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Perfecting Holiness in God’s FearThe Watchtower—1989 | June 1
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3. In what ways were all the Israelites required to be holy, and how did Jehovah help them in this regard?
3 The holy God Jehovah required that the ancient Israelites, his people on earth, should also be holy. This was demanded not only of the priests and the Levites but also of the entire nation. Jehovah said to Moses: “Speak to the entire assembly of the sons of Israel, and you must say to them, ‘You should prove yourselves holy, because I Jehovah your God am holy.’” (Leviticus 19:2) To that end, Jehovah gave them laws to help them remain clean spiritually, morally, mentally, physically, and ceremonially, the latter being in connection with their worship at the tabernacle and, later, at the temple.
A People Set Apart
4, 5. (a) How was fleshly Israel a sanctified nation? (b) What is required of spiritual Israelites, and how does the apostle Peter confirm this?
4 To the extent that the Israelites followed God’s laws, they stood out from the depraved nations around them. They were distinguished as a people set apart, or sanctified, for the service of the holy God Jehovah. Moses told them: “You are a holy people to Jehovah your God. It is you Jehovah your God has chosen to become his people, a special property, out of all the peoples that are on the surface of the ground.”—Deuteronomy 7:6.
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Perfecting Holiness in God’s FearThe Watchtower—1989 | June 1
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8. For what reasons did the Israelites have to keep themselves separate from the religions of Canaan?
8 Fleshly Israelites had to keep themselves scrupulously separate from the unclean religious practices of other nations. Speaking through Moses, Jehovah told Israel: “Watch yourself that you do not conclude a covenant with the inhabitants of the land to which you are going, for fear it may prove itself a snare in your midst. But their altars you people are to pull down, and their sacred pillars [used in connection with disgusting sex worship] you are to shatter, and their sacred poles you are to cut down. For you must not prostrate yourself to another god, because Jehovah, whose name is Jealous, he is a jealous God [or, “a God exacting exclusive devotion,” New World Translation Reference Bible, footnote]; for fear that you may conclude a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, as they will certainly have immoral intercourse with their gods and sacrifice to their gods.”—Exodus 34:12-15.
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Perfecting Holiness in God’s FearThe Watchtower—1989 | June 1
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12. (a) By means of what laws did Jehovah raise the moral status of the Israelites far above that of the surrounding nations? (b) What rules were particularly strict for the priesthood?
12 By means of the Law covenant, Jehovah raised the moral status of the Israelites far above the degraded condition of the surrounding nations. Marriage and family life were protected institutions in Israel. The seventh of the Ten Commandments forbade adultery. Both adultery and fornication were severely punished. (Deuteronomy 22:22-24) Virgins were protected under the Law. (Deuteronomy 22:28, 29) The rules for marriage were particularly strict for the priesthood. As for the high priest, he was required to choose a chaste virgin for a wife.—Leviticus 21:6, 7, 10, 13.
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