Bible Studies

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The Patience of God
“My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.” At that moment the clock started ticking for the sinful citizens of Mesopotamia, and 120 years later God’s patience was exhausted. Later in the Bible God held his judgment of the Canaanites for 400 years while the Hebrews were in Egypt. After they passed through the Red Sea, God waited 40 more years while they wandered in the desert. Finally the Hebrews laid siege to Jericho and circled it for six more days. On the seventh, the invaders carried out God’s judgment and the Canaanite city fell. Total duration of God’s forbearance: 440 years and six days. These extraordinary displays of patience are a reflection of our extraordinary God who is “Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.” (Psalm 103:8). The mercy He shows, though not expected or required, is an accommodation to our human frailty.

Octavius Winslow, a 19th century preacher, described God’s patience: “But what is the Patience of God? It is the power of God over Himself. God's patience with man is only surpassed by His patience with Himself… But for the infinite restraint God puts upon Himself, this fallen world could not exist a moment. Mercy withholds judgment, goodness restrains justice, patience curbs power, and thus the patience of God is the salvation of man.”

But God would not be a just God if all judgments were delayed just to suit our convenience. God’s gift of forbearance is given at His pleasure. Adam and Eve in Genesis and Ananias and Sapphira in the New Testament were given the length of one conversation to repent and avoid consequences. Dathan and Abiram, rebels against Moses in the desert, heard Moses say just 96 words of warning before God opened the earth to swallow them and their families. Since the fall of Adam and Eve, mankind has invented mediation, arbitration, negotiation, conciliation, litigation, probation, parole, 60 day cooling off periods, and endless second chances. This is mankind’s way of handling things, but not necessarily God’s.

The citizens of Jericho had 440 years and six days to reform their society, and failed to do so. In the United States in 2006 there were 17,034 murders, 447,403 robberies, and 92,455 rapes, statistics worthy of Canaan. At least we don’t mimic their child sacrifice. No? In the United States in 2005, 1,287,000 children were murdered, or you could say, aborted. Will God give this nation 440 years and 6 days of grace? Only He knows.

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