Let’s begin by reviewing three bible verses. Take a look and then see if you can tell me what they each have in common.
Exodus 3:4-5
4 When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!”
And Moses said, “Here I am.”
5 “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”
Exodus 26:30-35
30 “Set up the tabernacle according to the plan shown you on the mountain.
31 “Make a curtain of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen, with cherubim woven into it by a skilled worker. 32 Hang it with gold hooks on four posts of acacia wood overlaid with gold and standing on four silver bases. 33 Hang the curtain from the clasps and place the ark of the covenant law behind the curtain. The curtain will separate the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place. 34 Put the atonement cover on the ark of the covenant law in the Most Holy Place. 35 Place the table outside the curtain on the north side of the tabernacle and put the lampstand opposite it on the south side.
1 Peter 1: 13-16
13 Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. 14 As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16 for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”
Ok, what do all of those have in common? You probably guessed it. They all talk about the word “holy.” Now that you have read each of those, try to answer me this:
What does “holy” mean?
It is a fundamental, basic word of religion. We hear about it all the time. But do we know what it means?
Is there anything in your church that is holy?
Is there anything in your house that is holy?
Can things be holy? The first passage talked about holy ground. In this case the dirt itself is holy. Dirt, of all things, gets this description.
What about places? Can a place be holy? That is what the second passage is talking about with the tabernacle. It describes a Holy Place and a Most Holy Place. Are there levels of holiness?
The last passage is a commandment to us to be holy. And we are to be that way because God is that way.
So things, places, and people: all can be considered holy.
Chris Pratt has an interesting story. At age 19 he “retired” from selling coupons and bought a one-way ticket to Hawaii. He lived out of a van in Maui and waited tables. He got his big break when we waited on a director who asked him if he acted. He said yes and was flown to Los Angeles to be in a movie. Since then he has starred in several blockbusters, and in 2015 was named one of the most influential people in the world by Time Magazine.
Is Chris Pratt holy? Does being famous or influential have anything to do with it?
Here is how Merriam Webster defines the term: religious or morally good; exalted or worthy of complete devotion as one perfect in goodness and righteousness
But this definition is nowhere near the meaning in the Hebrew language. The word used in the bible is Qaddish, and it means “to be set apart for a specific purpose.”
That’s it. That is what it means. Notice that there isn’t any religious or pious aspect to that definition. With that description there are several things in your church or house that are holy. Your toothbrush, for example, is certainly set aside for a specific purpose.
But go back and look at those three passages again. The ground was holy because God set it aside for this very meaningful conversation. The tabernacle had places set aside for worship and atonement. And God says that we are to be set aside for God’s purpose, just as the Israelites were set aside to bless the nations.
God is holy because no one loves like God. No one cares like God. No one can do the thing that God does. And you can choose to be holy by making sure you are set aside for God’s purpose.
God Bless