The Lord is holy because he is uniquely God.
God calls himself the Holy One. He is holy because he is unimaginably different from and superior to his creation in every way.
One Old Testament story displays this starkly.
Superior to idols
Israel’s enemies the Philistines captured the holy Ark of the Covenant in battle from the army of Israel. The Ark represented the presence of God and normally resided in the Holy of Holies within the Tabernacle. The Philistines were thrilled with their conquest and believed this showed that their god Dagon was superior to the God of Israel. They put the captured Ark in the temple of Dagon as a trophy.
“And when the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, behold, Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark of the LORD. So they took Dagon and put him back in his place.” (1 Samuel 5:3)
Not only had Dagon fallen on his face before the Ark of Israel’s God, he could not get himself off the ground. He was helpless. The priests of Dagon had to pick him up and restore him to his place. How humiliating for Dagon. How revealing to the Philistines.
Total victory
Verse 4 continues, “But when they rose early on the next morning, behold, Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark of the LORD, and the head of Dagon and both his hands were lying cut off on the threshold. Only the trunk of Dagon was left to him.”
Humans could prop up Dagon, but they could not keep him in his place. Again overnight he is toppled to the ground before the God of Israel, and this time God does to Dagon what conquering kings did to their enemies, what David did to Goliath: he cut of Dagon’s head and put it on the threshold of the altar as a trophy. That is, the head did not just fall off when God toppled the idol statue; rather, the head was removed and placed back on the threshold along with the hands of the idol for good measure, symbolizing that Dagon had no power in his hands and could do nothing.
God is holy because he is unimaginably superior to his creation in every way. He is superior not just to idols like Dagon, but to idols like money and possessions, idols like celebrities and companies, superior to all people and all things.
Uniquely God
Isaiah 45:11–12, 22 says, “Thus says the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and the one who formed him: ‘Ask me of things to come; will you command me concerning my children and the work of my hands? I made the earth and created man on it; it was my hands that stretched out the heavens, and I commanded all their host…. Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.’”
Notice in this text that after God identifies himself as the Holy One, he lists several things that make him the Holy One. He says he formed Israel as a nation. He says he knows the future. And he says no one can tell him what to do. He says he created the earth, mankind, and the heavens. He says he controls all the hosts, that is, the hundred billion stars in each of the universe’s hundred billion galaxies. And he says he is the one to whom people must turn to be saved. He says he is God, and there is no other God. Consequently he is the Holy One.
A potter superior to his clay
Scripture says there are only two categories for all that exists: the potter and the clay. There is only the Creator and his creation. That’s it. God is the potter, and everything else is clay (Isaiah 64:8). There is no third or fourth category, no other gods or forces or spirits or matter that have existence apart from him and his creation. And there is an infinite difference, an infinite otherness, between the two. God infinitely transcends his creation in his nature and abilities. He is independent, infinitely superior to his creation, including mankind, in every imaginable way. We are dependent in every way for existence and abilities. God is other. He is the only God, and this makes him the Holy One.
All things from him, through him, and to him
“From him and through him and to him are all things” (Romans 11:36). This asserts three things about God that are not true of you, any human, or any other created thing.
First, everything is “from him.” He conceived, designed with a purpose, and created everything that exists and happens. Ephesians 1:11 says, we have “been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will.” We cannot imagine how any being could be great enough to do this, but Scripture assures us it is true.
Second, everything is “through him.” He is the means to everything. He did not just create all things and then step back to watch and see what happens. Rather, he is actively involved in all things: governing all, sending or withholding the rain, opening and closing doors, blessing or opposing, sustaining or withdrawing the life of everything that exists. Jesus said, “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father” (Matthew 10:29).
Third, everything is “to him” or for him. That means all things are for his glory and purposes. Ultimately he does all things for the sake of his own name and glory. He created us to worship and give thanks to him gladly. Ephesians 5:20 says, “[Give] thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Uniquely good
This aspect of God’s holiness highlights his goodness, for he is the one who gets all credit for our wondrous world and universe filled with good things. In the creation narrative of Genesis 1, there is the well-known refrain, “And God saw that it was good.” And the sixth day, when God created mankind, concludes, “God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.” Because God is holy—the only God—the creation is good.
Takeaway
How should this aspect of God’s holiness affect the way we live, pray, and believe?
- We should worship God for the divine nature he alone has: that he has unlimited power, wisdom, and knowledge, that he is eternal, self-sufficient, self-existent, and free, that he is unchanging, incomprehensible, and sovereign over all. We should be in awe of him.
- And we should kneel, bow, and humble ourselves before God to acknowledge his superiority.
- We should thank God for his goodness in creating us through his infinite wisdom and creating a world filled with delightful things.
- We should surrender to and obey God because he made us and therefore owns us. He is the Sovereign, Almighty Lord.
Jeremiah 9:23–24: “Thus says the LORD: ‘Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.’” (ESV)