Author: Brad Whitt

"I will not execute the fierceness of My anger; I will not again destroy Ephraim. For I am God, and not man. . ." Hosea 11:9 It's a very original, unusual, unique statement.  We would have expected something completely and totally different - even from the prophet himself.  He has been expressing in the clearest, starkest, strongest, loudest terms possible his sense of the divine horror of sin.  He has been sharing from the lips of God the most withering, the most scathing denunciations of the evil around man.  With this as a backdrop we would expect that there would follow something like this  - "I will utterly and completely destroy these wicked men.  I will wipe them from the face of the earth and from the memory of all of creation."  But instead there comes this startling statement - "I will not execute the fierceness of My anger. . .For I am God, and not man. . ."

Therefore I will give thanks to You, O LORD, among the Gentiles, And sing praises to Your name.” 2 Samuel 22:50 The first personal declaration of thanksgiving in the Old Testament is one for divine deliverance. It is David’s open acknowledgement of the Lord’s power, provision and protection in the midst of his enemies. In fact, standing just after the Lord’s awesome acts, David shouts and sings of the Almighty’s salvation “among the Gentiles.” He declares that he will “give thanks to the Lord…and make known among the nations what He has done.”

"But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them; Let those also who love Your name Be joyful in You." Psalm 5:11 The Psalmist isn't so much sharing a promise as he is giving a command. He says to those who trust in the Lord that it is not just our responsibility to be joyful, but to make sure that everybody around us knows that we are full of the joy of the Lord as well. In fact, the Psalmist says that its not just our duty to "rejoice," but to "shout for joy." So, then, joyfulness is much more than mere privilege, it is our divine duty.

"Now when Moses went into the tabernacle of meeting to speak with Him, he heard the voice of One speaking to him from above the mercy seat that was on the ark of the Testimony, from between the two cherubim; thus He spoke to him."  Numbers 7:89 When we walk into His tabernacle to speak with God, it is then and only then - there and only there, that we find a mercy seat.  It is not that way with man.  When we walk into man's tabernacle we find a judgment seat.  Even the Twelve couldn't wait for the twelve thrones they were promised. They set up thrones of their own and immediately started handing down selfish sentences - fire on Samaria and to a Roman soldier, mutilation.