patience

The Goodness of God

“Do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? Romans 2:4

It isn’t unusual for people to justify their belief that there is no God based on the corruption they observe among people. The nature of bias is that we only see or hear what we want to see and hear. In the previous chapter Paul wrote that the invisible attributes of God are clearly revealed in His creation (1:19-20) and so people who choose not to believe Him have no valid excuse for not believing.

We see the sun rise or set for a few minutes each day and observe its beauty; but in reality God performs both sunrise and sunset 24/7. If we travelled west at the speed of the earth’s rotation we could have a perpetual sunrise or sunset. We may observe the beauty of a rose bud opening over a few hours but at any given time there are many roses and multitudes of other in full colourful bloom. We have stood in wonder and marvelled at a new baby but there are parents in awe and wonder at their new baby all around the world all the time. We live in a world that provides far more food than required for the current population. It is only man’s greed for wealth and power that prevents it being distributed to the people or allowing them to grow their own. Some people look at man’s corruption and blame God. Others look at the goodness of God and seek deliverance from the corruption of man.

The forbearance and longsuffering of God is that He holds back on the outpouring of His wrath against evil for a reason (Romans 3:25-26). Peter agrees with Paul when he writes, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). The delay in judgment is not because God does not exist, but because He is showing His goodness in contrast to man’s corruption, so that all people may have a change of heart and come to Him.

Those who are biased toward sin look at the corruption of mankind and say there is no God. Those who are sick and tired of this corruption look at the goodness, forbearance and longsuffering of God and come to Him for forgiveness and cleansing.

For the former, Paul does not have good prospects. He writes, “But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are storing up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God” (Romans 2:5). Jesus said, “The one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out” (John 6:37) and John writes, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Those who believe His word may come in absolute confidence of being received, forgiven and cleansed. Those who don’t believe His word will, because of the hardness of their own impenitent heart, choose to remain under God’s wrath.

In 100 Years

“For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul?” Matthew 16:25, 26

We make many, many choices every day but rarely do we take a good look at the basis on which we make them. Many choices may seem to have little consequence but that may be to underestimate the effect that a choice may have in the long run and on other people.

Paul writes that anything that our sufferings are not worthy to be compared with the glory we will experience in Jesus Christ (Romans 8:18). Earthly things are passing away and all that will remain is that which is eternal. The two are so far apart as not to be worthy of comparison.

In the passage above Jesus affirms that worldly treasure is only for a moment but eternal treasure is forever. It is an absurdity for a person to disregard an eternal possession (Ephesians 1:11, 14, 18) for one that will die with our bodies.

King David did make a comparison in Psalm 37 but as we read the Psalm it becomes quite evident that he realises there is no comparison. Those who choose ungodliness will lose everything for which they laboured but those who trust the Lord (v 3), delight in the Lord (v 4), commit their way to the Lord (v 5), rest in the Lord (v 7) and wait on the Lord (vv 9, 34) will have an eternal inheritance (v 18). The two destinies are not worthy of comparison.

There is no relationship that is worthy of comparison with that which we have with Jesus Christ. Jesus said, “If any one comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:26). Elsewhere we are commanded to love others especially our parents, spouse and children but what He is saying to us in this passage is that the love we have for them is not worthy to be compared with the love we have for Him. The reason for the disparity is who He is relative to whom our family members are.

When we make our myriad of choices during the course of the day it will be helpful to us to always have in the back of our minds whether we are choosing for the short term or eternity. We might ask ourselves, “What will it matter in 100 years? What will be the eternal consequence of that choice?” That might help us in the decision process.

Faithful Counsel

“They did not ask counsel of the Lord” Joshua 9:14

As we read the book of Joshua and come to this episode in his life and that of the other leaders we may think that they were a little slow in learning as they had the same problem not long before when they were going against the city of Ai. But before we cast the first stone we best take a careful look at ourselves. How often do we go ahead presuming on the grace of God and Christ’s presence based on our own knowledge, wisdom or previous experience?

Joshua and his leaders were taken in by a well planned deception. On the surface everything had the appearance of being genuine and straight forward. This is the kind of deception that works best. If things don’t appear genuine the deception doesn’t usually work.

If we reflect on our own lives we may be able to identify occasions when we have proceeded on the basis that everything looked genuine and have not sought counsel from the Lord with the result that we have been deceived. We may also discover occasions when we have made some attempt at asking counsel from the Lord but not taken the time to wait for a response.

The historical accounts of episodes in Joshua’s life are recorded so that we might learn both the ways of fallen man and the ways of God. God has not changed and neither has the nature of fallen mankind. The devil is called the deceiver for good reason. He has not changed either.

The notion that we only bother God with big, important or first time decisions makes us vulnerable to the devil’s deceptions. It allows us to live apart from intimacy with Jesus Christ. It allows us to live in pride thinking we have done some service for Christ when He wants us to serve with Him. We pat ourselves on the back but we have acted independently of Christ.

What looked straightforward to Joshua and the other leaders turned out to be a nightmare for the whole nation. Joshua and the other leaders rightly bore the brunt of the people’s complaining and accusation (v 18).

Israel later enjoyed success in overcoming the cities in the land “because the Lord God of Israel fought for Israel” (10:42). The Lord fought for Israel not just because they knew the will of the Lord and were acting in obedience to that will; He fought for them because they went forward with the Lord leading and not for the Lord in His absence. Israel learned the hard way that going ahead of Him led to disaster.

Jesus reminded His disciples that they could succeed in nothing for the kingdom of God without Him being with them and at the head (John 15:4-8).

A Little While

“For yet a little while and the indignation will cease as will My anger in their destruction” (Isaiah 10:25)

The context of this statement from the Lord is that Israel had turned from following the Lord. For the purpose of reconciling Israel to Himself the Lord had allowed Assyria to become stronger and have eyes for the land of Israel. Assyria was the Lord’s means of chastising Israel.

As a result of this chastisement a “remnant” responded and returned to following and worshipping the Lord (10:20-22). The majority of the nation remained indifferent or loyal to the idol gods of the surrounding nations and did not respond to the chastisement of the Lord or heed the messages He sent by His prophets.

Those who did respond were suffering and enduring the same persecution from without as those who did not but they also endured being out of step and favour with their brethren. Drought affected them as it did others; they suffered and died in battles with neighbouring nations; they had their crops and animals stolen in the raids by neighbouring nations; they had their parents killed or children stolen to be slaves just like others who still worshipped dead idols.

The same question was on their hearts that has been on many of the Lord’s people through history and most certainly is today; How long, O Lord?

The faithful remnant in Israel today suffers just as their forebears did. The rockets from over the borders do not discriminate and neither does the anti-Semitism coming out of all the nations of the world. The opposition and persecution from without affects Messianic Jews as well as other Jews but the Messianic Jews are also opposed by and out of favour with other Jews.

From our perspective it may appear that the Lord is tarrying unnecessarily but His word to the believing remnant of Israel remains the same, “For yet a little while and the indignation will cease as will My anger in their destruction.” The Lord’s word to believing Israel then and to Messianic Jews today is to patiently endure and in a little while He will bring this painful situation to an end. That end will be by the completion of Israel’s chastisement and the destruction of all who oppose the lord and persecute His people. That day will be the day Christ Jesus returns in glory. He will destroy all who oppose Him and then He will establish His kingdom on earth.

For Christians today who long to see an end to iniquity and evil; who long to be able to worship the Lord in freedom and without risk of persecution; He says endure for a little while longer because the day will surely come when He will put everything under His feet and we can worship Him in the beauty of holiness.

As we continue to hear reports of Christians being persecuted in many parts of the world for no more reason than their faith in Jesus Christ we, and they, can find comfort and assurance that the Lord has not forsaken or forgotten them. Let us bear a little longer and the Lord will vindicate those who have turned to Him and remained faithful even through persecution.