Just A Little Addition
I will not execute My fierce anger; I will not destroy Ephraim again. For I am God and not man, the Holy One in your midst, and I will not come in wrath. Hosea 11:9
Not – Sometimes “not” is the most important word you can hear. This is especially true when it comes to the Holy God. Men die in the presence of God’s holiness. The Hebrews never forgot this. It’s a tragedy that we have become immune to the awesome and overwhelming, life-threatening power of holiness. Our version of God as the friendly, Santa Claus, grandfather is not only insulting, it is blasphemous. But when we finally realize that falling on our faces in fear before the Lord of all creation is a gamble with extinction, then Hosea’s words from the Lord come to our rescue.
“To be holy, first be kind.” That’s the character of the God of holiness. He has every reason, and all justification, to come to us in anger, destruction and wrath. But God says, “No.” He will not do what He is justified in doing, because His holiness is first compassion and kindness. I need to hear this strange, little word, lo. I need it added to “anger,” “destroy,” and “wrath,” for without this tiny little addition, I am lost. The vapor of my life is extinguished in the flame of holiness. I need the God of the added “not.”
Four times in this verse Hebrew adds the particle lo. Only one of the four reminds me of my true self. “I am not a man.” That’s right. Men do execute fierce anger. They do destroy. They do come in wrath – even when they have no justification for doing so. But God is not a man. He acts benevolently when men act malevolently. He is not subject to selfish agendas, deceit, avarice or aggrandizement. God is not like any of the men (or women) that I know or could know. His character never falters. His love never fails. He exhibits a holy concern for my well-being, no matter who I am or what I have done.
How would you characterize your efforts toward holiness? Do you subscribe to the motto, “To be holy, first be kind”? If we met, would I see compassion in your stride? Or would you come with the agenda of men, to get what you could, protect what you can and leave the rest alone?
You and I need to add lo to our lives. If God can use “not”, so can I. There are a lot of “not” actions that I need to incorporate into my behavior if I am to be holy as He is holy. After all, being devout without being kind is the work of the devil.
