Today's Worship: God is not a man and doesn't act like one.

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing,
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him in Hosea 11:9b,

"For I am God, and not man— the Holy One among you."

As the Lord considers his judgment of Israel for abandoning him, he
reminds them that he is God, not a man and not like a man. He is the
"Holy One among you". His response to Israel's infidelity will reflect
him, his nature, not what a man might do.

I am reminded this morning that although man is made in God's image
and that there is much about us that reflect God and his creativity,
mankind is not at all divine, not God. Where various religions and
theologies have led many astray in falsehood, mankind is not God and
never will be. It is an important point because we shouldn't assume
God's response would be like a man's response. Man will never be
anything but man. We won't become angels in the afterlife and we are
certainly not in any kind of a refinement where we will become a god
in any sense of the word. We are humans. Sinful humans at that. For
those of us who have embraced Jesus Christ in faith, what we will be
in the resurrection are redeemed men and women. Forgiven and loved by
God, but nevertheless we are now, and forever will be, human.

God makes a point here in Hosea, as he brings his indictment against
the nation of Israel, that his judgment and his actions will not be
after the nature of what a man may do. He is not a man. God is this
way - man is that way. There is a difference. I am reminded of Isaiah
55:8-9, "'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.'"

I am quite certain I stand in large company when I express my great
relief that God is who he is, as he is, and that his actions, contrary
to how a man might act, reflect his own nature. I can't begin to
consider how tragic existence would be if God responded to anything
they way I might.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd
love to hear from you!

Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com