holiness

In the book of Leviticus 19:2 (NABRE), the LORD commands Moses to say to the Israelites: “Be holy, for I, the LORD your God, am holy.” This passage raises the important question of what holiness means and what it looks like. The Hebrew word used in this passage, qadowsh, at its root means “set apart” or “separateness.”

Throughout the Old Testament, things that were holy were set aside or separated from other things. Some examples include the sabbath, a day set aside from other days; the temple, a space set apart for worship of God; and even as is commanded in this passage, the people themselves, a holy people set apart for God.

What do you think it looks like for a people to be set apart? How might we as Christians embody holiness in the world today?

related topics: consecration; holy; perfect; righteousness; sacred; set apart

you also may like our study of the book of Exodus
You Shall Have No Other Gods: The Book of Exodus, a 28-lesson Catholic Bible study with an imprimatur, provides an in-depth look at how significant events in biblical history that occurred thousands of years ago to descendants of Jacob remain relevant and even critical for present-day Christians to understand. The deliverance of the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt and the giving of Ten Commandments are examined along with the development of Moses’ relationship to God. Click on the book’s cover to view a sample lesson.

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