Against the Flow: Holiness in a Hostile WorldSample

Day 3: Like No Other

In recent years, the trend of mystery boxes like Popmart has emerged as a fun and unique experience for people. These ordinary boxes offer enthusiasts a delightful surprise with each unveiling. While the idea of finding a surprise item in a mystery box is thrilling, the unpredictability of it also means users are sometimes left with unwanted and repeated items. People may enjoy the thrill of mystery boxes and their unpredictability, but what happens if this unknowability is expected about the God we worship?

In Daniel 2, Nebuchadnezzar demanded for his magicians, enchanters, sorcerers and astrologers to tell him his distressing dream and interpret it. In normal circumstances, Nebuchadnezzar would relay the dream to his advisors. But this time, he was so alarmed by it that he wanted to ensure that the meaning of the dream was truly God-inspired. These advisors were horrified by Nebuchadnezzar’s request as they could interpret dreams through the help of their books but had no power to receive revelation.

In frustration, the advisers told Nebuchadnezzar that his request was unreasonable and admitted that they could not tell him the dream. This revealed the inability of the advisors and beyond that, the impotence of their gods. They even admitted that any “God” who could fulfill the king’s request would be a “God” of a different (higher) order (v11).

Here, it is helpful for us to understand that the gods of the Babylonian world were perceived as fickle and unknowable. People often had to second guess what they wanted because they simply could not reveal themselves. In contrast, the God of the Bible reveals Himself through creation and Word and even came near to dwell with us through the person of Christ. In fact, when God says He is holy, it goes beyond His moral attributes and extends into how He is set apart from any other gods. The God we worship is like no other.

As finite humans, we cannot know God, unless He is willing to be known. When we worship Him, we can look to Him in truth and in trust. We can be fully secure in who He says He is and fully confident that He acts wholly in His goodness and power. Let us not take for granted the ease and surety in which we can approach the Lord. Let us remember that God is like no other and truly worthy of all our worship.

Prayer points:

• Take time to ponder about what it means to you that God has revealed Himself so that you can know Him. Pray and give thanks to God that you can know and experience Him personally in your life.
• Think about the various attributes of God, how He is loving, kind, powerful, gracious, just, etc. Spend time to meditate on who God is and praise Him.