The Patience of God

The Lord is exceedingly patient.  He desires above all else for His children, the elect, to repent and turn to Him in faith (2 Pet. 3:9).  The Lord is a God of justice but He is not swift to dish out justice.  Instead, He is patient, giving man every possible chance to turn in faith to Him.  This is one of the most remarkable characteristics of God: that even though we are disobedient and obstinate to Him, He is faithful and patient with us.

There is incredible risk to the patience of God: delayed consequences of sin.  Because God is not swift to mete out justice, it can cause man to believe that justice won't come and they will grow more apostate as a result (Ecc. 8:11).  But God's patience is a test.  He is patient so that we would have every opportunity to repent and be obedient to His will.

When the Israelites entered the Promised Land, they believed, rightly so, that they were the chosen people of God.  Because of this truth, after Solomon's death, when the nation split and turned to apostasy and unbelief, they believed that God would never judge and forsake His people.  Because He didn't judge them immediately, the people grew more and more apostate believing that God wouldn't judge them.  For centuries, He was patient with His people.  Eventually though, time ran out and judgment fell upon the people, razing the country through pagan empires and sending the people into exile; only the remnant survived.

As all of the Scripture speaks to Christ, the history of Israel does so as well.  What we, as Christians, can glean from the Old Testament is that, although judgment may be delayed, it is sure to come.  God is abounding in steadfast love and more than anything desires that we would turn to Him in confession and belief.  We should not take advantage of His patience but should recognize His patience as it is: worthy of praise.

Additionally, God's patience is to be an example for us.  We, as living sacraments of His nature, are to be patient as He is patient.  This is beyond difficult and only possible with the Holy Spirit dwelling inside of us.  Patience means that we will be quick to overlook faults and even quicker to forgive.  The Lord desires for us to forgive and be patient.  Ultimately, we cannot know how our acts of patience can propel others towards repentance and faith, and this is a beautiful thing.