Easton’s Bible Dictionary

Sanctification:

involves more than a mere moral reformation of character, brought about by the power of the truth: it is the work of the Holy Spirit bringing the whole nature more and more under the influences of the new gracious principles implanted in the soul in regeneration. End quote

Given that sanctification does not occur until regeneration then what it means to the Old Testament economy is different since back then the Holy Spirit was an external element of relationship with God the Father.

Exodus 31:13

“You are to speak to the people of Israel and say, ‘Above all you shall keep my Sabbaths, for this is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I, the Lord, sanctify you.

Keeping the Sabbath was a sign that they were sanctified and dependent on their faithfulness to obey. When they stopped keeping the Sabbath it was a sign that God no longer held them to be holy in His sight.

2 Kings 10:20

And Jehu ordered, “Sanctify a solemn assembly for Baal.” So they proclaimed it.

They took a godly endeavor and applied it to false worship. Perhaps that is why the word sanctify only appeared three times in the Old Testament before the words of the prophet Isaiah.

Isaiah 66:17

“Those who sanctify and purify themselves to go into the gardens, following one in the midst, eating pig’s flesh and the abomination and mice, shall come to an end together, declares the Lord.

Defile a holy thing and die was the warning. They failed over and over again until Christ came and put an end to self-effort as a way to obtain a right standing before God.

• John 17:17
  Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.
• Ephesians 5:26
  that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,
• 1 Thessalonians 5:23
  Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Exodus 20:4

“You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.

One of the benefits of a man made god is that it does not speak, does not make demands and leaves them alone to do as they please.

1 Peter 1:17

And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile,

Perhaps they created false gods because wood and stone have no power to judge.

Sin without guilt destroys society. These are the lessons of history that have been repeated over and over again. One must not assume that we will not make the same mistakes just because others have done so. While some say that failing to study history dooms us to repeat it, others say we can do better only to make bigger mistakes than their predecessors. 

Exodus 20:5

You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me,

How can we serve a god that asks nothing of us? It would seem that there is a class of men that desire to set themselves up as high priests to these false gods and tell others what to do. They speak for those gods that have no voice. Men use men to retain power over others who worship mute gods. They become man followers rather than God followers.

Judges 21:25

In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

1 Samuel 8:5

and said to him, “Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.”

Those that do not like to be judged want to be just like everyone else. They do not understand sanctification.

John 17:19

And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.