Names of God  (Jehovah Mekoddishkem - The Lord Who Sanctifies)

“Speak also to the children of Israel, saying: ‘Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you. Exodus 31:13 NKJV In the Old Testament Jehovah Mekoddishkem occurs 2 times. It was first used in Exodus 31:13 and then in Leviticus 20:8. The chief meaning of Jehovah is derived from the Hebrew word Havah meaning "to be" or "to exist." Mekoddishkem is derived from the Hebrew word qâdash meaning "sanctify," "holy," or "dedicate." Sanctification is the separation of an object or person to the dedication of the Holy. When the two words are combined, it can be translated as "The Lord who sets you apart." Sanctification actually occurs in two stages. The first stage is called definitive sanctification and it occurs the moment that God justifies a person. God places the sins of the person on Jesus so that He receives the wrath we deserve and God places the righteousness of Jesus onto our accounts so that, before Him, we are saints without sin and with the righteousness of Jesus: The second stage is the more commonly used definition and is called progressive sanctification, which occurs throughout the Christian’s life. When we look at the context of this passage of Scripture in which God reveals this name we discover that this is the time when Moses was on the mountain top alone with God. This was when God gave the children of Israel the Law (the Ten Commandments). The children of Israel had spent the last four hundred years as slaves in Egypt living under the bondage of slavery and under the rules of a godless Pharaoh. Now they had been redeemed by their God, they were free, but they were not free to live to themselves, they had been set free to serve the I AM. The children of Israel were no longer to look, talk, or act like slaves of Egypt. They were redeemed to be set apart. That is what sanctified means. They were being set apart and prepared and dedicated to represent and serve the One True Living God. They were going to be consecrated and taught by God on how to be holy and majestic and to be a people of honor. They were no longer to be slaves but they were now sons. They were to be sons whose greatest desire was to honor their Father. The children of Israel did not do a thing to earn their sanctification. They were slaves who had nothing, they didnt buy their freedom and could not purchase their own redemption. If you read the preceding chapters of the book of Exodus you would also see that the children of Israel grumbled and complained the whole way into their freedom. They did nothing to sanctify themselves. They had no ability within themselves to make themselves holy. God had to do it all. Thus He is Jehovah-mekkodishkem, the LORD who sanctifies you. We didn't earn our sanctification neither did we earn our salvation. We were slaves to sin, in bondage to our flesh and Satan held the cords of control. We were bankrupt and broken, we could not set ourselves free, we could not pay our way out hence we had to be redeemed. It was Jehovah-mekkodishkem that came to our rescue. We have been rescued from sin and its consequences, sanctified and set apart to live a life that glorifies God, remember you are no longer a slave to sin so walk in the path of righteousness that God has pre-destined for you. Written by Peju Rc4c Ambassador