Holiness: What God Showed Me Through Israel’s Story

Photo by Daniel Mirlea on Unsplash

As I was reading the battles of Joshua, then the stories that followed all the way to David, and even the years after Solomon when Israel became divided (Joshua - 2 Kings), something became very clear to me. God was not only forming a nation. He was shaping a people who would reflect His heart. And again and again, He kept showing me the same truth: God wants His people to be holy. “Be holy because I am holy.” (Leviticus 11:44)

Israel won so many victories, but those victories were never meant to make them proud. God did not want their hearts filled with greed or self-glory. He wanted humility. He wanted holiness. He wanted obedience. And I realized that the same thing is true for us today.

The Bible says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13)
It reminded me that the strength behind every victory is God, not us. The moment we begin to think we won on our own, the moment we take credit, that is the moment pride enters and obedience fades. God always asked Israel to obey first. He told Joshua, “Do not turn from the law to the right or to the left.” (Joshua 1:7)
Obedience comes before breakthrough.

As I continued reading, God also reminded me about worship. Israel had many distractions, and they often fell into worshiping things that were not God. Today, our idols may look different but they have the same effect. They steal our attention, our time, and our devotion. Yet God’s command remains the same. “You shall have no other gods before Me.” (Exodus 20:3)
Only He deserves our worship. Only He deserves our full attention.

Then I reached the part that many people find difficult to understand. God commanded Israel to destroy certain nations completely. At first, it feels harsh. But Scripture explains why. These nations were fully given over to wickedness. Their sin had reached its full measure, just like God told Abraham, “The sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.” (Genesis 15:16)
God waited hundreds of years before judgment. He was patient. But when the moment came, Israel became the instrument of His judgment.

This was not just wrath, but revelation. God said He did it “so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty.” (Joshua 4:23–24)
He wanted nations to see Him and turn to Him. Israel was His example to the world.

As I thought about this, God started speaking to me about my own life. Today, many of us live in compromise. Israel did too, many times. God calls us to holiness, yet we often choose what feels comfortable instead of what is right. We know God’s Word but we do not always obey it. And compromise slowly steals holiness.

God recently convicted me about forgiveness. He has been teaching me not to delay it. Not after a few minutes, not after calming down, but instantly. Because the Bible says, “Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” (Colossians 3:13)
If God forgave me fully and immediately, who am I to hold on to anger, offense, or pain?

I also realized how many things we pick up from people around us. Habits, behaviors, attitudes. Some of them pull us closer to God, but some do the opposite. Israel was chosen not because they were better, but because God loved them. “The Lord set His love on you… because the Lord loves you.” (Deuteronomy 7:7–8)
God was their source. And God is our source too.

Because of that, we do not need to take from others what does not belong to us. We do not need to learn someone’s mistakes only to gossip. We do not need to shape our identity from the bad examples of others. Instead, we should become the kind of person we want others to become. Titus says, “In everything set them an example by doing what is good.” (Titus 2:7–8)

As I closed my reading, everything brought me back to this simple truth:
God is holy, so we should be holy. (1 Peter 1:16)
Holiness is not perfection. Holiness is surrender. It is choosing God’s ways over our own. It is walking by faith and not by sight. (2 Corinthians 5:7) It is letting the Holy Spirit lead our steps every day.

This is what God is teaching me right now, and I pray it teaches you too.
May His holiness cover us as we fully surrender our lives to Jesus.
In Jesus name, Amen.

Be Blessed and Share the Message

Continue being blessed by reading more of my blogs below or read the very next blog I made that talks about Living by Faith, not by sight.


If this message touched your heart, feel free to share it with someone who needs encouragement today.

FacebookShare on Facebook / Messenger

All glory to God. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Secret Place: Not Just Somewhere You Go, But Somewhere You Live

There’s a place where peace speaks louder than noise… A place where the pressure fades, the striving stops, and your soul finally breathes. For a long time, I thought that place was something I had to “get back to” when life slowed down… when I had more time… when I felt more spiritual. But if I’m being honest— I’m 28, I have a wife and a son, life is full, and sometimes it’s just noisy. And even though I know how to pray… even though I’ve experienced God before… There are seasons where I realize—I haven’t really been in that secret place. Not deeply. I know I can go deeper… but somehow, I don’t. And I think a lot of us live there. Knowing… but not fully entering. What Is the “Secret Place”? When Jesus said in Matthew 6:6, “Go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen…” I used to think it was just about finding a quiet space. And yes, it matters. But now I’m starting to see—it’s more than that. The secret place isn’t just a physical place....
Read more

Is Eating 3 Meals a Day Biblical? History, Scripture, and Modern Eating Habits

Image
Photo by Spencer Davis on Unsplash Many people today grow up believing that eating three meals a day—breakfast, lunch, and dinner—is the natural way humans have always eaten . However, history tells a different story. The idea of eating three structured meals daily developed gradually through cultural changes, work schedules, and industrialization , not through biblical command or ancient tradition. Understanding where our eating habits come from can help us reflect more deeply on how we approach food today—physically, culturally, and spiritually . The History of Eating Meals Biblical Times: Usually One or Two Meals During the time of ancient Israel, people generally ate one main meal in the evening , sometimes accompanied by a lighter meal earlier in the day. Daily life was built around work, agriculture, and daylight , so the evening meal became the primary time for eating and gathering. Food was simple and practical. Bread, grains, olives, fish, and fruits formed the basis of many ...
Read more

When We Choose to Stay: A Reflection on Ruth and Orpah

Image
Photo by Kristaps Grundsteins on Unsplash Continuing from Yesterday’s Reflection In yesterday’s reflection, we looked at how Ruth’s story began not with triumph but with loss, pain, and uncertainty. We were reminded that privilege often hides behind hardship, and that many of us fail to see what God is doing because we become focused on our own struggles. Today, I want to reflect on a chapter of this narrative that points not only to God’s unfolding plan but also to the choices that shape how we respond to God’s purposes. In the beginning of the Book of Ruth, we see two women in the same situation. They both married Naomi’s sons, and they both experienced the same loss: their husbands died. Both women faced pain, uncertainty, and a future that seemed unclear. Yet, at the end of that chapter, they made two different decisions. The Bible does not explain why Orpah chose to return home, nor why Ruth chose to stay. What Scripture does tell us is how Ruth’s faithfulness brought her into ...
Read more