Set apart for God | How to be Holy

This Bible study is all about what it means to be set apart for a holy God.

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These chapters are filled with difficult commands and and laws that are hard for modern-day Christians to understand. There are questions that have to be worked through when reading Leviticus that do not come up in other books of the Bible. As we wrestle with these questions of what it means for God to be Just and loving, one theme stands out above all others. We serve a Holy God who calls us to be Holy because He is Holy. We are to be a people set apart so that the goodness of God can be seen by all.

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Read all about what it means to be set apart for God, before reflecting on it below.

Leviticus 16-20

The proper way to come to worship

The day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) was considered the most sacred day of the year. This was the day that the High priest could approach the mercy seat of God in the Holy of Holies. God made it clear that people could not come whenever they chose into His presence. It was only on this day that the High Priest could enter into God’s presence. Because God is so holy, His presence is revered. The same is true today. We can only come into God’s presence through His own invitation, which He has extended to us. Romans 5:1-2 tells us that through Jesus, we have gained access to the throne of God.

How do you approach God? Do you come before Him knowing that He is Holy? Are you thankful that you can approach Him freely because of Jesus (Hebrews 4:16)?

The scapegoat

On the day of atonement, two goats that would be sacrificed as one. The first goat was marked for the Lord and was to be sacrificed. Its blood was sprinkled on the goat that was to escape into the wilderness. This was to show that a single animal could never fully take away the sins of Israel – only Jesus could do that. One animal was slain and bled for the people. The other took the sins away from the people, but never removed them fully as long as it remained alive in the wilderness.

Jesus took your sins when He died on the Cross, and He showed His divine nature when He rose three days later. How does your perspective of what Jesus did on the cross change as you read the Old Testament laws that point to the finished work of Jesus (Romans 3:23-26)?

Going to the temple

Anyone who sacrificed to God outside of the way and place that God had set up was to be exiled and cut off from the people. The temple was a centralized place to worship and God called His people to be in community. This is somewhat contrary to modern-day America where Christians place an emphasis on individualized worship and religion.

Do you think it is important to gather with other believers? Is your spiritual journey balanced between a community faith and an individual walk, or is it more heavily weighted to one side (Hebrews 10:24-25)?

Set apart from prostitution and Idols

Throughout these chapters, God makes it clear that we are to be set apart to Him. Leviticus 17:5 tells us to not prostitute ourselves to idols. Leviticus 19:4 tells us to not turn to idols. And Leviticus 20:6 tells us to not prostitute ourselves by following mediums and spiritists. The meaning is the same in all these verses. The idea was that Israel was God’s bride (just as we are the bride of Christ) and to chase after idols was to commit adultery with God because we are tuning away from Him. What is worse, the word for idols comes from a root word of “nothingness.” These idols that we chase after (money, friends, influence) are of no value. They are so worthless that they are considered nothings.

Involvement with idols will always separate someone from God. Do you have idols in your life that you need to turn away from so you can embrace Christ (1 Corinthians 10:14)?

Being set apart from the world

God again establishes His authority in Leviticus 18:1-5, reminding the Israelites that He is the Lord their God. He tells them that they are not to do as they saw the Egyptians doing when they lived among them. Nor are they to follow the ways of the Canaanites, in whose land they are going to be living. Instead, God clearly lays out right and wrong for His people regarding sexual morality in this chapter.

What are areas in your life that you live as society says are okay even though it is contrary to God’s word? Do you find yourself conforming to the patterns of this world? Ask God to show you where you are struggling to be obedient to Him (Romans 12:2).

Sexual relations

Over and over, God gives examples of sexual relations that the Israelites are not to have. The Hebrew words used here are גָּלָה עֶרְוָה, meaning “uncover nakedness.” This phrase is slightly vague and hard to translate the exact meaning, whether it be sex in the strictest sense of the word or any kind of sexual impurity. When speaking of adultery in Matthew 5:27-28, Jesus says that just looking at a woman lustfully is committing adultery. WIth sin, it is not just the act itself that makes it sin, but the heart intent behind the action.

God holds high standards for His people concerning sexual purity. Are you following those standards (1 Corinthians 6:9-11)?

To be set apart is to be Holy

Over and over in Leviticus, God commands His people to be Holy, just as God is Holy. To be Holy is to be set apart for God. It is to be consecrated and sanctified; dedicated and prepared for God’s use. To be holy means to be made more and more like God and less like the world. God places a high value on His people being holy because He is holy. Just as God is separate from the world in all of His characteristics (love, mercy, grace), we are to be separate and reflect the character of God.

What does it mean to be Holy (2 Peter 1:3-9)?

Do not hate

So many of the verses and commands are centered around the idea that God calls His children to love their neighbors instead of hating His creation. This section of scripture is known as the holiness code of Israel. And the fact that there are so many commands in the middle to love your neighbor shows something that Christians can easily forget. Kindness and generosity to those in need is a key part to holiness. You cannot be set apart from this world if you do not love as God loves.

How is God’s love reflected in how you treat others (1 John 4:7-21)?

To be set apart is to not ignore evil

Leviticus 18 laid the moral code for sexual immorality and Leviticus 20 gave the punishment: stoning. While this seems like a harsh punishment from a loving God, it is important to remember that stoning was seldom carried out. It needed the witness of two or three people who were willing to cast the first stone (Deuteronomy 17:6-7). Even though capital punishment was rarely carried out in Israel, having the law showed the Israelites that God took immorality seriously. It reminded people that even if they could be immoral without being caught in the act, they still died a spiritual death. They were separated from the God who chose them to be set apart for His glory.

How do you reconcile the loving nature of God with some of the harsh realities found in the Old Testament laws (Deuteronomy 32:3-4)?

Related post: God’s commands led to mercy in a merciless world

Reflect on what it means to be set apart for God

In Leviticus 20:7-8, God tells His people to consecrate themselves. The Hebrew word used here is qadas, which means “consecrate, sanctify, prepare, dedicate, be hallowed, be holy, be sanctified, be separate or set apart.” This is very similar to when God tells us to be Holy. God wants us to be a people set apart for Him, both so others may see and believe, but also so that we may grow in relationship with God.

How can you be set apart for God?

This Bible study was about being set apart for God because He calls us to Be Holy as He is Holy.