The Holiness of God and Expectation of His People

Last week we looked at the sovereignty and superiority of God with the first three plagues. God’s reign over all things is on display in each of these plagues and it is important that we have an understanding of that. However, this morning I would like for us to look specifically at the holiness of God.

Holiness is, in my opinion, the greatest attribute of God. It guides all of His other attributes: love, grace, mercy, patience.

Read Exodus 8:20-9:12

The Lord Separates Out His People From the World (8:22-23)

We are told here that the land of Goshen will be the only place that will be without the flies. However, for us to fully understand the meaning of Goshen, we need to look back to the promise made to Joseph in Genesis 47:1-7.

Genesis 47:1–7 ESV

So Joseph went in and told Pharaoh, “My father and my brothers, with their flocks and herds and all that they possess, have come from the land of Canaan. They are now in the land of Goshen.” And from among his brothers he took five men and presented them to Pharaoh. Pharaoh said to his brothers, “What is your occupation?” And they said to Pharaoh, “Your servants are shepherds, as our fathers were.” They said to Pharaoh, “We have come to sojourn in the land, for there is no pasture for your servants’ flocks, for the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. And now, please let your servants dwell in the land of Goshen.” Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Your father and your brothers have come to you. The land of Egypt is before you. Settle your father and your brothers in the best of the land. Let them settle in the land of Goshen, and if you know any able men among them, put them in charge of my livestock.” Then Joseph brought in Jacob his father and stood him before Pharaoh, and Jacob blessed Pharaoh.

The reminder here is that God instills in His people distinctive characteristics that separate them from the rest. In this case, there is protection from the flies. This made clear to the Egyptians that the people of Israel belong to the Lord.

Love of God, and each other

Fruit of the spirit

Not loving the world.

Those Who Are Holy Worship According to His Commands (8:25-27)

Pharaoh makes an offer for Moses and the people of Israel to worship in Egypt and at first Moses gives an excuse that they cannot do that because it would be disrespectful to the Egyptians. Moses says that they can do it nearby and then Moses gives the real reason: “We must go three days into the wilderness and sacrifice to the Lord our God as He tells us to.”

The “as He tells us to” is the important part. Those who are holy desire to worship God in the way that He has said it should be done. This is a significant part of what we do so many of the things that we do and how we do them.

We give God the honor that He is due. We do not make worship to be something that makes people comfortable. Instead, we do what God’s word directs us to. We read the word. We pray the word. We sing the word. We hear the word preached. And we respond to the word of God because this is what scriptures guide us towards.

This also means that we hold the three ordinances in high regard. Jesus said that you must be baptized if you have confessed and believe. He said you should take part in communion. And finally that we should wash one another’s feet.

God’s People are Distinct Even in the Face of Examination (9:4-7)

In the midst of the cattle dying, Pharaoh sends people to examine whether or not the livestock of Israel was dead or not.

Our lives are under constant scrutiny by the world. This is why God not only lays out how it is that we ought to worship him but also how we ought to live.

Just as Pharaoh sends to determine whether or not the livestock of Israel has been afflicted, so also the world is out to look and see if God’s people are what we claim to be. The goal is not simply to look different. Instead, when the world looks on at our lives, what they ought to see should be different not because of us but because

But finally,

The Holiness of God is Avoided by Those Who Choose to Reject Him (9:12)

Despite the fact that Pharaoh has witnessed these signs up to this point, his heart is still hardened. I want to give two points of application here regarding those who seem to have a hardness of heart.

First, this gives us all the more reason to continue to pray for the lost. It may seem as though what we are saying is falling on deaf ears, yet we never know the work that God is doing on the heart of a person.

Second along these lines, it is important that we put on display the gospel for people but we shouldn’t be too hard on ourselves when the continue to be stubborn and reject the Lord.

When it comes to the holiness of the Lord, have you embraced Him? Do you worship Him in the way that He has commanded? Do you stand up to the examination of the world? Is your heart hardened?