The holiness of Divine dealings.
"O God, thy way is holy! Who is [so] great a God as [our] God?" Comp. Exodus 15:11, "Who is like unto thee, O Jehovah, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?" For "in the sanctuary" there is the various rendering "in holiness." It is evident that the term "holy," as applied to God, must include much more than it does when applied to men. We must try to find what was especially in the psalmist's mind, and so what he put, as his meaning, into this word. He began thinking of God's ways with his people Israel, especially in the rescue from Egypt, and deliverance at the Red Sea. This recalled the song of Moses, and the striking contrast between the gods of the heathen and the God of Israel. The first thing that arrests attention whenever that contrast is made is that the God of Israel has character, and puts character into his works; but the idol gods cannot be said to have any character. This the psalmist expresses by saying, "O God, thy way is holy;" or, "Thy doings bear a character, they have an aim and purpose, and that is a moral aim." We may take suggestions of a division from the passage in Exodus which presents three points in which Jehovah is unapproachable—holiness, awefulness, and miraculous power.
I. GOD IS "GLORIOUS IN HOLINESS;" that is, in character. We may read the story of God's dealings in either of two ways.
1. We may study it in order to find out what God is in himself.
2. We may bring our knowledge of what God is in himself to help us in explaining the meaning and mystery of his dealings. This latter is the higher work. When we are fully satisfied with the character of God, we begin to trace purposes of holiness and love in all his doings. We see that God's way is right, because he is right. If he is holy, we can trust him, if we cannot trace his way.
II. GOD IS "FEARFUL IN PRAISES." The proper object of the pro foundest awe, even to those who approach him with praise and thanksgiving. They who are duly impressed with the Divine holiness never permit any growth of knowledge, any acquaintance with God's ways, to nourish undue familiarities with his sacred Name. Think what we may of God's dealings, we must keep in our souls due reverence for God himself. No awe can attach to the gods of man's creation. It is the unique response of man to adequate impressions of the Divine holiness.
III. GOD "DOETH WONDERS." "Both through nature, and on occasions overruling nature, accomplishing the most astonishing results," which are seen to be most astonishing when viewed in the moral issues which they accomplish.—R.T.