Holy To YHWH

February 6, 2024
“For I am the Lord your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy.” (Leviticus 11:44)

1. holiness, sacredness, consecration, through dedication to the deity, often as absolute noun in construct- relationship. [1] David J. A. Clines, ed., “ק֫דֶשׁ,” The Concise Dictionary of Classical Hebrew (Sheffield: Sheffield Phoenix Press, 2009), 389.

We see in scripture of the Lord telling Moses what the priests should wear, how they should look, what materials the garments should be made out of. In Exodus 28:36, The Lord tells Moses, ““You shall make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it, like the engraving of a signet, ‘Holy to the Lord.’” This signet was to be worn on the turban (headwear) right in the middle of it. It’s almost like a stamp on there forehead, “Holy to the LORD”. In the Hebrew it would read Holy to YHWH. What does Holy to YHWH mean? We see a glimpse of this in Leviticus 11. Specifically, Leviticus 11: 44.  The Lord tells Moses, “For I am the Lord your God. Consecrate yourselves, and be holy, for I am holy.” Consecrate yourselves, in other words, dedicate yourselves. The Lord is saying dedicate yourselves to me. Set yourselves apart to me. Think of a wedding. When I said “I do” on my wedding day, that meant I was dedicating my life to my wife. I was set apart from every other woman and set apart to her. I will not chase after other women. She is the only one. This is similar when we say “yes” to the Lord. The Lord has given us example after example of His dedication to us all throughout the scriptures. The best demonstration of His commitment to us is the death of His Son Jesus on the cross. Think about that for a moment. Saying “I do” to the Lord shouldn’t be lip service. It shouldn’t be a flippant “okay, I will follow you as long as you can do this for me” attitude. It should be heartfelt, eager, and passionate. We should be saying, “Lord, I want to know you more and more each day!” “Lord, I want to be pleasing in your sight.” “Lord, I don’t want to be distracted by anyone or anything else to take me away from you!” The God of the universe who knitted you in your mother’s womb knows you more than you could ever know yourself. He wants you to know Him and be committed to Him and Him alone. Consecrate yourselves and be Holy to YHWH.