Hi, here's a very powerful song about the Holiness of God, called "In The Presence." The central theme of the song is, "I am changed in the presence of a Holy God!" God is Holy, and only He can change us and make us to be Holy, like Him!
Our Daily Bible Portion #30 concludes the month of Shevat, the 11th month of the Jewish year. We are about to move into the 12th month, called "Adar."
The Daily Bible Portion #30 is called "Kedoshim" (meaning 'holy ones'), which includes some extremely powerful scriptures about holiness.
YHVH commanded the Israelites to walk in a way that was distinct and different from all the other nations. Because YHVH God was completely different, He was apart from all sin, He was without any sin, and thus He declared:
‘You shall be holy; for I, YHVH your God, am holy."
Holy means to be separated or set apart for YHVH. The Israelites were to be separated or set-apart for YHVH!
# Name & Meaning Torah Haftarah Brit Chadashah (New Covenant)
30 | Kedoshim | Holy Ones | Lev 19:1-20:27 | Amos 9:7-15 | 1 Cor 6:8-20; 1 Pet 1:13-16 [Also Mt 5:33-37, 43-48; 15:1-11; 19:16-30; 22:33-40; Mk 7:1-23, 12:28-34; Lk 10:25-37; Ro 13:8-10; Ga 5:13-26; Ja 2:1-9, 1Pe 1:13-21] |
Here are a few key scriptures in Leviticus 19 and 20 that show what this 'set-apart-ness' was to look like. YHVH declares:
Leviticus 19
3a Each one of you shall respect his mother and his father.
3b. You shall keep my Sabbaths.
4 Don’t turn to idols, nor make molten gods for yourselves.
11 You shall not steal.
You shall not lie.
You shall not deceive one another.
12 You shall not swear by my name falsely, and profane the name of your God. I am YHVH.
13 You shall not oppress your neighbor, nor rob him.
16. You shall not slander your people.
30 You shall keep my Sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary; I am YHVH.
31 Don’t turn to those who are mediums, nor to the wizards. (20:27 A man or a woman that is a medium or is a wizard shall surely be put to death.)
35 You shall do no unrighteousness in judgment...You shall use only just balances and weights
37 You shall observe all my statutes and all my ordinances, and do them. I am YHVH
Leviticus 20:
2 Anyone who gives any of his offspring to Molech shall surely be put to death.
7 Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be holy; for I am YHVH your God.
8 You shall keep my statutes, and do them. I am YHVH who sanctifies you (YHVH M'kaddeshkim)
9 Everyone who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.
10 The man who commits adultery with another man’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.
13 If a man lies with a male, as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. They shall surely be put to death.
15 If a man lies with an animal, he shall surely be put to death
22 You shall therefore keep all my statutes and all my ordinances, and do them, that the land where I am bringing you to dwell may not vomit you out.
23 You shall not walk in the customs of the nation which I am casting out before you; for they did all these things, and therefore I abhorred them.
24b: I am YHVH your God, who has separated you from the peoples.
25 You shall therefore make a distinction between the clean animal and the unclean
26 You shall be holy [set apart] to me, for I, YHVH, am holy, and have set you apart from the peoples, that you should be mine.
Wow, how awesome is this? We are called to be His very own possession and His very own people!
In the Haftarah portion, Amos 9:7-15 we read that because Israel sinned, God scattered them and sent them into captivity. But He loves Israel still, and this passage speaks of the restoration of Israel (whom God calls the Tabernacle of David, which has crumbled and fallen down, referring to the house of David, the Jewish people). The point of these scriptures is that God would not only bring restoration to Israel, He would also choose a people for Himself from among the Gentiles! HalleluYah!
In the New Testament, 1 Cor 6:8-20 teaches us that we are indwelt of the Holy Spirit and are therefore His temples. As such there is no place for us to connect ourselves with sin! Listen to this list:
9: The unrighteous will not inherit God’s Kingdom! Don’t be deceived. Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor male prostitutes, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor slanderers, nor extortionists, will inherit God’s Kingdom.
11 Some of you were such, but you were washed. But you were sanctified. But you were justified in the name of the Lord Yeshua, and in the Spirit of our God.
13:The body is not for sexual immorality, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body.
15 Don’t you know that your bodies are members of Messiah? Shall I then take the members of Messiah and make them members of a prostitute? May it never be!
16 He who is joined to a prostitute is one body For, “The two”, he says, “will become one flesh.” (Genesis 2:24)
17 But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit.
18 Flee sexual immorality! “Every sin that a man does is outside the body,” but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body.
19 Or don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
1 Pet 1:13-16
15: ...Just as he who called you is holy (set apart), you yourselves also be holy in all of your behavior;
16 because it is written, “You shall be holy (set apart); for I am holy (set apart).” (Leviticus 11:44-45)
The scriptures are so very clear on this matter. God has called us, the redeemed from among the lost Gentiles, to be His very own precious possessions, indwelt of His Holy Spirit. We have become the Temple of the Holy Spirit!
Here is some excellent materials for Bible Portion #30:
https://hebrew4christians.com/Scripture/Parashah/Summaries/Kedoshim/kedoshim.html
May this song be a blessing to you: I Am Changed, in the Presence of a Holy God!
It comes from my Album, "The Lord is My Tower" available here. You can also order CD's if you prefer here:
And this concludes the month of Shevat. The next month is Adar. Note that this year, in 5770, there will be two Adars: Adar I and Adar II. This is because a leap-month is added in 2019, to keep the harvest cycles in sync with the sun.
Here is the calendar including Bible reading portions for Adar I:
Here are the scriptures for each of the Daily Bible Portions:
https://stevekuban.com/bible-and-torah-portions
And in particular tomorrow's passages for 1 Adar:
31 | Emor | Speak | Lev 21:1-24:23 (the appointed Feasts) | Ez 44:15:31 | 1 Pet 2:4-10 [Also Mt 5:38-42; Ga 3:26-29] |
Thanks very much for reading. Tomorrow will be a very wonderful teaching about the seven Festivals of YHVH (from Lev 21) and also a powerful message from Ezekiel 44 about coming into the presence of God Himself and ministering unto Him as a "Son of Zadok" Priest! This revelation changed my life when I came to understand what it meant to be a true worshipper ministering unto YHVH.
Shalom!
Dr. Steve Kuban
PS. Please consider helping us by sowing financial seed into the various music and teachings of this ministry. Thank you so very much. www.stevekuban/donate