Qedosh Yisrael is the Hebrew name for God meaning Holy One Of Israel. God is so unique, incomprehensible, and a mystery that He has many names that describe His character. God is holy. The biggest mystery to me is that Qedosh Yisrael desires for us to be holy too and recognizing that is impossible, then He provides a way for us through His Son, Jesus Christ, and the finished work of the cross to enable us to become holy enough o enter His presence. As believers, we are called to reflect the character of Christ, to be holy even as He is holy.
Qedosh Yisrael-Holy One Of Israel
The Lord also said to Moses,2 “Give the following instructions to the entire community of Israel. You must be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy. Leviticus 19:1-2.
Pronouncing The Name: ke-DOSH yis-ra-AIL
This is Day 12 of a 30 Day study on The Names Of God. If you haven't read the introduction yet, please start HERE
Understanding the Name Of God, Qedosh Yisrael-Holy One Of Israel:
We first meet this name for God in Exodus 3:5 when God told Moses to remove his sandals because the place on which he was standing on was holy ground. The next time we see this name is in the book of Leviticus when God instructs Moses to speak to the entire assembly of Israel and tell them:
The Lord also said to Moses, 2 “Give the following instructions to the entire community of Israel. You must be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy.
3 “Each of you must show great respect for your mother and father, and you must always observe my Sabbath days of rest. I am the Lord your God.
4 “Do not put your trust in idols or make metal images of gods for yourselves. I am the Lord your God.
“When you harvest the crops of your land, do not harvest the grain along the edges of your fields, and do not pick up what the harvesters drop. 10 It is the same with your grape crop—do not strip every last bunch of grapes from the vines, and do not pick up the grapes that fall to the ground. Leave them for the poor and the foreigners living among you. I am the Lord your God.
11 “Do not steal.
“Do not deceive or cheat one another.
12 “Do not bring shame on the name of your God by using it to swear falsely. I am the Lord.
13 “Do not defraud or rob your neighbor.
“Do not make your hired workers wait until the next day to receive their pay.
14 “Do not insult the deaf or cause the blind to stumble. You must fear your God; I am the Lord.
15 “Do not twist justice in legal matters by favoring the poor or being partial to the rich and powerful. Always judge people fairly.
16 “Do not spread slanderous gossip among your people.[a]
“Do not stand idly by when your neighbor’s life is threatened. I am the Lord.
17 “Do not nurse hatred in your heart for any of your relatives.[b] Confront people directly so you will not be held guilty for their sin.
18 “Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against a fellow Israelite, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord. Leviticus 19:1-4,9-18.
God is holy. That is His nature. He is total perfection. The people of Israel had to follow ritual practices and adherence to moral laws to atone for sin. They couldn't come directly into God's presence because of His holiness, they had to have a priest offer sacrifice on their behalf. We are so blessed! Jesus Christ bridged that gap for us. He was the perfect offering for our sins. So, now if you are a believer, you are called to be holy. God gave us the Holy Spirit to enable us to imitate Jesus Christ and to walk in holiness.
That isn't an easy task but one we can work on with the help of the Holy Spirit.
When you surrender your life to God, He marks you with His Holy Spirit. You are set apart for God and enabled to live a holy life by His indwelling and empowering Holy Spirit. You are now His witness in our dark and hurting world. You are His representative. Your hands are an extension of Christ's holy arms of love, your mouth is His mouthpiece-you can speak encouraging words that point others to God. Your ears are now sensitive to the Holy Spirit speaking to you. Your mind and emotions can be transformed and renewed through prayer and studying the Bible with a listening ear toward the Holy Spirit and listening to the revelation of God's written word.
How can your life be transformed by knowing God as Qedosh Yisrael? Purposefullypresent yourself to God as a living sacrifice.
A beautiful verse from Romans 12:1-2 sums it up perfectly:
And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
Qedosh Yisrael in Hebrew:
Qedosh is Hebrew for, "Holy One," a title for God that appears most frequently in the book of Isaiah. It also is found in Hosea, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Habakkuk, Psalms, and Job.
To understand this title, "Holy One Of Israel," you need to understand that holiness is grounded in God's nature. He is total perfection. There is no sin in God and He requires the same of us. That is impossible. We cannot ever atone for our sins. There is no great work that ever could reach the perfection needed by God. But God knows that and He loves you more than you can ever comprehend. That is why Jesus Christ died on the cross to cover the chasm between us and God. So now we can approach God's throne of grace unafraid because He made a way through Jesus!
Hebrews 4:16
So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.
Applying the name of God, Qedosh Yisrael to your life:
Where in your life do you need to make changes in order to live according to God's guidelines for holiness?
Ask the Holy Spirit to highlight the areas in your life that need attention.
Are your relationships with family, friends, or co-workers healthy?
Is there something that you need to repent of?
How does knowing God Qedosh Yisrael-Holy One Of Israel affect your life?
I have prepared a free printable for you to use as you explore the names of God. You will find it in our Resource Library Here.
This page has prompts for you to use as you prayerfully meditate on the names of God.
So who is Qedosh Yisrael to you?
How does knowing God as Qedosh Yisrael impact your life?
How can you grow in your Christian walk by understanding God as Qedosh Yisrael?
Praying the Name Of God, Qedosh Yisrael:
When you pray the word of God, you are praying His words of truth into your situation. It is the same when you pray the names of God. When you understand the meaning of the specific name of God and pray it over your situation is declaring His power over it. It certainly will build your faith and expectation of God to move in it. When you pray God's name, you are declaring the truth of who God is and you are proclaiming His power at work in your life. And when you pray to Qedosh Yisrael, you are praying to the God whose holiness separates Him from sin and evil but it is also full of His power, knowledge, justice, mercy, goodness, and love.
Let's Pray:
Qedosh Yisrael, You are holy. There is no one like You. You are total perfection. I bow down and worship You. Forgive me for-----------. Thank You for sending Jesus to the cross, so that His blood may cover my sin. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit afresh, so that I may learn Your ways and walk in the path that You have ordained for my life. Amen.
I would love it if you could share with me your thoughts as you work your way through this Scripture plan. You can connect with me via emailkaren@scripturalgrace.comor on our FACEBOOKpage. Come back tomorrow as we unpack the name, Yahweh Tsuri-The Lord Is My Rock.
It's all about His grace
xx Karen