The Names of Jehovah: M' Kaddesh Part 4

The Names of Jehovah

Part 4 Jehovah -M’ Kaddesh

The Lord Who Sets you Apart

Has the thought ever crossed your mind that no matter how hard you try, it’s never good enough. Reaching for perfection can  be a double-edged sword because it is driven by a desire to do well and a fear of the consequences of not doing well. One man said it very well, “I am careful not to confuse excellence with perfection. Excellence, I can reach for, perfection is God’s business.” 

(Lev. 20:7-8). In the Bible, we find the following words many times: sanctify, hallow, consecrate, purify or make holy. These all mean about the same thing. We will focus on the word “sanctify”, it means to separate or to be set apart for the sacred service. Jehovah -M’ Kaddesh means the Lord who sanctifies you or the Lord who sets you apart for His service. 

Although sanctification can be applied to objects, such as the objects of the tabernacle that were set apart specifically for the use of the tabernacle, we will focus on the “setting apart” of people. (Lev 20:26). Israel was to obey God’s commandments because they were set apart to serve Jehovah. (Duet 7:6). The first born of Israel was to be set apart. (Ex 13:2). Certain individuals  were “set apart” from birth and even before birth as in the case of Jeremiah. (Jer 1:5). The priest’s were set apart to minister to God. (Ex 28:41). Anytime God wanted to claim something or someone as His own, it had to be sanctified. And, in sanctification, there was always a type of cleansing process, and anointing. Objects were cleaned and anointed, and people and priest had to wash and be anointed. (Ex 19:10). There had to be obedience to God’s commandments in order for sanctification to occur. 

Many times we may wonder, “what’s God’s will for my life?” (Thess 4:3-4). His will is for you to be set apart  for his use. There are times when we may think we are not good enough. We may back down from doing something for God, or even from serving God altogether, because we feel unworthy or unfit to serve. Well, guess what, we by ourselves, are unfit. But, Jesus Christ is Jehovah M’kaddesh, the Lord who sanctifies us. (Heb 13:12,10:10-14).

(1 John 5:3). If we will reach for excellence in obeying God’s Word, God has already done His part that we may be perfected us for His use. ( John 17:17,19), as we said earlier, there is  a cleansing process that takes place for sanctification. As we begin to study and obey the Word of God, there is a cleansing of our lives from sin. (Eh 5:26-27). As we repent of our sins and are baptized in His name our sins are washed away. (Acts 22:16). In sanctification, there is also an anointing that symbolizes our separation. ( John 14:26, 1 John 2:27). The holy Ghost, which is God in us, gives us the power to remain prepared for God’s use. God did His part to sanctify us through His work on the cross and by promising us the infusing of the Holy ghost, our part is to obey His word. (2 tim 2;21)

We may have been the worst of sinners, but God has made provision for us to be set apart for His service. We don’t have to be held back with thoughts of “not being good enough” . We don’t have to be crushed under the weight of guilt. (1 Cor 6:9-11). Jesus Christ is Jehovah-M’kaddesh,  the Lord who sets us apart for His use. 

Questions: 

1. What are some specific things that may make people think they are not good enough for God?
2. Why does God want to use us even if everything is exactly perfect in our lives? 
3. How is a person sanctified/
4. What difference will this lesson bout Jehovah-M’kaddesh, the Lord who sanctifies you, make in your life?