Holy קָדוֹשׁ

We are moving into chapter nineteen of Leviticus with our word for today. קָדוֹשׁ holy, commanding respect, awesome, singled out, consecrated for, pure, clean. It is used 117 times in the Old Testament. We find our word used in the sense of consecrated, devoted to the service of God. We see this specifically of the priests who were set apart to serve in the tabernacle worship. Leviticus 21:1, 6-7 And the Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them … קְדֹשִׁ֤ים They shall be holy to their God and not profane the name of their God. For they offer the Lord's food offerings, the bread of their God; therefore they shall be קֹֽדֶשׁ [this is a different form of our word but they share the same root word] holy. They shall not marry a prostitute or a woman who has been defiled, neither shall they marry a woman divorced from her husband, for the priest is קָדֹ֥שׁ holy to his God. We also see that the people themselves were also to serve God as consecrated people. Exodus 19:5-6 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a קָד֑וֹשׁ holy nation. Leviticus 20:7, 26 Consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be קְדֹשִׁ֑ים holy, for I am the Lord your God … You shall be קְדֹשִׁ֔ים holy to me, for I the Lord am קָד֖וֹשׁ holy and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be mine. Because God himself embodies this whole concept he is referred to with our word. 1 Samuel 2:2 There is none קָד֥וֹשׁ holy like the Lord: for there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God. Psalm 89:18 For our shield belongs to the Lord, our king וְלִקְד֖וֹשׁ to the Holy One of Israel. Isaiah 6:3 And one called to another and said: קָד֧וֹשׁ קָד֛וֹשׁ קָד֖וֹשׁ “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” Our word is used in our chapter in both these sense of our word consecrate and God as the ultimate Holy One. Leviticus 19:1-2 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, You shall be קְדֹשִׁ֣ים holy, for I the Lord your God am קָד֔וֹשׁ holy. This phrase was also used earlier in Leviticus 11:44-45 For I am the Lord your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be קְדֹשִׁ֔ים holy, for I am קָד֖וֹשׁ holy. You shall not defile yourselves with any swarming thing that crawls on the ground. For I am the Lord who brought you up out of the land of Egypt to be your God. You shall therefore be קְדֹשִׁ֔ים holy, for I am קָד֖וֹשׁ holy.” God wants his people to not miss what he wants from them and why he has this expectation. This theme is carried out throughout the Bible into the New Testament. 1 Peter 1:14-16 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” I’ll close with some verses from this great Psalm that identifies God’s character of holiness with evoking worship from his people. Psalm 99:1-3, 5, 9 The Lord reigns; let the peoples tremble! He sits enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake! The Lord is great in Zion; he is exalted over all the peoples. Let them praise your great and awesome name! קָד֥וֹשׁ Holy is he! … Exalt the Lord our God; worship at his footstool! קָד֥וֹשׁ Holy is he! … Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at his holy mountain; for the Lord our God is קָ֝ד֗וֹשׁ holy!