God is not

I’m not sure when this thought came to me, the idea that God is not—certain things. We tend to focus on what God is rather than what he isn’t. It seems like it’s more encouraging that way. But I started wondering what the Bible has to say about God not being something.

The only verse I could think of at first was this one:

The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9)

Isn’t that just chock-full of goodness? But we’re not looking at all the things he is; we’re only looking at what he is not. He is not slack concerning his promise . . . He’s not remiss. He’s not weak in his promise. He doesn’t hold us loosely, but nice and tight. When there is slack in a rope, it’s because the rope is loose. There’s room for it to flop around and not be secure. Leave a gate chain slack and the cows will be out in no time. Our God is not slack.

Then there’s this one:

God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? (Numbers 23:19)

God is not a man. Whew, good thing. Can you imagine casting all your cares on a man? He might be able to help a little, but he is finite just like we are. He has the same limits we do, the same weaknesses. If we count on a man (or woman), eventually they will let us down.

We need a God who is so much better, so much bigger than we are. We need a Father who is able to do what we cannot, a miracle-working God. Our God didn’t live 33 years on earth and then die and stay dead. No, our God brought himself back to life, rose himself from the grave and lives today. He is present and active and working all things together for our good. Our God is not a man.

For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints. (1 Corinthians 14:33)

This is the one I lean on all the time, especially after all the post-concussion fun that is my brain. When I am confused, I know it’s not from God and that what he wants for me is peace. God gave us his word so we would know exactly where we stand and what we should do. If I don’t understand it, it’s not because he wrote it poorly. Our God is not the author of confusion.

For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister. (Hebrews 6:10)

Apparently, forgetting our work that we do for him would be unrighteous, but God sees every bit, even the parts no one else sees. Disinfecting the nursery toys? Fixing toilets? He sees it. Bringing dinner to an elderly shut-in or a new mom? Sees it. Not biting your husband’s head off when you feel like he deserves it? Sees it. Wiping one more nasty bottom? He. Sees. It. Forgetting your labor of love would be unrighteous, and our God is not unrighteous.

But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city. (Hebrews 11:16)

This verse comes in the middle of the Hebrews “faith” chapter, and it’s referring to the whole nation of Israel springing forth from Abraham and Sarah and wandering around looking for the city God promised them, the one whose builder and maker is God. He rescued them out of slavery in Egypt and they would have gone back there rather than endure the hardship of wandering around the wilderness for decades.

They ignored God over and over and over. It was a constant loop of disobey, suffer the consequences, repent—on repeat ad nauseam. They never got it right. Complainers. Obstinate. Unruly. Self-centered. Sounds like me. They were the ultimate problem children, and yet God is not ashamed to be called their God. He is not ashamed to be called my God.

So yes, God is a lot of things and that’s good for us. But he is also not a few things.

He is not slack.

He is not a man.

He is not the author of confusion.

He is not unrighteousness to forget our labor.

He is not ashamed to be our God.