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.