Dedicating our Nation to God
When God was about to perform significant events in Israel, He would often ask them to draw near and rededicate themselves to Him. Why? Because He wants our partnership, not just our obedience. And the faith and spiritual authority needed to partner with Him are determined by how well we know Him; intimacy produces efficacy. Our heart connection with Abba dictates the degree of our productivity in His Kingdom. The more we know His heart and ways, the more authority and responsibility He can entrust to us. He wants partners, family - not hirelings.
The actual Hebrew word He used when telling Israel to dedicate themselves was qadash. The way this word is often translated, along with our preconceived ideas, can rob us of its true meaning. Qadash is frequently translated as “consecrate” or “sanctify.” To most people, these are antiquated religious terms meaning, “to be holy by not sinning or committing inappropriate acts.” However, that is NOT what qadash means. It actually means to be “set apart, separated, dedicated to, consecrated, sanctified.”(1) In Scripture, this was a setting apart or dedication TO God, not FROM sinful actions. Consecration is for connection. Sanctification is a relational concept.
The Old Testament word for being separated from sinful acts is nazir.(2) You can easily see that “nazarite” comes from this word, which was a person who took a nazarite vow of “separation from” certain things and activities. The vow and actions were meant to picture one’s devotion to God, not produce it. Nazir did not create one’s relationship with God. Religion has wrongly emphasized that nazir - don’t do this, don’t touch that, don’t go here, etc.-- defines one’s relationship with God. But this nazir concept doesn’t connect us to a relational God who wants to relate to us as Father (Abba), whom we can love and enjoy. Because of this error, He is often seen primarily as the Judge. And a mean one, at that, just looking for an excuse to sentence us sorry humans to pain and torment. Our only hope for salvation and approval from this Judge is our good works, perfect performance, righteous deeds - nazir. Sadly, this concept of nazir - separate yourself FROM - is often the religious standard for a person’s relationship with God.
Qadash, on the other hand, is not a command to separate from things and activities - i.e., stop doing something. Rather, it is an invitation to separate ourselves unto God: draw near to Him, set ourselves apart to Him, dedicate our lives to Him. Whereas nazir is “stay away from,” qadash is “draw near to.” God wants connection, not perfection; He wants a family, not fearful subjects; He craves relationship, not religious activity. He told Israel repeatedly, “Qadash yourselves. Draw near to Me.” He didn’t say, “nazir yourselves.” The difference is profoundly important:
Qadash is do; nazir is don’t.
Qadash produces and enhances relationship; nazir is only a picture of relationship.
Qadash is worship; nazir is works.
Qadash is the source; nazir is the outflow.
Qadash is the root; nazir is the fruit.
It shouldn’t surprise us that the word “holy” is not derived from the Hebrew word nazir, but from qadash. ”Holy,” in the Old Testament, is the word qodesh. Nazir - separating ourselves from/not doing things we perceive as sinful - does not make us holy. Can you say, Pharisee? No, holiness (qodesh)(3) is produced by - and literally defined as - being separated unto God (qadash): Dedication to Him; drawing near to Him; giving Him quality time; worshipping Him. These actions describe relationship, and they define holiness.
So, back to our opening statement that when doing significant events in Israel, the Lord would often ask them to qadash themselves:
Exodus 19:10 - Moses was told to qadash the descendants of Abraham for three days at Mount Sinai, before God gave them their national government.
Exodus 28:41 - Moses was told to qadash Aaron and his sons before anointing them, inaugurating the priesthood of Israel.
Joshua 3:5 - Joshua told the Israelites to qadash themselves for a day before crossing the Jordon into the promised land of Canaan.
Joel 2:15 - Joel instructed the people of Israel to qadash themselves in preparation for the incredible restoration God was about to perform (which also pictured Pentecost in Acts 2).
The May 17 day of rededication is vitally important for America. It is a day for Americans to qadash our nation to the Lord once again. This will prepare us for revival, for restoration, for new beginnings. It is what God needs and wants in order to do so - not religious actions but heartfelt dedication.
I believe the coming outpouring of Holy Spirit will be the greatest “presence movement” in history. It will not be built on or revolve around gifts, preaching, personalities, methods, programs, buildings, religious methods, innovation, sensationalism, or hype. It will result from and be based on relationship with a person: God. And millions of people around the world will find what they have been looking for: the love of their Creator.
Pray with me:
Father, as we move toward an outpouring that undoubtedly brings You great excitement, we are preparing ourselves by drawing near to You. Forgive us for ever believing our good works could motivate You to redeem us. There is nothing we could ever do to earn Your love and grace. EVERYTHING You do is motivated by Your love. You ARE love, so how could it be otherwise?
We ask You to release great revelation to us over the coming weeks as we draw near to You. May we see facets of Your character and nature we have not seen before. We cry out with our brother, Paul, whose passionate plea was, “that I may know Him...” (Philippians 3:10). We align with the words of David, who said, “I heard Your voice in my heart say, ‘Come, seek My face;’ my inner being responded, ‘Yahweh, I’m seeking Your face with all my heart’” (Psalm 27:8 TPT).
Our heart’s cry, Lord, is that through our response of drawing near to You, we prepare the way for You to bring a presence movement to America and the earth that draws millions of people to You. So often in the past, the church has offered only religion. In this next great outpouring, may we offer them YOU!
Our decree:
We declare our faith that the greatest presence movement in history is going to invade the earth.
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James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), ref. no. 6242.
Ibid., ref. no. 5139.
Ibid., ref. no. 6944.