“For I am God and not a man, the Holy One in your midst, And I will not come in wrath” (Hosea 11:9).
“God is more exalted than man … He does not answer for any of His actions” (Job 33:12–13). He is the sovereign Ruler and does not need to justify His actions to anyone. His thoughts are higher than our thoughts, and His ways are higher than our ways (cf. Isaiah 55:9). He transcends what is human. This becomes clear, among other things, in the context of the verse from the prophet Hosea cited above, in which God says the following: “How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I surrender you, Israel? How can I make you like Admah? How can I treat you like Zeboiim? My heart is turned over within Me, All My compassions are kindled. I will not carry out My fierce anger; I will not destroy Ephraim again. For I am God and not a man, the Holy One in your midst, And I will not come in wrath” (Hosea 11:8–9).
God’s compassion is directly linked here to His holiness! He is, so to speak, saying: “The fact that I show mercy is proof that I am the Holy One.” Have you ever thought about that? Put differently: “If I were a human being, I would now pour out my wrath on this people because of Ephraim’s terrible failure.” But because I am not a man, but God, the Holy One, I will have compassion on my people.”
How wonderful our God is! He, the Father of mercies (cf. 2 Corinthians 1:3), is full of deep compassion and merciful (cf. James 5:13). Mercy means something like this: God’s heart in our misery! Yes, He is rich in mercy (cf. Ephesians 2:4), and His compassions are new every morning (cf. Lamentations 3:22–23).
We who have been born again and possess divine life are to be imitators of God. The Lord Jesus called His disciples to do so and said: “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful” (Luke 6:46). Paul writes: “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love” (Ephesians 5:1–2). As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, we are first exhorted to put on heartfelt compassion (cf. Colossians 3:12). When the Lord Jesus told a lawyer the parable of the Good Samaritan, His last words were: “Go and do the same” (Luke 10:37).
Are you generally typically human, or is it visible in your life that you are holy and therefore different? Do you reflect God’s mercy in this miserable world? Be an imitator of God and swim against the tide!
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