointed to an established Temple, reinstituted in a rebuilt Temple, then dispersed into an unclean world.
- The Messiah of Israel, the Son of Man and Son of God offered a New Covenant of worship between God our Father and the world through the Holy Spirit of God given to those who believe in Jesus the Son.
- Regardless of which tradition of Judaism or Christianity you came to know you likely do not completely grasp the holiness of the Lord God and without the Lord’s mercy your sin before God fails to keep you appropriately distanced from the Very Holiness of the LORD GOD.
We might easily become sidetracked in religious discussions about festivals and traditions, but more germain to our relationship to the Lord God is a brief look at holiness.
Holy
קֹדֶשׁ
- apartness, holiness, sacredness, separateness
- apartness, sacredness, holiness
- of God
- of places
- of things
- set-apartness, separateness
- apartness, sacredness, holiness
You likly know the first use of this word Holy from when Moses approached the LORD in a burning bush. It’s used more than a hunded times in just Exodus and Leviticus to describe detail concerning worship.
It is used many times in reference to celebration of the Feast of the Unleavened Bread.
‘On the first day you shall have a holy assembly, and another holy assembly on the seventh day; no work at all shall be done on them, except what must be eaten by every person, that alone may be prepared by you.
Exodus 12:16 NASB
Holy
קָדַשׁ
sanctify (108x), hallow (25x), dedicate (10x), holy (7x), prepare (7x), consecrate (5x), appointed (1x), bid (1x), purified (1x), miscellaneous (7x).
Outline of Biblical Usage
to consecrate, sanctify, prepare, dedicate, be hallowed, be holy, be sanctified, be separate
קָדַשׁ qâdash, kaw-dash’; a primitive root; to be (causatively, make, pronounce or observe as) clean (ceremonially or morally):—appoint, bid, consecrate, dedicate, defile, hallow, (be, keep) holy(-er, place), keep, prepare, proclaim, purify, sanctify(-ied one, self), wholly.
Then Moses said to Aaron,
“It is what the LORD spoke, saying,
Leviticus 10:3 NASB
‘By those who come near Me I will be treated H6942 as holy, H6942
And before all the people I will be honored.’”
So Aaron, therefore, kept silent.
Do you recall from Scripture what had just taken place?
10 וַיִּקְח֣וּ בְנֵֽי־אַ֠הֲרֹן נָדָ֨ב וַאֲבִיה֜וּא אִ֣ישׁ מַחְתָּת֗וֹ וַיִּתְּנ֤וּ בָהֵן֙ אֵ֔שׁ וַיָּשִׂ֥ימוּ עָלֶ֖יהָ קְטֹ֑רֶת וַיַּקְרִ֜בוּ לִפְנֵ֤י יְהוָה֙ אֵ֣שׁ זָרָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֧ר לֹ֦א צִוָּ֖ה אֹתָֽם׃
2 וַתֵּ֥צֵא אֵ֛שׁ מִלִּפְנֵ֥י יְהוָ֖ה וַתֹּ֣אכַל אוֹתָ֑ם וַיָּמֻ֖תוּ לִפְנֵ֥י יְהוָֽה׃
3 וַיֹּ֨אמֶר מֹשֶׁ֜ה אֶֽל־אַהֲרֹ֗ן הוּא֩ אֲשֶׁר־דִּבֶּ֨ר יְהוָ֤ה׀ לֵאמֹר֙ בִּקְרֹבַ֣י אֶקָּדֵ֔שׁ וְעַל־פְּנֵ֥י כָל־הָעָ֖ם אֶכָּבֵ֑ד וַיִּדֹּ֖ם אַהֲרֹֽן׃
4 וַיִּקְרָ֣א מֹשֶׁ֗ה אֶל־מִֽישָׁאֵל֙ וְאֶ֣ל אֶלְצָפָ֔ן בְּנֵ֥י עֻזִּיאֵ֖ל דֹּ֣ד אַהֲרֹ֑ן וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֲלֵהֶ֗ם קִ֠רְב֞וּ שְׂא֤וּ אֶת־אֲחֵיכֶם֙ מֵאֵ֣ת פְּנֵי־הַקֹּ֔דֶשׁ אֶל־מִח֖וּץ לַֽמַּחֲנֶֽה׃
5 וַֽיִּקְרְב֗וּ וַיִּשָּׂאֻם֙ בְּכֻתֳּנֹתָ֔ם אֶל־מִח֖וּץ לַֽמַּחֲנֶ֑ה כַּאֲשֶׁ֖ר דִּבֶּ֥ר מֹשֶֽׁה׃
Before the Lord our God you must: consecrate, sanctify, prepare, dedicate, be hallowed, be holy, be sanctified, be separate — precisely as the LORD instructs. Even Priest and prophet, pastor and teacher (these perhaps moreso) — all must be Holy, because the Lord our God is Holy.
Holy
ἅγιος
Strong’s Definitions
ἅγιος hágios, hag’-ee-os; from ἅγος hágos (an awful thing) (compare G53, G2282); sacred
- (physically, pure, morally blameless or
- religious, ceremonially, consecrated):—(most) holy (one, thing),
- saint.
“BUT THE LORD SAID TO HIM, ‘TAKE OFF THE SANDALS FROM YOUR FEET, FOR THE PLACE ON WHICH YOU ARE STANDING IS HOLY G40 GROUND.
Acts 7:33 Stephen, quoting Moses before the Sanhedrin
Holiness does not change from the Old Testament to the New – different word, same meaning. Stephen also uses it as Jesus did to describe the Holy Spirit of the Lord God.
“You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy G40 Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did. – Acts 7:51
Outline of Biblical Usage
- most holy thing, a saint
Saints & Sinners
Are you Holy to the Lord — separated to the Most High from the commonness of worldly sin?
Dare you enter the Holy of Holies into the Presence of Almighty God?
IF NOT, hear just a bit more about the Messiah Jesus to understand about the Holiness of Holy Week.
Lord Jesus
Christ our Passover is Sacrificed for us.
Hebrews 10:
For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest,
holy, innocent, undefiled,
separated
from sinners
and
exalted above the heavens;
who does not need daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices,
first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people,
because this He [the Messiah] did once for all when He offered up Himself.
For the Law appoints men as high priests who are weak,
but the word of the oath, which came after the Law,
appoints a Son, made perfect forever.
Therefore let us keep the feast
אֶרְחַץ בְּנִקָּיֹון כַּפָּי וַאֲסֹבְבָה אֶת־מִזְבַּחֲךָ יְהוָֽה׃
For dogs have surrounded me;
A band of evildoers has encompassed me;
They pierced my hands and my feet… – Psalm 22:16
I can count all my bones.
They look, they stare at me;
They divide my garments among them,
And for my clothing they cast lots.
the amen
“Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Your name?
The Revelation of Jesus Christ to John 15:4 NASB
For You alone are holy;
For ALL THE NATIONS WILL COME AND WORSHIP BEFORE YOU,
FOR YOUR RIGHTEOUS ACTS HAVE BEEN REVEALED.”
