September 13, 2025 - Hosea 11:9-12 - "The Holy One"

Hosea 11:9-12

"I will not execute the fierceness of mine anger, I will not return to destroy Ephraim: for I am God, and not man; the Holy One in the midst of thee: and I will not enter into the city. They shall walk after the Lord: he shall roar like a lion: when he shall roar, then the children shall tremble from the west. They shall tremble as a bird out of Egypt, and as a dove out of the land of Assyria: and I will place them in their houses, saith the Lord. Ephraim compasseth me about with lies, and the house of Israel with deceit: but Judah yet ruleth with God, and is faithful with the saints."

This scripture reveals the gracious heart of God revealed in Christ. The chapter unfolds the astonishing contrast between Israel’s waywardness and the steadfast mercy of the LORD. Though His people have provoked Him to anger, He declares, “I will not execute the fierceness of mine anger… for I am God, and not man.” Here shines forth the sovereign grace of the covenant God, Who, instead of consuming His guilty children, turns His wrath aside through the redeeming work of His Son. In Christ, Divine justice is satisfied, and mercy triumphs over judgment. This passage points us to that wondrous mystery—that God’s holiness is not compromised, but magnified, in His saving Love. Here we behold the faithfulness of the LORD Who calls His people to Himself, and the sure Hope that in Christ, His compassion never fails.

When we consider God and His dealings with sinners, there’s something here that ought to stop us in our tracks. God is Holy. Perfectly Holy. And yet He puts Himself right in the middle of a sinful people. He does not stand far off. He does not leave the entire world to run its course and burn itself out. No, the LORD is in the midst of His people. That is both the most comforting truth and the most sobering truth we who are the LORD'S chosen, redeemed ones could ever hear.

Think about this: when a man gets angry, he lets it fly. Our wrath is quick, it’s fierce, it’s often without measure. We explode, and then we try to clean up the mess afterward. That’s man’s way. But God is not man. His wrath is not like ours. His anger is never unhinged, never unjust, never wasted. His wrath is Holy. And that’s what makes it so fearful. Because when God unleashes His anger, it is perfect judgment. Look at the flood in Noah’s day—when the fountains of the deep broke open and the heavens poured rain, every living thing outside the ark perished (Genesis 7:21–23). Yet, even that is a small manifestation of the wrath of God. He destroyed an entire world, yet spared eight souls alive as a token of His grace for an elected remnant. Noah found grace, having been chosen and set apart by God in an otherwise wicked generation. He did not earn it nor deserve it. God set His favor on him as a remnant according to the election of grace (Romans 11:5).

Here is the wonder of it: this Holy God, whose wrath is so fierce, so consuming, chooses to withhold it from some, all the while pouring it out on others. Why? Because He is God, and not man. Because He acts according to His sovereign purpose, not according to shifting passions. He holds back judgment, and in holding back, it's because He has purposed mercy for them in His forbearance (Romans 9:15). And that mercy is found in one Person alone—in Christ Jesus, the Son of God.

Ephraim was full of lies and deceit. They turned to idols, they rebelled against the LORD, and yet He said He would not destroy them. He spared them, not because they were worthy, but because His purpose in Christ had not yet been fulfilled. He preserved that nation so that centuries later, Christ would pass through Samaria and meet a woman at a well (John 4:4). That is Holy Mercy. That is God's Sovereign purpose.

Make no mistake— “we are by nature children of wrath, even as others” (Ephesians 2:3). We deserve His anger. But here’s the Good News of the Gospel: God has already executed His wrath upon His Son. “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us” (1 Thessalonians 5:9–10). Christ bore it, every bit of it, at the cross. He endured the judgment so His people never will. “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).

That’s why His mercy is Holy Mercy. His love is Holy Love. His grace is Holy Grace. God never lays aside His justice. In Christ Jesus, righteousness and peace kiss each other (Psalm 85:10). His holiness sets apart His people in election, in redemption, in calling. When He roars like a lion, His sheep hear His voice (Hosea 11:10; John 10:27), and they come trembling to Him. That’s the work of a Holy God in the hearts of sinners.

Here’s our confidence: “I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed” (Malachi 3:6). "The Holy One is in the midst of us still. He is the Lion of the tribe of Judah" (Revelation 5:5). He is ruling, He is reigning, and He will bring all His people home. Christ crucified. His body broken, His blood shed, His wrath endured, His Righteousness imputed. He is our Redemption, our Justification, our Sanctification, and our Glorification. He is All in all.

Thanks be to God for His Holy Love, Grace, and Mercy in Christ Jesus.