Holiness Requires Obedience

On a recent Shabbat, as I was sitting in synagogue and listening to the Scripture readings, something stood out to me. During the Torah reading, the word holy seemed to be spoken with more emphasis than the other words being read. As I listened further, I noticed that in the text, G-D was describing the different instruments that would be used in the Tabernacle and declaring them to be holy. But, that was not the end of the instructions concerning each piece of furniture and every tool that would become part of the Tabernacle. As each item was declared holy, G-D also provided commandments related to it, so that it would remain holy.

Before I go on, the word holy in the Bible speaks of something or someone being set apart, consecrated to God, and chosen for a specific purpose. Once an item becomes holy, certain commandments must be observed in order for it to remain holy. Below are just a few examples of things, or people, that were designated as holy and some of the commandments associated with them.

The Name of G-D is declared holy. God declared His own name holy in Leviticus 22:32, Ezekiel 36:23, Psalms 105:1-3, and Matthew 6:9. Along with the proclamation of G-D’s name being holy, we were commanded: “You shall not take the name of ADONAI your God in vain” (Exodus 20:7; Deuteronomy 5:11), and “You must not profane My holy Name” (Leviticus 22:32).

The Sabbath Day was made holy in Genesis 2:3, and we were commanded to “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8). We are also given the commandment in Leviticus 23:3:

“Work may be done for six days, but the seventh day is a Shabbat of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You are to do no work—it is a Shabbat to Adonai in all your dwellings.”

Israel was called holy in Exodus 19:5–6, Leviticus 19:2, Deuteronomy 7:6, and 1 Peter 2:9, and Israel was given commandments concerning how to remain holy. An example is Leviticus 11:44:

“For I am Adonai your God. Therefore, sanctify yourselves, and be holy, for I am holy…”

Israel was also commanded not to defile themselves with unclean things. In Leviticus 20:25–26 we read:

“Also you are to make a distinction between the clean animal and the unclean, and between the unclean bird and the clean. And you are not to make your souls detestable by an animal or by a bird, or by anything with which the ground teems, which I have set apart as unclean for you. 

You are to be holy to Me, for I, Adonai, am holy, and have set you apart from the peoples, so that you would be Mine.”

The priests were called holy in Exodus 28:36 and Leviticus 21:6–8; they were also given commandments. In Leviticus 21, the priests were commanded not to come into contact with dead bodies, except for close relatives. Priests were also commanded not to shave their heads, shave off the corners of their beards, or make cuttings in their flesh. In addition, priests were commanded not to marry prostitutes or divorced women. These are only a few of the commandments given to priests to obey in order to remain holy.

The Tabernacle was called holy in Exodus 29:43–44, 1 Kings 8, and 2 Chronicles 7:16 (just to provide a few references). In Leviticus 15:31, we read:

“So you are to keep Bnei-Yisrael separate from their uncleanness, so they will not die in their uncleanness by defiling My Tabernacle that is in their midst.”

This demonstrates that ritual impurity, or uncleanness, would defile the Tabernacle and render it unholy. In Leviticus 20:2–3, anyone who offered their children to Molech and then entered the Tabernacle would defile it, making it unholy. In Leviticus 21, we read that any descendant of Aaron who had a physical defect was commanded not to approach the curtain or come near the altar so that he would not desecrate the Tabernacle. There are many more examples of commandments concerning things forbidden, in relation to the Tabernacle, its furnishings, and the implements used in worship—all of which were called holy, and all of which would become unholy if the commandments were not obeyed.

The above are just a few examples of things called holy and the commandments required to observe/keep in order for them to remain holy. Some other things the Scriptures call holy are G-D’s Appointed Times, the tithes, the firstborn son, sacrifices and offerings, the Land of Israel, and marriage. There are others, but this should be enough to establish the foundation for the point I am trying to convey.

You and I, as believers in Yeshua the Messiah, if we have been born anew, have also been made holy. We read in Ephesians 5:27:

“Messiah did this so that He might present to Himself His glorious community—not having stain or wrinkle or any such thing, but in order that she might be holy and blameless.”

And in 1 Corinthians 1:2:

“To God’s community in Corinth—having been made holy in Messiah Yeshua, called as kedoshim—with all who everywhere call on the name of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, both theirs and ours:”

There are many other passages of Scripture that communicate this same truth.

So, to remain consistent with the entirety of Scripture, concerning holiness, we also must have commandments that we must abide by in order to remain holy. After all, 1 Corinthians 6:19 says:

“Or don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Ruach ha-Kodesh who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?”

Just as the Tabernacle had to remain holy or else become defiled, we also must remain holy.

I believe this is why we read the strong message Paul wrote to the body of believers in Galatia. In Galatians 5:17–21, Paul said:

“For the flesh sets its desire against the Ruach, but the Ruach sets its desire against the flesh—for these are in opposition to one another, so that you cannot do what you want. But if you are led by the Ruach, you are not under law. Now the deeds of the flesh are clear: sexual immorality, impurity, indecency, idolatry, witchcraft, hostility, strife, jealousy, rage, selfish ambition, dissension, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. I am warning you, just as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit God’s kingdom.”

When we read Paul’s stern warning to the believers in Galatia, and the list of fleshly desires he provided, we should recognize that Paul did not create this list out of thin air. Each of these sins had already been identified in the Torah. In other words, Paul was telling the believers in Galatia: “You have been called and made holy, but you must remain holy by obeying the commandments relevant to your holiness.”

I believe these words from the Torah, emphasized again by Paul, still apply to us today. I Peter 2:9 says it this way:

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the One who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”

The writer of Hebrews boldly said it this way in Hebrews 12:14:

“Pursue shalom with everyone, and the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.”