God is Holy, God is Transcendent

GOD IS HOLY

As sole God, Yahweh is distinct and separate from every other being. He is Creator, not creature. This separateness is expressed in His attribute of holiness. The holiness of God is much emphasized in the Pentateuch as laws are given concerning how God is to be approached. His holiness is the standard that is to be considered the normative basis for human conduct: "Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy" (Lev. 19:2). His holiness is evident in situations in which it is violated (Lev. 10:1-2; 1 Sam. 6:19; 2 Sam. 6:6-10) and is proclaimed continually by the seraphim in Isaiah's vision (Isa. 6:3).

GOD IS TRANSCENDENT

Am attribute similar to God's holiness is His transcendence. This focuses not so much on His distinctiveness as on the fact that He is beyond us. One might say that transcendence defines the direction of His holiness. This means that we cannot always expect to understand His purposes:

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts
neither are your ways My ways,"
declares the LORD.
"As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are My ways higher than your ways
and My thoughts than your thoughts."
-Isaiah 55:8-9

God warns against underestimating Him:

"Am I only a God nearby,"
declares the LORD.
"And not a God far away?
Can anyone hide in secret places
so that I cannot see him?"
declares the LORD.
"Do I not fill heaven and earth?"
declares the LORD.
-Jeremiah 23:23-24