The Patience of God

Biblical Exegesis

Nineveh was the captial city of the Assyrian Empire. They had conquered Israel and Samaria and deported the 10 tribes of Jews.

Hezekiah has just become king in Judah. He desires to follow the Lord. Judah is in fear of this empire that now shares a boarder with them.

God enters into this in the and sends the prophet Nehum with a message of comfort for His people. Nehum (means comforter)

Why Is Judah Afraid?

They are the next nation, on the boarder of Assyria.

They have not been as bad as Israel, but they were not without sin.

God’s Comfort

This is the burden against Nineveh… Their enemies.

God promises that He will guard and take vengence...

Nahum 1:2 “God is jealous, and the Lord avenges; The Lord avenges and is furious. The Lord will take vengeance on His adversaries, And He reserves wrath for His enemies;”

Nahum 1:7 “The Lord is good, A stronghold in the day of trouble; And He knows those who trust in Him.”

Nahum 1:15 “Behold, on the mountains The feet of him who brings good tidings, Who proclaims peace! O Judah, keep your appointed feasts, Perform your vows. For the wicked one shall no more pass through you; He is utterly cut off.”

God’s Wrath is promised and He delivered. Nivah will be conquered by the Medes shortly.

Yet to His people He promises

Nahum 1:3 “The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, And will not at all acquit the wicked. The Lord has His way In the whirlwind and in the storm, And the clouds are the dust of His feet.”

1. He is slow to anger, and great in power; i.e. his power moderates his anger; he is not so impotent as to be at the command of his passions, as men are. He can restrain his anger under just provocations to exercise it. His power over himself is the cause of his slowness to wrath. As, Num. 14:17, ‘Let the power of my Lord be great,’ saith Moses, when he pleads for the Israelites’ pardon. Men that are great in the world are quick in passions, and are not so ready to forgive an injury, or bear with an offender, as one of a meaner rank. It is a want of a power over a man’s self that makes him do unbecoming things upon a provocation. A prince that can bridle his passions is a king over himself as well as over his subjects. God is slow to anger, because great in power. He hath no less power over himself than over his creatures. He can sustain great injuries without an immediate and quick revenge. He hath a power of patience, as well as a power of justice. “Stephen Charnock”

His wrath is also different. For those that are His, he is patient and tempers His wrath with Mercy, but those that are His enimies, His wrath is poured out in an instant.

God’s Patience / longsuffering

Points:

The Nature of His patience.

The place where it is shown.

Why God exercies this patience.

How we should use this knowledge.

The Nature of His patience

Patience is the result of the goodness and the Mercy of God coming together.

“God being the greatest goodness, hath the greatest mildness; mildness is always the companion of true goodness, and the greater the goodness, the greater the mildness. Who so holy as Christ, and who so meek? God’s slowness to anger is a branch or slip from his mercy: Ps. 145:8, ‘The Lord is full of compassion, slow to anger.’ It differs from mercy in the formal consideration of the object; mercy respects the creature as miserable, patience respects the creature as criminal; mercy pities him in his misery, and patience bears with the sin which engendered that misery, and is giving birth to more.” Stephan Charnock

1 Timothy 1:16 “However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life.”

Isaiah 30:18 “Therefore the Lord will wait, that He may be gracious to you; And therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you. For the Lord is a God of justice; Blessed are all those who wait for Him.”

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

2. This patience is not without end.

He is slow to anger, not incapable of anger.

3. It is not a patience that comes from lack of ability.

He has the power to create the world in 6 days and He hasn’t changed. God is able.

Matthew 26:52–54 “But Jesus said to him, “Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels? How then could the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen thus?””

4. God’s Patience comes from a fulness of power and complete control over Himself.

It is part of who He is. Slow to anger, great in power....

Exodus 34:6 “And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth,”

5. This patience is shown in Christ. God passed over sins committed, waiting for the full payment in Christ.

Where is God’s patience Shown?

To Adam and Eve in allowing them to live.

The the Gentile world. God even in the judgment of Romans 1, and giving them up to their own desires, allows them time to reap and repent.

To His own people like Israel that He put up with for many years.

In Particular ways.

He gives us warnings of judgments before He send them. (noah, Acts 17:31…)

His long delay in sending the punishments.

2 Peter 3:9 “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.”

He sends the judgment but takes no joy in the death of the wicked.

Ezekiel 18:30–32 ““Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways,” says the Lord God. “Repent, and turn from all your transgressions, so that iniquity will not be your ruin. Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies,” says the Lord God. “Therefore turn and live!””

He often moderates His judgment.

He is easy to be entreated.

Psalm 78:38 “But He, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, And did not destroy them. Yes, many a time He turned His anger away, And did not stir up all His wrath;”

He is willing to give Mercy even after great provocations.

Isaiah 1:15–20 “When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; Even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood. “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil, Learn to do good; Seek justice, Rebuke the oppressor; Defend the fatherless, Plead for the widow. “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the Lord, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool. If you are willing and obedient, You shall eat the good of the land; But if you refuse and rebel, You shall be devoured by the sword”; For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

Why does God show Himself to be so Long-suffering?

To show His willingness to forgive if only they will come. He is not an unresponsive enemy, but a reluctant enemy.

He waits for men to repent.

2 Peter 3:15 “and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation—as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you,”

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

So that Mankind as a whole may continue.

For the continuance of His people.

To show the righteousness of His judgment when it comes.

How can we use this knowledge that God is Patience?

it will bear testimony against the lost when they stand in front of God and see His goodness and patience with them.

Knowing that there is an end to the Patience of God.

Like in Noahs Day...

Or Israel in the Wilderness.

It helps us to understand when God allows the enemies of the church to oppress her.

We are like the disciples in the boat, “Lord don’t you care...”

We can also see why God allows us to suffer in that He wants us to learn patience as well.

It is a comfort as well. It calls sinners to come and encourages the fallen to stand up again. It encourages all of us to seek Him.

If He bears with the lost in this way, how much more will he bear with His children.

Conclusion

Romans 15:5 “Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus,”