THE EXCELLENCIES OF GOD.
Geoffrey R. Kirkland
Christ Fellowship Bible Church, St. Louis, MO
The biblical writers speak of the “Greatness of God’s excellence” (Exodus 15.7). The EXCELLENCE of God refers to the sum-perfection, the complete totality of characteristics and traits that speak of God’s uniqueness and perfections. The excellence of God teaches that God is supreme and satisfying, perfect and good. Some may see the excellence of God as the over-arching attribute that encompasses all the other perfections of God’s being.
Everything God is and all that God does is marked by and distinguished by perfection and excellence. This speaks of his beauty and bounteousness. It underscores His glory and wonderful ability. The excellence of God speaks to the absolute standard of integrity and perfect purity. All that God is speaks of wondrous excellence. All of His deeds are supremely complete, blameless and impeccable with integrity (2 Samuel 22.26; Psalm 18.30).
Additionally, the excellencies of God consist of His heroic and incomparable deeds. Our God has all power. And He alone can do all His holy will, all the time, effortlessly and unhesitatingly. Nothing is too difficult for the Lord (Jeremiah 32.27)! Because of this mighty work of our Christ, He has inherited a more ‘excellent’ Name than the angels (Hebrews 1.4).
When the Scriptures speak of the excellence of God, the Hebrew word points to that which is majestic, lofty, royal and glorious. Negatively, it can refer to haughtiness and one whose pride has lifted him up. But when speaking of our perfect God, it highlights the exalted, high and wondrously unique character of God. He is perfectly excellent, beautiful, bounteous, good, and satisfying in every way. He is enjoyable and pleasing and fulfilling to the humble heart who trusts in Him!
In the New Testament, the Greek word for God’s excellencies points out His moral excellence and His quality of eminent endowment of purity and virtue. Notably, the Scriptures speak of proclaiming God’s excellencies — in the plural! God’s people have the blessed obligation and joyful duty to proclaim our God’s excellencies for He has saved us, called us out of darkness, and delivered us by His sovereign love. Peter says that God called us by His own glory and excellence (2 Peter 1.3). Believers must dwell and focus intently on the things that are excellence (Philippians 4.8). In our day to day lives, we must strive to add to our faith moral excellence (2 Peter 1.5). Interestingly, in the Hebrew Old Testament, Boaz spoke of the godly Ruth as a woman of “excellence” (Ruth 3.11). Your God is manifoldly excellent, entirely satisfying, eminently glorious, and bottomlessly blameless.
No wonder the Apostle Paul was stunned and overwhelmed at the privilege of proclaiming the ‘unfathomable riches’ of Christ (Ephesians 3.8). This is your duty as well! Consider your God who is infinite in excellencies and then let us speak of Him and His heroic wonders to one another and to the lost who need a Savior. What must we do? Isaiah 12 speaks of kingdom praise: “Praise the LORD in song, for He has done excellent things” (Isaiah 12.5). What perfect and complete excellence God has in His manifold traits. Let your heart ponder Him deeply so you love Him more intensely and obey Him more fully! O get lost in wonder of the “greatness of His excellence!”
**More from this ongoing blog-series can be found HERE.
