The LORD who Sanctifies Leviticus 20:7-8 Genesis 6:9-14 Jehovah-M’Kaddesh The LORD who Sanctifies Leviticus 20:7-8 Genesis 6:9-14

Leviticus 20:7-8 “‘Consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am the LORD your God. Keep my decrees and follow them. I am the LORD, who makes you holy.

M’Kaddesh Derived from root word qadash which means Holy. Used 7 times in the Old Testament always in reference to Israel being sanctified for God’s use The addition of the prefix M’ pushes the emphasis of Holy as being derived from God, and is a reference to temple items that were sanctified to do the work of God

What is Sanctification? Sanctification is best translated as “To be set apart” Leviticus 20:26 and Leviticus 19:2 tell us to “Be Holy, because God is Holy.” Essentially we as Christians are to purposefully be set apart to do the work that God has called us to do.

Noah, a sanctified man Genesis 6:9-14 This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God. Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth. Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence. God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways. So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth. So make yourself an ark of cypress[a] wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out.

Noah The account of Noah is the most documented event of the Old Testament outside of scripture. There are 35 independent ancient accounts of the flood ranging from Australia to Vietnam The most famous of these accounts in the Babylonian tail “Epic of Gilgamesh”, the Mayan Account, and the Chinese account that has affected even their symbol for flood which is a combination of a boat and eight people.

Thoughts on Noah Noah walked with God in a time of complete lawlessness. He had no church, leader, Bible, or even accountability partner to insure his faithful separation from the sin of the world. It was in Noah’s sanctification that his faith was incubated

Noah’s Faith Started building the Ark when he was 500 years old and finished when he was 600 years old At the time of his craftsmanship he only had access to hand tools and manual labor to complete the task Even his location was in faith as he was not building the ark in water, and it is speculated that their had never been rain on the earth up to this point.

New Testament Examples John 17:17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. I Peter 1:13-16 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. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”

Monks and Hermits Monasticism started in the 3rd Century when two men (Paul and Anthony) took Matthew 19:21 as their mission statement and sold everything to take up lives in the wilderness. The word “monk” is Greek for solitude Even some monks thought this wasn’t far enough and became hermits which is translated as “deeper into the desert

Saint Anthony the is considered the first Monk Monasticism has spread from a local group to a world wide phenomenon. St. Seraphim of Sarov is considered the father of modern monasticism and lived in the forests of Russia

Conclusion Are call is to not be hermits and stow ourselves away from the world, but to be “sanctified” set apart to do God’s work in the world. It is He who sanctifies us and not something we can do ourselves, even Noah stumbled after the flood account. Its not a call to perfection, but purposeful living. The call is found in God’s very name, be set a part for the work of God.