Matchless
The book of Samuel in the Old Testament Bible quotes a prayer by Hannah, Samuel’s mother after she devoted her son to the service of the Lord. In the prayer, Hannah vocalizes three declarations about the unmatched perfection of God. Hannah’s statement is worth a closer look because 1) it is in the Bible and 2) it is about the Lord. 1 Samuel 2:2 states the following:
According to Hannah, the mother of Samuel in the Old Testament, the holiness and power of God is matchless.
“No one is holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.”
According to this scripture, there is not one individual who is holy like the Lord. That would include individuals of any time, of any station, and of any condition. In other words, no one in heaven, hell, or on earth is “holy like the Lord.” We know, based on other verses in the Bible, that there are people who possess some level of holiness. In multiple scriptural references, God even calls His people to holiness. (Leviticus 19:2, Leviticus 20:7, Leviticus 20:26) God would not call us to something impossible for us to be. We are to be holy because our God is holy. So, we understand that Hannah is not declaring all others unholy except the Lord. However, the prayer points out that the Lord is holy, beyond anyone’s ability to match.
In fact, Hannah’s prayer goes on to qualify the first declaration by stating that there is “no one besides” the Lord. This statement clearly proclaims the Lord’s unmatched holiness, as no other is even “beside” the Lord. No other holiness is even worthy of being compared to the Lord’s holiness. Our God is so absolutely perfect that no other form of holiness is within visible range.
Hannah’s prayer also brings attention to the Lord’s ultimate trustworthiness. The final declaration refers to God as an unmatched “Rock,” a foundation on which a person can establish hope and securely anchor their life. God is a Rock that will not be moved.
What does this mean? For us imperfect, unstable beings, a God Whose holiness is beyond compare, in Whom matchless perfection exists, represents a refuge and a guard against a world that batters us daily, attempting to destroy. Our Lord is our faithful shelter through the storms of life, a safe haven from the heavy seas of human existence, and the sanctuary in which we find peace and safety. God is the holy Rock Who delivers.