The Names of God: Jehovah M'Kaddesh/ Jehovah Sanctifies
Meg Chaney
“Keep my statutes and do them; I am the Lord who sanctifies you”
The Hebrew word for sanctified, qāḏaš, means “to consecrate, sanctify, be holy, be separate.” With the Fall in the Garden of Eden, sin entered this world. God cannot stand the presence of sin, so something had to be set in place to cover/sanctify the sins of His people. And so, a long list of rules and regulations were set into place. Take a glance at Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, and you’ll start to see just how extensive this list was! The Israelites were given these rules to set them apart from the pagan cultures surrounding them. They were set apart to worship God, to not get trapped in the false religions of neighboring nations. Yes, these rules were extensive, but they also laid out a path of forgiveness for the people. They would bring animal sacrifices to the Tabernacle (and later the Temple) and offer them up as an atonement. These sacrifices would cover their sins. But they had to come back again, and again, and again. Their sins were being covered, but still, the sinning, and a need for atonement, continued on. Ultimately Jesus Christ would come into this world as the Lamb of Atonement and would cover all of our sins, once and for all. He would sanctify us through His blood. Jesus would be the one, who would ultimately make us holy. He would give us the ability to stand in the presence of God.
When we say “Jehovah Sanctifies.” We’re reminding our selves of this wonderful promise of God. He’s the one who sanctifies. The one who covers. The one who makes us whole. He sanctifies us everyday. This continual process is at work in each of us. Without it, we would still need to be bringing sacrifices to the alter. Instead, His once and forever sacrifice sanctifies and renews us each and every day.
Philippians 2:12-13 tells us to “work out our salvation.” This isn’t by anything we do ourselves, but is the daily act of sanctification, of being renewed time and again. Of becoming more like Christ.
Isn’t that amazing? Each and every day, you are being sanctified. Your sins are being covered, and you are becoming more and more like Christ! It’s a fascinating process, and something that’s hard to wrap our earthly brains around. But it’s something I’m forever thankful for! We are sanctified. We are able to live, with the presence of God working within us. We are now the Temple of the Holy Spirit. It’s no longer a building, but each and every one of us!
He sanctifies us. He makes us holy. For that, I’m forever thankful.