"God's holiness means He is separate from sin. But holiness in God also means wholeness. God's holiness is His "God-ness." It is His being God in all that it means for Him to be God. To meet God in His holiness, therefore, is to be altogether overwhelmed by the discovery that He is God, and not man." Sinclair B. Ferguson
My sense from the average believer over the years is we don’t tend to see God’s holiness as majestic. When I hear believers thank or praise God for something it is rarely His holiness. But Moses wrote in the first song ever recorded in scripture that our God is “majestic in holiness” – “Who is like You among the gods, O LORD? Who is like You, majestic in holiness, Awesome in praises, working wonders? Exodus 15:11
The New King James and the New Living Translation version translates it “glorious in holiness” instead of majestic in holiness. How is it that God’s holiness is majestic or glorious?
Well here is a meditation on that from the 1600’s that I found helpful:
"Holiness is the embroidered robe God wears: it is the glory of the Godhead, Exodus 15:11, “Glorious in holiness!” Holiness is the most orient pearl of the crown of heaven. God is the exemplar and pattern of holiness. It is primarily and originally in God as light in the sun; you may as well separate weight from lead, or heart from fire, as holiness from the divine nature;" Thomas C. Watson
Our God is majestic in holiness as no other being ever could be. His holiness when truly seen for what it is causes jaws to drop and knees to bow.
Of course, the answer to Moses’s question is there is no one in the heavens or on the earth like the Lord. He alone is holy in a majestic, glorious way. He alone is awesome in praises, which among other things means often when His people come together and praise Him as He is so worthy of being praised, His awesomeness is especially revealed and manifested. And He alone works wonders as a way of life. It is His normal fare to work wonders. Every day in many different places among many different peoples at the same time He does the unthinkable and the impossible.
Later in this song that is mostly focused on God’s holiness and greatness as seen in how He delivered His people from Pharoah/Egypt; and how He decimated Pharoah and his army, Moses wrote, "In Your lovingkindness You have led the people whom You have redeemed; In Your strength You have guided [them] to Your holy habitation.” Exodus 15:13 God’s holiness and our lack of does not keep Him from pursuing His people. God has always longed for His people to dwell with Him; and He has long intended to dwell in their midst. But because God is holy He must prepare us and purify us and cleanse us and sanctify us to be able to come into His holy presence, which by His “strength” and power He is more than able to do.
It could be said that the book of Leviticus was written to help the people of God understand and comply with God’s process of "guiding us into His holy habitation". Perhaps we will pick up there next time? God bless you, thanks for reading, and I’m going to stop and pray for my readers now.