Read:
A wedding dress is worn for one special occasion; it’s different from all the other dresses, and after it’s worn, it’s often preserved and saved for another generation. It’s set apart and treated differently because it’s special.
The word “kadosh,” or in English, "Holy One", is used to describe something as pure, sacred, and separated from things that are common. In Exodus, as God describes the Tabernacle that he wants the people of Israel to build, God describes the Most Holy Place, sometimes called the Holy of Holies. This was where God would live. It would be separated from the rest of the Tabernacle by a special curtain, and elsewhere in Exodus, God told the people that only the High Priest could go behind the curtain, only once a year, to make atonement for the sins of the people. At all other times, no one could approach this very special place.
God is holy, set apart, pure, and sacred. And because of our sins and mistakes, we couldn’t just approach God. But when Jesus died on the cross, paying for our sins with his own life, the curtain that separated man from the holy dwelling place of God was torn in two. God is still holy, but now, we can approach God with confidence, knowing that we are forgiven because of Christ and adopted into God’s family.
It is easy to forget that God is holy because we can come to him with all our sin and shame. He wants us to come to him! But that doesn’t mean he is less holy. In fact, it proves his holiness, because only the holy God could pay the penalty for our sin, and only once it was paid could we approach him at all.
Prayer: Dear God, the Holy One, thank you for sending Jesus to die for my sins. Thank you for allowing me to approach you with every fear, worry, and need I have. You are holy and worthy of my worship, and I give it freely. Amen.