SB#2
25 June 1999


God's holiness

Psalm 99, Exodus 20, Micah 2



1. Introduction.
Last week we talked about the Holy Spirit. Now why is He called the Holy Spirit? Why and how is He holy?

What are the essential attributes of God?
How would you define 'holiness' as it describes God?
Contrast and compare divine holiness with His other attributes such as His love and righteousness.
How does God's holiness affect how we relate to Him?
How does this attribute of God differ from the God/gods of other religions?


2. Psalm 99
Verse by verse, discuss how this Psalm depicts the holiness of God. Now try to come up with a thorough definition of holiness.
Does divine holiness mean that God is aloof or impersonal?
How does God as a Holy God differ from other religions?


3. Exodus 20:1-17: The Ten Commandments
We've often heard this taught as a set of principles to live by – which is absolutely right (as long as it's not done so legalistically, i.e., as a set of rules to earn salvation or earn God's favor). Now let's look at it in a deeper way. Discuss what each of these commandments tell us about God – His character and holiness. What do they all teach us about God?


4a. Micah 2: social justice, false leaders, false prophets
What injustices were going on at this time? (more details also in chapter 3)
What is God's reaction? Why is He especially concerned and angry about these injustices?
What does God's reaction tell us about His character?
What kind of God do the false prophets believe in? [2:5-11]
What parallels to this kind of religion do we see today?


4b. Other passages.
Discuss the following:


5. Discussion.
Discuss what implications God's holiness has for us in the following areas. What should our response be?



Notes.
Theologians typically list the following as essential attributes of God: omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent, holy, rigthteous/just, loving, truthful (veracity), unchanging and unchangeable (immutable), eternal and self-existing; we could also mention other traits generally subsumed under the above: personal, spiritual, transcendent, perfect, triune, self-consistent, etc.

Psalm 99 consists of four stanzas which mention the Lord seven times (and seven times by pronouns in the Hebrew), signifying divine perfection and completeness. Each half (two stanzas) ends in the main refrain, "Exalt the Lord...and worship...he is holy" in v. 5 and 9; a minor refrain, "he is holy" occurs in v. 3, v. 5, and expanded in v. 9b. These refrains provide a liturgical structure, and set the theme of the Psalm.

The prophets often acted as "enforcers" of the covenant law, in that they prophetically denounced sin and wickedness in their country and neighboring countries, and pointed out the peoples' violations of God's moral law.