There is no one holy like the LORD; there is no one besides you; there is no rock like our God. 1 Samuel 2:2 (NIV)

Growing up in church, our services almost always started with the hymn “Holy, Holy, Holy” by Reginald Heber, published in 1826 (Public Domain). Verses one and three are included here:

Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee;
Holy, holy, holy! merciful and mighty!
God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!

3 Holy, holy, holy! though the darkness hide Thee,
though the eye of sinful man Thy glory may not see;
only Thou art holy, there is none beside Thee,
perfect in pow'r, in love, and purity.

God is Holy:

The song is a beautiful call to worship, but what does God’s attribute of holiness mean to us?

The third verse seems to sum up God’s holiness: perfect in power, love, and purity. The Lord God Almighty is set apart as the One who is always right and true. When the world defines truth by shifting standards, we can know that God is the truth and He does not change. He is blameless. There is no sin in God. Evil does not stain Him.

* Reflect on the holiness of God. Praise Him for being holy.

In Revelation, the apostle John describes the praise the Lord is given by the four six-winged living creatures who are around the throne.

…Day and night they never stop saying: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’ who was, and is, and is to come.” Revelation 4:8b (NIV)

This is similar to what Isaiah described from his vision.

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: with two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the while earth is full of his glory.” Isaiah 6:1 – 3 (NIV)

When the prophet Isaiah had the vision of the Lord and heard the seraphim praising the Lord, Isaiah realized his own unworthiness before God. When his sin was atoned for, he was ready to go wherever God sent him and to do whatever the Lord wanted (Isaiah 6:1 – 8).

A call to holiness:

We are sinful and unworthy to come before God. He calls us to be holy.

‘You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy.’ Leviticus 19:2b (NKJV)

As the Israelites discovered, being holy on one’s own is impossible. Only Jesus Christ could fulfill God’s commands. Jesus was holy. He lived a sinless life, and His holiness extended to His dedication and consecration to the will of God. He fulfilled God the Father’s purpose for Him when Jesus finished His work on the cross.

After Jesus’ resurrection, He gave His Holy Spirit to those who by faith believe in Him. The Holy Spirit fills us (Acts 2:4), teaches us (Luke 12:12 and I Corinthians 2:13), and is our seal or guarantee of salvation when we believe the message of the gospel of Christ (Ephesians 1:13 – 14). The Holy Spirit empowers us to live for God and to become more like Jesus. He develops our holy character as we yield to Him.

* What are some ways God wants you to be set apart for Him? For example, I believe God wants me to be more consistent in spending time with Him daily. I set it up as an appointment in my planner.

*Are you more holy today than you were last week, and more than last year? Let’s consider our attitudes, our conversations, and how we spend our time. Pray for the Holy Spirit to develop holy character in you.

Lord God, I praise You for your holiness. Please make me holy because You are holy. Amen.

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Scriptures marked NIV are taken from the NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION (NIV): Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION ®. Copyright© 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™. Used by permission of Zondervan.

Scriptures marked NKJV are taken from the NEW KING JAMES VERSION (NKJV): Scripture taken from the NEW KING JAMES VERSION®. Copyright© 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.