Holiness as set apart for God

Believers are holy, in that they are called to be set apart from the world as God’s own people. Likewise certain days and articles are holy because they are set apart for God alone.

Believers are called to be a holy people, set apart for God

The nation of Israel

Deuteronomy 7:6 NASB95

“For you are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.

See also Ex 19:5–6; Le 20:26; Dt 26:18–19

The priests

1 Chronicles 23:13 NASB95

The sons of Amram were Aaron and Moses. And Aaron was set apart to sanctify him as most holy, he and his sons forever, to burn incense before the Lord, to minister to Him and to bless in His name forever.

See also Le 21:5–8

The Nazirites

Numbers 6:1–8 NASB95

Again the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When a man or woman makes a special vow, the vow of a Nazirite, to dedicate himself to the Lord, he shall abstain from wine and strong drink; he shall drink no vinegar, whether made from wine or strong drink, nor shall he drink any grape juice nor eat fresh or dried grapes. ‘All the days of his separation he shall not eat anything that is produced by the grape vine, from the seeds even to the skin. ‘All the days of his vow of separation no razor shall pass over his head. He shall be holy until the days are fulfilled for which he separated himself to the Lord; he shall let the locks of hair on his head grow long. ‘All the days of his separation to the Lord he shall not go near to a dead person. ‘He shall not make himself unclean for his father or for his mother, for his brother or for his sister, when they die, because his separation to God is on his head. ‘All the days of his separation he is holy to the Lord.

The apostles and prophets

Lk 1:70; Ac 3:21; Eph 3:5; 2 Pe 3:2

Christians

Ephesians 1:4; 1 Pe 1:15–16

Ephesians 1:4 NASB95

just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love

See also 1 Co 1:2; Col 3:12; 2 Ti 1:9; 1 Pe 2:9

Consecration sets apart for holiness

God’s people are consecrated

Leviticus 20:7–8 NASB95

‘You shall consecrate yourselves therefore and be holy, for I am the Lord your God. ‘You shall keep My statutes and practice them; I am the Lord who sanctifies you.

See also Ex 19:10–11; Ex 19:14–15; Le 11:44–45; Jos 3:5; Jos 7:13; 1 Sa 16:5

Priests are consecrated for divine service

Exodus 30:30 NASB95

“You shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may minister as priests to Me.

See also Ex 40:12–15; 1 Sa 7:1; 1 Ch 15:14; 2 Ch 23:6; 2 Ch 29:5; 2 Ch 35:3

Articles are consecrated for divine use

Exodus 40:9–11 NASB95

“Then you shall take the anointing oil and anoint the tabernacle and all that is in it, and shall consecrate it and all its furnishings; and it shall be holy. “You shall anoint the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and consecrate the altar, and the altar shall be most holy. “You shall anoint the laver and its stand, and consecrate it.

See also Ex 29:36–37; Ex 30:25–29

Days and occasions set apart for God

The Sabbath

Leviticus 23:1–3 NASB95

The Lord spoke again to Moses, saying, “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘The Lord’s appointed times which you shall proclaim as holy convocations—My appointed times are these: ‘For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there is a sabbath of complete rest, a holy convocation. You shall not do any work; it is a sabbath to the Lord in all your dwellings.

See also Ge 2:3; Ex 16:23–25; Ex 20:11

The Passover

Le 23:4–8; Nu 28:16; Nu 28:25

The Feast of Weeks

Le 23:15–16; Le 23:21; Nu 28:26

The Feast of Trumpets

Le 23:23–25; Nu 29:1; Ne 8:2; Ne 8:9–11

The Day of Atonement

Le 23:26–28; Le 23:32; Nu 29:7

The Feast of Tabernacles

Le 23:33–36; Nu 29:12

The sabbath year

Leviticus 25:1–5 NASB95

The Lord then spoke to Moses at Mount Sinai, saying, “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When you come into the land which I shall give you, then the land shall have a sabbath to the Lord. ‘Six years you shall sow your field, and six years you shall prune your vineyard and gather in its crop, but during the seventh year the land shall have a sabbath rest, a sabbath to the Lord; you shall not sow your field nor prune your vineyard. ‘Your harvest’s aftergrowth you shall not reap, and your grapes of untrimmed vines you shall not gather; the land shall have a sabbatical year.

The Year of Jubilee

Leviticus 25:8–12 NASB95

‘You are also to count off seven sabbaths of years for yourself, seven times seven years, so that you have the time of the seven sabbaths of years, namely, forty-nine years. ‘You shall then sound a ram’s horn abroad on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the day of atonement you shall sound a horn all through your land. ‘You shall thus consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim a release through the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you, and each of you shall return to his own property, and each of you shall return to his family. ‘You shall have the fiftieth year as a jubilee; you shall not sow, nor reap its aftergrowth, nor gather in from its untrimmed vines. ‘For it is a jubilee; it shall be holy to you. You shall eat its crops out of the field.

Places identified with the presence of God are made holy

Holy ground

Ex 3:5; Jos 5:15

Holy mountains

Ex 19:18–23; 2 Pe 1:18

The tabernacle

Ex 29:42–44; Ex 40:9

The temple

1 Kings 9:3 NASB95

The Lord said to him, “I have heard your prayer and your supplication, which you have made before Me; I have consecrated this house which you have built by putting My name there forever, and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually.

See also 1 Ki 8:10–13; Eze 42:14; Eze 42:20; Mt 24:15; Ac 6:13; Ac 21:28

Jerusalem and the holy land

Joe 3:17; Zec 2:12; Mt 4:5; Mt 27:53

Things associated with worship are holy

Bread

Ex 29:32–33; 1 Sa 21:3–6; Mt 12:3–4

Perfume

Exodus 30:34–38 NASB95

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Take for yourself spices, stacte and onycha and galbanum, spices with pure frankincense; there shall be an equal part of each. “With it you shall make incense, a perfume, the work of a perfumer, salted, pure, and holy. “You shall beat some of it very fine, and put part of it before the testimony in the tent of meeting where I will meet with you; it shall be most holy to you. “The incense which you shall make, you shall not make in the same proportions for yourselves; it shall be holy to you for the Lord. “Whoever shall make any like it, to use as perfume, shall be cut off from his people.”

Ritual offerings

Leviticus 6:24–29 NASB95

Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying, ‘This is the law of the sin offering: in the place where the burnt offering is slain the sin offering shall be slain before the Lord; it is most holy. ‘The priest who offers it for sin shall eat it. It shall be eaten in a holy place, in the court of the tent of meeting. ‘Anyone who touches its flesh will become consecrated; and when any of its blood splashes on a garment, in a holy place you shall wash what was splashed on. ‘Also the earthenware vessel in which it was boiled shall be broken; and if it was boiled in a bronze vessel, then it shall be scoured and rinsed in water. ‘Every male among the priests may eat of it; it is most holy.

See also Le 6:17; Le 7:1; Le 7:6; Le 10:12–13; Le 10:16–18

Offerings dedicated with a vow

Le 27:9; Le 27:14; Le 27:20–23; Le 27:28

Tithes

Leviticus 27:30–33 NASB95

‘Thus all the tithe of the land, of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord’s; it is holy to the Lord. ‘If, therefore, a man wishes to redeem part of his tithe, he shall add to it one-fifth of it. ‘For every tenth part of herd or flock, whatever passes under the rod, the tenth one shall be holy to the Lord. ‘He is not to be concerned whether it is good or bad, nor shall he exchange it; or if he does exchange it, then both it and its substitute shall become holy. It shall not be redeemed.’ ”

The firstborn

Ex 13:2; Ex 13:11–12; Lk 2:22–23

Exodus 13:2 NASB95

“Sanctify to Me every firstborn, the first offspring of every womb among the sons of Israel, both of man and beast; it belongs to Me.”