2010 November 20 - Morning Manna

Give unto the LORD, O ye mighty, give unto the LORD glory and strength. Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.(Psalms 29:1-2)

Today's Morsel:  The Hebrew word for holiness is kodesh, which means something which is cut off, separate or set apart.  It describes that which is anti-secular (secular of or relating to the worldly or temporal), in a category all its own.  Kodesh describes something that is elevated out of the sphere of what is ordinary.  The New Testament word hagios also means set apart, separate, and so in a class by itself.  It follows that for believers, the call to be holy is a call to be separated from common use and set apart, or reserved, for special use.  In both Old and New Testaments, the term is applied to things, persons, and pre-eminently to God Himself.  A beautiful illustration of the inherent idea of separation that is found in the word holiness comes from the world of nature.  I read the following article in my daily devotion which I feel address holiness.

In the forests of northern Europe and Asia lives a little animal called the ermine, known for his snow-white fur in winter.  He instinctively protects his white coat against anything that would soil it.  Fur hunters take advantage of this unusual trait of the ermine.  They don’t set a snare to catch him, but instead they find his home, which is usually a cleft in a rock or a hollow in an old tree.  They smear the entrance and interior with grime.  Then the hunters set their dogs loose to find and chase the ermine.  The frightened animal flees toward home, but doesn’t enter because of the filth.  Rather than soil his white coat, he is trapped by the dogs and captured while preserving his purity.  For the ermine, purity is more precious than life.

What an awesome example of holiness.  Willing to give one's life to remain pure.  To be willing to die rather than  defile oneself with the filthy and grime of this world.  Paul says that nature itself teaches us.  We are called to be holy because the Lord is holy (1 Peter 1:16).  We are to be set apart and meet for the Master's use.  As Isaiah said, "And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called the way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein" (Isaiah 35:8).  If you plan on seeing and being with Jesus, you must be holy (Hebrews 12:14).

 

Sing:  I'm not doubting about the way!  Oh, Oh, Oh! I'm not doubting about the way!  Walking in the light, holiness is right, and I'm not doubting about the way!