El Nose

Now that I have your attention…   🙂                            

In reading through a book on the names of God, I was struck by this particular one.  I had not heard of it before.  It may have captured my attention because I recently had some pre-cancer surgery on my nose so the subject is a bit sensitive to me.  The Hebrew word for God is “El”, which I knew, but the term “Nose” for forgiving was a new one.  The surgical procedure involved some cutting away of the diseased area so that it could be rid of the bad, leaving room for the new and good.  Think of what happens when we come to the Lord in faith (which is in itself a gift, according to Ephesians 2:8-9).  Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:17 that the “old has gone, behold, the new has come.”  Our old, sinful self is, in essence “cut away” and purged (cleansed).  Then, like healing, the new comes as we start fresh – a “new creation”.  We are never the same again.  Jacob wrestled with the angel all night, insisting on a blessing.  In the end, he received a new name:  from Jacob (deceiver) to Israel (one who strives with God).  But, he was also left with a wrenched hip, resulting in a limp in his walk.  What a reminder of that night and the difference it made in his life from that day forward.  His descendants are known as the “sons of Israel” to this day.

The doctor claims my nose will heal.  It may bear a scar and not be exactly the same.  But, it’s been cut away and cleansed.  So, now when I think of Nose, I can also think of God’s forgiveness in cutting away and purging the disease in my life (sin) and providing healing and new life.

Next time you glance at your nose (and, maybe, like me wish you had a different one!), remember El Nose:

The God who forgives.

“For you, Lord, are kind and forgiving and abounding in love…”   (Psalm 86:5)