We are in chapter twenty-two of Exodus with our word for today. קֹ֫דֶשׁ apartness, sacredness, something holy, holy, holiness. It is used 470 times in the Old Testament. We find our word used in the sense of being set a part in a special sense from other things that are common. Some good examples of this are the incense and the bread used by priests in worship. Exodus 30:34-35 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Take fragrant spices—gum resin, onycha and galbanum—and pure frankincense, all in equal amounts, and make a fragrant blend of incense, the work of a perfumer. It is to be salted and pure and קֹֽדֶשׁ sacred. 1 Samuel 21:4-6 But the priest answered David, “I don’t have any ordinary bread on hand; however, there is some קֹ֙דֶשׁ֙consecrated bread here—provided the men have kept themselves from women.” David replied, “Indeed women have been kept from us, as usual whenever I set out. The men’s bodies are קֹ֑דֶשׁholy even on missions that are not יִקְדַּ֥שׁholy. How much more so today!” So the priest gave him the קֹ֑דֶשׁconsecrated bread, since there was no bread there except the bread of the Presence that had been removed from before the Lord and replaced by hot bread on the day it was taken away. This idea of separateness is how our word is used in our chapter. Exodus 22:31 You shall קֹ֖דֶשׁ be consecrated to me. Therefore you shall not eat any flesh that is torn by beasts in the field; you shall throw it to the dogs. God makes this command because he cares about his people. The meat that is torn and left on the ground could still have blood in it which God forbid his people to eat. Leviticus 22:8 He must not eat anything found dead or torn by wild animals, and so become unclean through it. I am the Lord. And people also could become sick if it was diseased. Like all God’s laws he loves us and wants to protect us. Did you catch who God’s people are to be set apart to in verse 31? God says to me. That is interesting because we can easily miss God’s simple pure motivation for our being different than those around us. It is because God wants us to be for him and no one else. This is the best thing for us. When we belong to God and are set apart from everything and everyone else we avoid a lot of things that can hurt us and those close to us. This is a good reminder of what happens when we fail to be set apart to God. Proverbs 25:26 Like a muddied spring or a polluted well are the righteous who give way to the wicked. Just like a spring that people are relying on for fresh water to drink can become polluted so can we affect others in our lives in a negative way. God saves us from all kinds of things that can hurt us and our families when we set ourselves apart for Him. I’ll close with this reminder that God’s way of life is what is best. Psalm 77:11-13 I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will consider all your works and meditate on all your mighty deeds.” Your ways, God, are בַּקֹּ֣דֶשׁ holy. What god is as great as our God?

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