Ezekiel 36:21: “Therefore say unto the house of Israel, thus says the Lord God, I do not this for your sakes O house of Israel, but for mine holy names sake which you have profaned among the heathen, whether you went.”
What is it that makes God great? Is it His great power, the fact that He is the creator, or that He is all powerful? Scripture seems to teach that God’s greatness lies in His Holiness.
That leads to an ever greater question. What is holiness? The word used in Ezekiel 36:21 for holy in the Hebrew is kadushah. This word has as its root the idea of separation. However, you will find that this is the same word that is used for a prostitute. The reference is not to a prostitute as we know them today. This is referencing a sacred prostitute. It is believed by Biblical scholars that Rahab was such a sacred prostitute. The goddess Asherah or Anat had sacred prostitutes who where a sexual connection to the supposed goddess. Sexual relations with a sacred prostitute was considered an act of worship to this goddess. This is how the word kadushah came to be connected to something that was holy or separate. When one entered into an intimacy with a sacred prostitute it was the symbol of entering into an intimacy with the goddess. You would then become one with the goddess and thus open the door to receiving the power of the goddess. This sacred prostitute was to be held separate from all others and you did not approach her (or him) without proper protocols. You may remember from the story of Rahab where the soldiers came to her door in Jericho seeking the Hebrew spies in the book of Joshua. They did not force their way in as you would expect with a prostitute today. They showed her all due respect and courtesy. When she told a big whopper of a lie, they believed her. They believed her because Rahab was a kadushah. She was considered holy and thus subject to certain protocols. That is an aspect of holiness that we tend to overlook but is very much a part of the definition of kadushah and that is that this separation is subject to proper protocols.
The greatness of God lies in the fact that He is worthy of certain protocols and to not follow those protocols is to profane his holiness. The goal of holiness is intimacy. You cannot enter into intimacy with God unless you follow certain protocols. Ultimately, God is sinless, that is what makes him separate or holy. To enter into an intimacy with God we must be sinless. That is why the law was given and that is why Jesus fulfilled the law. Through the finished work of Jesus Christ we can be made holy through Him and thus enter into an intimacy with God. So when God says He does not restore Israel for their sakes but for the sake of His holy name He is saying that He does not restore Israel for their sake because they don’t want a relationship with Him, but he does it for the sake of His holy name or because He is the one who desires an intimate relationship with them.
When we sin, we violate or profane God’s holiness. The word profane is kalal which really means to pollute. You can have a stream of pure water. When you allow a foreign substance or a contaminate to enter that stream, it becomes polluted. When we profane the Holy name of God we are allowing pollutants to enter into our relationship with Him and that cuts off all possibilities of an intimacy with Him.
Now this is where the rubber hit’s the road. Let’s say I am tempted to sin. Sin is basically doing something contrary to the nature of God. What is my first thought? “If I do this God is going to be angry with me and he might not give me that blessing or answer that prayer that I have been pestering Him about.” It is true, you may not get that blessing or answer to prayer, but not because God is angry with you or punishing you for being bad. It is because you have made it impossible for him to respond because you have violated or polluted His holiness to the point where you cannot share in His intimacy.
The word for “holy” is spelled Qof which represents holiness, Daleth which is a portal to the next letter which is a Shin or God‘s power and passionate love. Esoterically we find that the order of the letters in the root word for holy, kadosh suggest that holiness is the doorway or portal into God’s power and passionate love. When we violate God’s holiness we close the door to His power and passionate love. In other words when we pollute his holiness with our sinfulness, he can no longer have an intimate relationship with us and it is that intimacy or holiness that births the answer to our prayers or releases the power of God and His passionate love.
Well, as always, Jesus put it best: “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, then all these things will be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:33). Our primary task is to protect the holiness of God. When we do that we can enter into an intimacy with Him and by doing that, we can open the door to His power and passionate love.
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