YHWH’s fourth name is YHWH-m’kaddishkem, “God who sanctifies you” or makes holy (Exo. 31:13). YHWH-m’kaddishkem celebrates most appropriately the realization of His seven Sabbaths handiwork with Israel in the Feast of Shavuot/Pentecost.

Speak also to the children of Israel, saying: “Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am YHWH who sanctifies you” (Exo. 31:13).

Genesis 1’s creation week concludes with YHWH Elohim resting upon His throne and blessing and sanctifying the seventh day, commemorating His power over chaos in restoring the earth with abundant life and forming the adam in His image, male and female. The seventh-day rest praises YHWH’s perfect work, “very good” (tov m^e od, 62, 2·31). Exodus 31:13 was YHWH’s seventh command for the Tabernacle’s construction. When Israel symbolically entered the Tabernacle of meeting each Sabbath, they absorbed the menorah’s light (207), YHWH’s holy Presence. It reminded them of the Creator’s light rescuing the earth from chaos to a flawless, pleasingly excellent, upright, and fruitful work of beauty. Israel’s keeping the Sabbath holy was an expression of faith and trust in YHWH’s delivering His creation from its fallen state to the perfection of “exceedingly good” (Gen. 1:31, Deu. 5:15). YHWH’s victorious wisdom of light, knowing good from evil, produced a Sabbath without sunset, making the Sabbath the finale of all Scripture.

The Sabbath command included keeping YHWH’s seven annual Holyday Sabbaths, His salvation plan resulting in tov m^e od. The rhythm of the seven-day week and the seven Holyday months stabilizes the lunar calendar year (see Blog 3 “Festivals of Light,” Blog 4 “Time Marked by Sevens,” and Blog 16 “Biblical Lunar Time”). Since Israel belongs to YHWH, the weekly and annual Sabbaths are signs of His handiwork. Founded on the Passover, His Holydays also follow a seven-Sabbath plan, bringing humanity into eternal rest of enthronement with Him, the satisfying joy of oneness with a holy God forever.

Sabbath-keeping was a sign between YHWH and Israel that they might know He sanctified them. “To sanctify” is to set aside for holy use, dedicate, consecrate, make holy, or pronounce clean. The seven Sabbaths suggest the completion of making holy. Leviticus’ “Holiness Code” contains YHWH-m’kaddishkem seven times, outlining His redeemed nation of priest’s walk and worship. Educated to quarantine sin’s contagiousness, the priests enforced separation and cleansing. Their primary duty was to protect/guard the holiness of God’s dwelling place, even putting intruders to death. Performing priestly services required them to be ceremonially clean, without contamination by death or the way that causes death. “Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (2Co. 7:1). Since the word “holy” appears 150 times throughout Leviticus’ passages, sanctification—Israel’s perfecting holiness—identifies Christ’s bride from generation to generation. Holiness describes anything in God’s presence, the Temple, the priesthood, or the earth around the burning bush, distinct from the common or profane. God commanded Israel to “Be you holy, for I am Holy,” teaching how and in what way we walk and dwell with Him. More than anything else, holiness constitutes YHWH’s nature and perfection, entirely without evil, without anything that produces death. Pure awe and breathtaking holinesses are His glory and beauty. Hannah praised God in song when He answered her prayer for a savior for Israel, “There is none holy as YHWH; for there is none beside You” (1Sa. 2:2). Manifesting itself in the Savior’s redeeming love and sacrificial work, holiness makes Israel fit for His presence. Holiness stands distinct from evil and its corrupting chaos. Holiness is YHWH’s tov m^e od of being fruitful and multiplying, filling the earth.

“Holy” in Hebrew is qadosh (410, Strong’s H6918) or, as a proper noun, Kadesh (Strong’s H6946). The underlying idea of qadosh in YHWH-m’kaddishkem is “to cause, make, pronounce clean (ceremonially, morally) entirely, not to be put to common use. It includes action to separate, to prepare, to dedicate, to sanctify, and to make holy” (BDB definitions, H6942). God’s holiness arises from His justice springing forth as living water. Kadesh, a place in the wilderness, is also called En Mishpat, “Spring of Justice” (Gen. 14:7). Inseparable, holiness and justice satisfy God’s righteousness or uprightness. Holiness, the theme of the fourth sign, and justice, the theme of the fifth sign, are indiscrete, for one cannot be detached from the other.

The Temple’s underpinning comes from the Hebrew word picture of “holy.” Solomon built Jerusalem’s Temple and altar upon a threshing floor (2Sa. 24:18, 25). In Hebrew thought, “holy” is that left after removing the stalk and husk by threshing (Seekings, p. 171). The entire seven Sabbath count to Pentecost is a harvest, a time YHWH works to make holy a people, a firstborn or priesthood, sanctified to serve Him, removing from them that which is worthless, leaving only the usable grain. Both the Wavesheaf Offering (count begins) and the two Pentecost loaves (count ends) were parched by fire, destroying all of sin’s pollution, becoming holy, acceptable offerings to God (1Co. 3:12–15). The priests ground Pentecost’s parched grain into flour, sifted it again, and baked the two-tenths leavened loaves, halting the bearing of sin. Only after God accepted the wave loaves could His firstborn nation celebrate a meal and invite the poor. Israel’s perfected holiness flows out in springs of justice to humanity like the river of living water flowing from Jerusalem’s New Temple (Rev. 22:1–4).

Some theologians classify Sabbath keeping, circumcision, and the laws of clean and unclean meats as unnecessary “works of the law.” What happens if we take the Sabbath out of creation? Or take away circumcision of the heart (writing the Torah upon our hearts)? Or scorn the keeping of food laws known before the Noachian flood? Taking away the Sabbath denies the Creator’s creation victory, enthronement, Eden, and eternity in oneness with Him. If we take away circumcision of the heart, we take away the Tree of Life and the New Covenant. And if we refuse His food laws, we remove how to approach our holy God and deny the essence of His heart, His holiness and justice. In principle, we remove God from the picture. Therefore, I asked myself, “How important is the seven Sabbath count, walking with YHWH-m’kaddishkem?”

Takeaway:
When I understood the importance of the seven-Sabbath count to Pentecost, I understood more fully why the dual center of John’s Gospel chiasmus is the way of the Sabbath, the way of Yeshua’s victory over death and all that it produces. YHWH-m’kaddishkem becomes enthroned in our minds when we number our days to gain a heart of wisdom (Psa. 90:12), walking before Him in the seven Sabbaths to His holy mountain. Resting with Him on His throne, we become mini-Eden tabernacles.

Fun Factors:
Exodus 31:13 has 80 letters in 21 words (the same number of words as YHWH’s Sabbath signature of Gen.2:2-3a), totaling 6491, the 842^nd prime; 842 = 2 × 421, 2(14² + 15²); 421 or 14² + 15² equals the total days from Israel leaving Egypt (Abib 15) to Israel leaving Mount Sinai (Iyar 20 of the 2nd year) with the Tabernacle. The product of 6491’s digits is 216 (indicating His Word from His innermost sanctuary), and the sum of its digits is 20, the two-tenths of the offerings on either end of the seven-Sabbath count.

YHWH-m’kaddishkem (letter sum 530, 10 × 53; 53 is gan, garden and Oholibah, Jerusalem’s symbolic name, “My tabernacle is in her”) and the last revealed name, YHWH-shammah (letter sum 371, 7 × 53; the number of days Israel stayed at Mount Sinai), both represent eighth days, Pentecost and the Eighth Day Holydays. In the holiness book of Leviticus, YHWH occurs 53 times.