Deuteronomy 26:19
“He has declared that he will set you in praise, fame and honor high above all the nations he has made and that you will be a people holy to the Lord your God, as he promised.”
Israel was to “be a holy people to The Lord”. That has a couple of meanings. Today, we’ll address the first one. One meaning of holy is to be set apart. It’s like the good china is used when company comes. It’s set apart for that use. So, also Israel is set apart for The Lord.
What’s the use that He set them apart for? They were to be an example to all the nations of what God does for the people that are His. They were to be the envy of the world. The climax of God’s use of Israel was Jesus being the one that would allow God’s blessings to reach anyone of any nation.
We, as christians, are also set apart for the same purpose. 1 Peter 2:9 says, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, to proclaim the virtues of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”
The Lord has set us apart to bless us. He fills us with His love and grace. He blesses our lives. He prospers us and gives us favor. He does this because of His love for us. When we come to Christ, He and heaven celebrates (Luke 15:7). We should feel blessing, love and favor in our lives.
He also sets us apart to reach others for Christ. Just as Israel was a model to the world, so we are to be as well. Jesus call us the “salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13). We are to make people thirsty for The Lord. People should want to be closer to Christ after intersecting with us.
Lord, thanks that You’ve set us apart. Thanks for the blessings You’ve showered on our lives. Help us to live in a manner that others want You.