Friday, May 3, 2024
Set Apart as Holy – Exodus 29:43-44
A Clay Jar
There I will meet with the Israelites, and it will be set apart as holy by my glory. So I will set apart as holy the tent of meeting and the altar, and I will set apart as holy Aaron and his sons that they may minister as priests to me.
Exodus 29:43-44 NET
Earlier in this chapter, God gave instructions for dedicating the Tabernacle, the Altar of Burnt Offerings, and the priests. As each was properly dedicated, God declared them to be holy, set apart for his use.
The ritual described in the early part of the chapter was a human activity. Moses and the people dedicated the Tabernacle, the altar, and the priests to God, but that was not enough to make them holy. They were made holy by what God did. After the people had obediently set them apart for God’s use, God moved in. And it was his presence—his glory—that made these things holy.
What was true of the Tabernacle, altar, and priests under the Old Covenant is true for believers and the church under the New Covenant. The dedication rituals of the Old Covenant have been replaced by what Jesus did on the cross.
But I am still made holy, not by what I do, but by what God does in response. As I commit my life in surrender to him, he fills me with his presence, making me holy.
As long as God dwells in me, I am holy. But that comes with an obligation. Just like ancient Israel needed to maintain the holiness of the Tabernacle, the altar, and the priests, so I need to maintain personal holiness. It is an ongoing process.
2 Corinthians 7:1 tells us to “purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.” And 1 Peter 1:15-16 says to “be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.’” It is when we live lives of practical holiness, set apart for God’s use, that we can most experience his presence within us.
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