Set Apart

Leviticus 20:26 “You must be holy because I, the Lord, am holy. I have set you apart from all other people to be my very own.”

TheFreeDictionary.com defines set apart as:

1. To reserve for a specific use.

2. To make noticeable.

What does it mean that we are set apart?  Deuteronomy 7:6 tells us, “For you are a holy people, who belong to the Lord your God. Of all the people on earth, the Lord your God has chosen you to be his own special treasure.”  This verse was written about the Jewish people, but it applies to us today as is seen in Ephesians 1:4 “Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.”

God has called us to be his holy people.  In the book of Exodus we read about Aaron and his sons being set apart for service to God.  Then in 1 Peter 2:9 we are told that we too are also set apart.

Exodus 28:1-5 “Call for your brother, Aaron, and his sons, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. Set them apart from the rest of the people of Israel so they may minister to me and be my priests. Make sacred garments for Aaron that are glorious and beautiful. Instruct all the skilled craftsmen whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom. Have them make garments for Aaron that will distinguish him as a priest set apart for my service. These are the garments they are to make: a chestpiece, an ephod, a robe, a patterned tunic, a turban, and a sash. They are to make these sacred garments for your brother, Aaron, and his sons to wear when they serve me as priests. So give them fine linen cloth, gold thread, and blue, purple, and scarlet thread.”

1 Peter 2:9 “But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.”

Observations about being Set Apart:

      A.      Greater responsibility/accountability

1.       Only the high priest was allowed to enter the Holy of Holies. Hebrews 9:7 “But only the high priest ever entered the Most Holy Place, and only once a year. And he always offered blood for his own sins and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance.”

2.       Only the priests could offer sacrifices to God.  Leviticus 6:8-9a Then the Lord said to Moses, “Give Aaron and his sons the following instructions regarding the burnt offering.”

3.       Priests were accountable for the temple. Numbers 18:1 Then the Lord said to Aaron: “You, your sons, and your relatives from the tribe of Levi will be held responsible for any offenses related to the sanctuary. But you and your sons alone will be held responsible for violations connected with the priesthood.

4.       We will all give an account of our lives.  Romans 14:12 “Yes, each of us will give a personal account to God.”

5.       Our works will be tested by fire. 1 Corinthians 3:12-15 “Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials—gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value. If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward. But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames.”

6.       We are accountable for the things God gives us (talents, gifts, abilities). Matthew 25:29 “To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away.”

      B.      New Clothes

1.       Priests were given special robes to wear.  Exodus 28:2-3 2 “Make sacred garments for Aaron that are glorious and beautiful. Instruct all the skilled craftsmen whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom. Have them make garments for Aaron that will distinguish him as a priest set apart for my service.”

2.       We are given the clothing of salvation. Isaiah 61:10 “I am overwhelmed with joy in the Lord my God! For he has dressed me with the clothing of salvation and draped me in a robe of righteousness. I am like a bridegroom dressed for his wedding or a bride with her jewels.”

3.       We are clothed with the presence of Christ. Romans 13:14 “Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.”

4.       We are clothed in the righteousness of Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:21 “For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.”

       C.      Called to Holiness

1.       When God called the children of Israel to be holy he wanted them to be set apart from the other nations.  He wanted others to be able to identify them as his people by their distinct lifestyle which was contrary to that of the nations around them.  (Leviticus 11 and 19).

2.       We, as God’s people, are called to holiness today.  1 Peter 1:13-16 “So prepare your minds for action and exercise self-control. Put all your hope in the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn't know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, ‘You must be holy because I am holy.’”

       D.      Promise of Eternity

1.       The Jews were promised the land of Canaan (Joshua 21).

2.       Believers are promised eternity with God. 2 Timothy 2:10 (NASB) “For this reason I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen, so that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory.”

Matthew 25:46, “These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

      God promised to give to the seed of Abraham the land of Canaan for a possession, and now they possessed it, and dwelt therein. And the promise of the heavenly Canaan is as sure to all God's spiritual Israel; for it is the promise of Him that cannot lie.

(Taken from Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary)

Being set apart involves great cost and responsibility; however, it also comes with great reward!  

All Scripture is NLT unless otherwise stated.