Not Like Us

God is not like us. There are many reasons to be thankful for that truth and many applications. Psalm 50 gives a specific application as it relates to man's actions. "These things you have done and I kept silence; you thought that I was just like you; I will reprove you and state the case in order before your eyes" (Psalm 50:21).

The men to whom God speaks were wicked. So far God had remained silent; He had not yet responded. That was about to change. The wicked men, however, interpreted God's silence as His approval. They assumed that wickedness was no more significant to God than it was to them.

These wicked men, while defying God's commands, had dared to claim His name. God says that it is not fitting those who live like they were living to claim to be His followers. "But to the wicked God says, 'What right have you to tell of My statutes and to take My covenant in your mouth?'" (v. 16). It wasn't even appropriate for the words of God's truth to come out of such wicked mouths.

God closes the psalm with a warning to these wicked men. "Now consider this, you who forget God, or I will tear you in pieces, and there will be none to deliver" (v. 22). He calls them to repentance and change before it is too late and before they face His harsh judgment.

Man is not like God, but the deficiency is not with God. It is with man. Even believers should be challenged to be more like God so they can be in the right way and in the path of blessing. There are many aspects of God's character that man can never achieve, but there is one aspect of His character in which God specifically tells Christians to be like Him.

This truth is taught throughout Scripture, and it is specifically stated as a clear command in both the Old and New Testaments. The first occurrence is in Leviticus 11:44. "Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy." Similar instructions are found in Leviticus 11:45; 19:2; 20:7; 20:26; and 21:8.

God's people are to be distinct and undefiled, reflecting the character of the God who has redeemed them. Peter quotes the Old Testament passages in his instruction. "As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, 'You shall be holy, for I am holy'" (I Peter 1:14-16). Verse 17 sounds very much like Psalm 50:16, in which God says there is an appropriate way for those who claim His name to live. "If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth."

What does holiness look like in a believer? The applications, which are many, are found throughout the Bible. Psalm 50 gives four specific areas, as God rebukes the wicked for the unholy things they do.

First, the wicked hate God's guidance and correction. "For you hate discipline, and you cast My words behind you" (v. 17). A wicked man cares nothing for God's guidance, but a person who seeks to be holy will welcome and respond to God's guiding correction. He sees both the value in it and the motive of love with which it is given. "And you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, 'My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor faint when you are reproved by Him; for those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son whom He receives.'" (Hebrews 12:5-6).

Second, the wicked gladly associate with sinners. "When you see a thief, you are pleased with him, and you associate with adulterers" (v. 18). In addition to performing his own evil deeds, a wicked man makes friends with evil-doers and even takes pleasure in their acts of wickedness. One who desires to be holy will rightly discern evil and attempt to avoid it. "Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness" (Isaiah 5:20). "My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent" (Proverbs 1:10).

Third, the wicked speak evil and deceitful words. "You let your mouth loose in evil and your tongue frames deceit" (v. 19). The wicked have no integrity with their words and willingly deceive others, but those who strive to be holy will avoid deceitful speech. "Put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices" (Colossians 3:8-9). "Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth each one of you with his neighbor" (Ephesians 4:25).

Fourth, the wicked man slanders even his own family members. "You sit and speak against your brother; you slander your own mother's son" (v. 20). While the wicked man's words are cruel and hurtful, the man who pursues holiness will use his speech for good. "Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear" (Ephesians 4:29). "Fervently love one another from the heart" (I Peter 1:22).

Man is not like God, but Christians can show their desire to imitate God's holiness by receiving God's discipline, by detaching themselves from the wicked, by avoiding lies, and by speaking edifying words. God will respond to such people differently than He responds to the wicked. "He who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors Me; and to him who orders his way aright I shall show the salvation of God" (v. 23). God will give blessing to those who are righteous.

Importance of a Leader

Nehemiah was greatly used by God in rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. He was a strong leader, guiding the people through opposition and directing their hearts toward God. Nehemiah supervised this effort for twelve years before needing to return to Babylon to report to the king.

After some time in Babylon, Nehemiah asked permission to return again to Jerusalem, and it's good that he did. Without his leadership and oversight, things had begun to happen that were not pleasing to God. Perhaps they happened so gradually that the other leaders didn't realize the seriousness, but as Nehemiah came back onto the scene, these offenses were glaringly obvious to him. They were different from the way he had left things and different from what God had ordained. Nehemiah took action to address the concerns. He acted as a godly leader ought to act, decisively and without making accommodation for sin.

The first issue (Nehemiah 13:4-9) was shocking. Eliashib was a close relative of Tobiah, the man who had created opposition to the building of the walls and who had worked hard to stop the successful completion. Eliashib was a priest, and he used his position to prepare a room for Tobiah within the temple courts, and Tobiah was living there. This priest gave preference to an enemy of God, committing the sacrilege of devoting to this evil man a room that was supposed to be dedicated to storing offerings to God.

Nehemiah was very displeased with this scenario. He purged the room, throwing all of Tobiah's belongings out. He then rededicated and restored the room to its intended purpose. He ordered the room cleansed and had the offerings and temple utensils returned to their rightful place.

The second issue (Nehemiah 13:10-13) was sad. The Levites, who stayed in Jerusalem performing their service to God, were supposed to receive contributions to meet their living expenses and needs. They were no longer receiving the contributions but were expected to serve God for nothing. With no means of support, the Levites and singers had left the temple and returned to their homes to labor and support themselves. The house of God was forsaken.

Nehemiah reprimanded those responsible. He gathered the Levites back together to perform their duties. He set several reliable leaders in charge of the storehouses. These men were charged to collect the offerings and to distribute the appropriate portions to the Levites. With the distribution reestablished, the Levites were able to resume their duties, and the house of God was no longer neglected.

The third issue (Nehemiah 13:15-22) was reprehensible. After God had graciously restored these people to their land, they had the nerve to break one of the fundamental parts of His covenant with them, the keeping of the Sabbath. Nehemiah observed people working the wine presses, transporting goods, and opening marketplaces on the Sabbath.

Nehemiah reminded the people of the serious consequences from previous violations of God's laws, but verbal rebuke was not enough to deal with this situation. Nehemiah guarded against future abuses by ordering the gates of the city to be closed just prior to the Sabbath, not to be reopened until the Sabbath was over. This prevented the vendors from entering the city to sell. It didn't stop them from trying, though, and Nehemiah had to be persistent, rebuking those who continued to show up for several weeks until they realized the restrictions were going to be enforced.

The fourth issue (Nehemiah 13:23-28) was dangerous. One of the biggest offenses of Israel and one that had most effectively drawn their hearts away from God was the intermarrying with foreign spouses. The years of captivity had not sobered the people enough to stop this practice, and Nehemiah found many Jews who had married foreign women. The resulting children were not even able to speak the Jewish language, and the future of faithful worship and dedication to God was in jeopardy.

Nehemiah responded strongly. He physically confronted the offenders and spoke harshly to them, as he tried to impress upon them the significance of their choices. He forbade future intermarriages and reminded them of the disaster that had fallen even on a wise and godly man like Solomon, who had been led away from God because of his foreign wives. One of the offenders was the grandson of Eliashib, the same priest who invited Tobiah into the temple. Due to the seriousness of this offense in the priesthood, Nehemiah drove this man away.

Nehemiah's concern in addressing these issues was the sanctity of worship and the faithfulness to God. He saw the temple defiled and neglected, and he saw abuses of the sabbath and the dangerous intermarriages. The return to God and to the land was still fairly new, and in just a short time, the people were forgetting the former failures which had brought God's judgment in the first place. Nehemiah did not want that to happen again, so he exercised his leadership by taking strong and swift action, with no deference given based on position or heritage. God's honor was most important, and faithful worship to Him had to be followed.

Whose fault were the failures? Each individual was responsible for his own actions. Furthermore, the leaders who had been left behind had failed to address the issues, and in some cases had participated. The message to leaders is to be like Nehemiah, taking action to correct disobedience to God. The message to followers is both to follow godly leaders as well as to do the right thing even when a strong leader is not available. Godly leaders are extremely important, but so is personal commitment to follow God even without supervision.

"Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among whom the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood" (Acts 20:28).

"Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls" (Hebrews 13:17).

Servant God

"I'm not following God anymore because ..." These words may or may not be expressed verbally, but they are common in the thoughts of many people. The blank is filled in differently by different people, but it is usually because God didn't do for them what they wanted Him to do. He didn't give them a spouse. He didn't heal their spouse's cancer. He didn't miraculously pay off their debts. He didn't keep their house from burning down.

Others wouldn't go so far as to stop following God, but their devotion and faithfulness wane. They stop actively serving Him, and their church attendance becomes sporadic. The fervent love and dedication that once filled their hearts is replaced by a guarded reserve or ambivalence. These people, too, have their reasons. Maybe their lives have been one struggle after another. They can't seem to get comfortable financially. Their children "turned out wrong." They have been disappointed as they continue to await the answer to a long-standing prayer.

In either case - whether they completely neglect God or whether they become a "fringe" Christian - the basic reason is the same. They had an expectation of God, and that expectation was not met. They thought that if they followed God, things would go well for them.

The extreme of this idea is prevalent in our culture. The "health-and-wealth" gospel promises that those who follow God will have their illnesses healed and their bills paid. They will have nice houses and nice cars. They will be able to take nice vacations and enjoy the good life of the American dream.

Many Christians are wise enough to reject this erroneous teaching, yet they maintain an underlying expectation of at least a modified version of the teaching. They believe that if they follow God, He will bless them. Sure, some Christians have trials, but they expect to be the exception. At the very least, they think their trials will be mild and brief.

There is no doubt that God blesses His children. The Bible is filled with both statements and examples of such a response (Psalm 115:13). However, the Bible is also filled with statements and examples revealing that trials are part of life and that such trials are often ordained by God (I Peter 4:19).

Blessings come in more than one form. Humans have the tendency to focus on material or visible blessings: health, finances, houses, cars, family. God often gives those types of blessings, but He is more focused on spiritual blessings: peace, joy, endurance, strength, maturity. Someone who suffers from a persistent illness but ministers to others through it is blessed of God. A family that is poor but united in love is blessed of God. A pastor of a small, struggling church who maintains a testimony of faithfulness is blessed by God.

Both a Christian's view of God and his resulting relationship with God suffer when he expects God to be a servant God. A Christian whose main communication with God is praying for things he wants God to do for him has a shallow Christianity. Such a viewpoint has a faulty premise (that perhaps the believer doesn't even realize he possesses); it makes man the center rather than God. In essence, it states, "I am so loved by God that He saved me, and now He will do for me anything that I want. All I have to do is ask Him." It is really a proud position, one that assumes worth and importance and a sense of privilege.

How different this is from a humble and more accurate perspective, which declares, "I am a sinner, and God graciously saved me anyway. I am so grateful to Him that I will accept whatever He chooses and do whatever He wants. All He has do is ask me." (Job 2:10) This position correctly recognizes that God is the great one and that man is lowly and undeserving.

God's ways are not man's ways (Isaiah 55:8), and God's plans are not man's plans (Proverbs 16:9). God's desire for mankind is that he would bring honor to the Creator God who is worthy of praise (I Corinthians 6:20). Within that grand purpose, God wants Christians to grow in Christ-likeness (Philippians 1:6). Whether Christians like it or not, that growth is best achieved through trials, and as Christians deeply learn the truth of God's Word through those trials (James 1:2-4).

The maturity gained through trials is a priceless blessing. The resulting closeness to God is a priceless blessing. The experiential knowledge of the Bible is a priceless blessing. The increased capacity to minister to others is a priceless blessing. The purifying factor in the life is a priceless blessing.

God often follows times of trial with times of blessing - that is, with blessings in a format that humans can more easily appreciate. Job is a notable example. The danger of walking away from God or of weakening in one's fervency results because Christians get tired waiting for that blessing or they don't recognize it in the form in which it comes. Most assuredly, those who faithfully follow God will be blessed, but receiving the blessing cannot be the focus. Christianity is not about what God can do for man, but about what He wants to do in man. If God does not give the answer a Christian desires, he cannot throw away his faith. God will accomplish the good work He desires; man must submit, trust, and wait. God is not man's servant; He is the good and wise Master.

"Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. And He has said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.' Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me" (II Corinthians 12:8-9).

Lifelong Commitment

Sometimes a person takes such a noteworthy action toward us that it forever changes the nature of our relationship with him. Someone could pay off a large debt, donate a kidney, stand by us in a moment of intense trial, or invest in our personal growth with committed and deliberate interactions.

Such extraordinary interactions form a bond of gratitude and devotion that never dies. We always think of that person as special, even years later or when distance has separated us. We would do just about anything for that person if it were within our power, and we would diligently try to avoid disappointing him by wasting his investment or discarding the good he had done.

God has done more for us than anyone else ever could. His investment in us is priceless, His faithfulness unfailing, and His motivation love-induced. When God has changed our lives so much, it is fitting and appropriate that we would be forever committed to Him.

"I love the LORD, because He hears my voice and my supplications" (Psalm 116:1). This psalmist declares his love for God based on God having heard him. There is no place for "detached" Christianity. After God has saved us, we cannot view Him casually or flippantly. We cannot live our lives with indifference toward Him. What a tremendous display of ingratitude it would be to receive His gifts and then live our own lives without regard to His desires.

"Because He has inclined His ear to me, therefore I shall call upon Him as long as I live" (Psalm 116:2). The psalmist also declares His loyalty toward God based on God's response to him. The psalmist is unshakable in his commitment to follow God. He will continue to seek God in every situation of life, and there will never be another source that receives the same measure of his dependence. A Christian has found the Answer and the source of answers. There is no reason to seek elsewhere and every reason to continue seeking the same Source.

Truly, after all God has done for us, we should have fervent love and undying loyalty toward Him. Nothing should dampen or squelch our love, and nothing should distract or usurp our loyalty. God is incredibly special and deserves our lifelong devotion.