Soli Deo Gloria means to God alone be the glory. This is the heartbeat of all God’s self-disclosure in creation and providence. Like a massive, speeding locomotive with God at the throttle, all history barrels forward inexorably to this worthy destination.
Israel’s deliverance from Egypt was an important waypoint on that cosmic journey. Virtually the whole known world at the time became aware of Jehovah’s impressive uniqueness as God Almighty, and so, the divine purpose was that much closer to its complete realization.
Our text is one element of praise sung to the LORD by Moses and the Israelites right after the exodus. They had just passed through the Red Sea on dry ground, with the waters like a wall on both sides, held back by the unseen Hand that governs all things. They had just seen their Egyptian enemies dead upon the sea shore, without their lifting a finger. They knew with certainty that all this was the LORD’s great work to save them (Exod 14.29–31). Overpowered by relief and joy, they belted out His praises!
Their song exuberantly rehearses God’s mighty acts of judgment upon Egypt and salvation for Israel, describing poetically the observable effects in creation of His sovereign pleasure on their behalf. They were firsthand witnesses of these unforgettable sights and sounds, and personal beneficiaries of this miraculous, dramatic rescue. And so they sang,
Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods?
Who is like thee, glorious in holiness,
Fearful in praises, doing wonders?
The True God’s Absolute Uniqueness
The first question (line 1) is clearly rhetorical, expecting and demanding a negative response. It means, “There is none like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods.” But the interrogative form invites reflection upon the subject raised. The gods of Egypt are especially in view. They were the Lord’s special target in the plagues He sent, for the express purpose of revealing His absolute uniqueness, along with His infinite superiority and unchallengeable sovereignty over them (Exod 12.12).
The Egyptians were thoroughly polytheistic. They worshipped many gods, at least 35—some you may have heard of (e.g., Ra [human figure with hawk head], their supreme deity; Apis [bull], of fertility, etc.).1 Also,
the Egyptians worshiped Pharaoh as their god. In school, children were instructed to “Worship [Pharaoh], living forever, within your bodies and associate with his majesty in your hearts.… He is Re, by whose beams one sees, he is one who illuminates the Two Lands more than the sun disc.”2
The days leading up Israel’s great exodus were doubtless seen as a contest in which Moses’ God challenged Egypt’s gods and bested them. Each plague seems to have focused on humiliating another popular Egyptian idol and proving its inferiority to Jehovah. By the time the land of Egypt was left behind as an impoverished, grieving, stinking ruin and the whole Egyptian army was drowned, who could doubt Jehovah any longer?
One of the most basic doctrines of Scripture is that there is only one true and living God; all other beings are mere creatures. God is not the highest in a class of beings. He is sui generis, absolutely unique. We grievously err when we begin to think He is altogether like us (Psa 50.21). His being is of an entirely different order than ours. He is the self-existent One, and all creatures constantly depend upon this Triune God for our being and acting (Acts 17.28; Col 1.17). The imago Dei is not inconsistent with this.
The True God’s Unique Traits
The rhetorical question is repeated with a variation (lines 2 and 3). Instead of contrasting Jehovah with the false gods worshipped by pagans, some of His outstanding traits are mentioned. By “traits” I do not mean that these are not part of His essential being. All that is in God is God. But in His gracious condescension, we may talk about His traits or attributes for the purpose of thinking about Him without impugning His simplicity. Three phrases in our text help us to appreciate His absolute uniqueness.
1) “Glorious [or, majestic, ESV] in holiness.” John Gill wrote, “It is to be understood of the attribute of his holiness, which is eminently and perfectly in him; in his person, . . . in all the works he has wrought, . . . in the holy doctrines he taught, and in the holy commandments and ordinances he enjoined his people, and in his judgments on his enemies; in all which it is plainly seen that he loves righteousness and hates iniquity, and there is none like him for it; there is none holy as the Lord among angels or men.”
2) “Fearful [or, awesome, NASB] in praises.” No other evokes or deserves the true worship He does by His very being and mighty works.
3) “Doing wonders.” This denotes His astounding miracles, both in judgment and salvation. Our God reigns over earth from heaven in total sovereignty; their gods cannot speak, see, hear, smell, act, or walk. In fact, the idols must be carried, so none should fear them (Psa 115.3–7; Jer 10.5).
God’s saving work in Christ is the supreme revelation of His unique being and ability—His astounding grace and infinite power to deliver His chosen people from our enemies and make all things praise His glory. With all the righteous of the ages, let our hearts soar and mouths sing for Him. Ω
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1 Freeman, J. M., & Chadwick, H. J. (1998). Manners & customs of the Bible. North Brunswick, NJ: Bridge-Logos Publishers, on Exod 12.12.
2 Ryken, P. G., & Hughes, R. K. (2005). Exodus: saved for God’s glory. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, ch. 26, “Heart of Darkness,” Sun Worshipers.
3 Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. I–VI). London: Mathews and Leigh.