Tag: God’s patience

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Joshua Devotionals

Judgment day

Judgment day

So Joshua conquered the whole region—the hill country, the Negev, the Judean foothills, and the slopes—with all their kings, leaving no survivors.

He completely destroyed every living being, as the Lord, the God of Israel, had commanded. (Joshua 10:40).

Let’s be honest, words like these are tough to swallow. Why would God command such a thing?

In a word: judgment.

What were the Amorites being judged for?

Their sin.

God goes into great description of that in Leviticus 18, telling the Israelites that the land was “vomiting” out the Amorites for their sin. (Leviticus 18:24-25)

That said, God was patient with them. He waited 400 years for them to repent. (Genesis 15:13-16)

They never did.

And when their sin reached their “full measure,” judgment came, with God instructing Joshua and the Israelites to wipe them out.

I mentioned in my last article that the Bible is not all encouraging and comforting words about God’s love and mercy. It also has hard words about judgment too.

God is patient. He desires all to come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9)

But if like the Amorites, people refuse to repent, judgment will come.

So let us never take our sin lightly. Remember that a day of judgment is coming as it came for the Amorites. And always keep in mind the words of Peter.

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief; on that day the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, the elements will burn and be dissolved, and the earth and the works on it will be disclosed.

Since all these things are to be dissolved in this way, it is clear what sort of people you should be in holy conduct and godliness as you wait for the day of God and hasten its coming. (2 Peter 3:10-12)

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Exodus Devotions

Though God is patient

Moses

Our God is patient. That is true.

But ultimately, there is one thing he will not tolerate: willful disobedience.

We see that twice in this passage.

When God first called Moses to go to Pharaoh, Moses started making all kinds of excuses about why he couldn’t go.

But in the end, those excuses were merely excuses. And when God answered each one, Moses finally said, “I don’t want to go. Send someone else.”

At that, God got upset.

Now, by his grace, God made allowance for Moses’ weaknesses, allowing Aaron to be his spokesman.

But he did not allow Moses to simply walk away from this task he had given him.

Then we have this curious incident where God is about to kill Moses. Why?

Apparently, God had commanded Moses to circumcise his son. It was something God had commanded Abraham and all his descendants to do (Genesis 17:9-14).

And as Israel’s leader, Moses had to set an example for the people.

But for whatever reason, he didn’t. From his wife’s reaction, it’s possible she had been against her son being circumcised.

Again, God is patient and gracious. But never mistake his patience and grace for indifference to our sin.

He does not take willful disobedience lightly.

Neither should we.

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2 Kings Devotionals

God’s judgment, God’s patience

Since King Manasseh of Judah has committed all these detestable acts…this is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘I am about to bring such a disaster on Jerusalem and Judah that everyone who hears about it will shudder. (2 Kings 21:11-12)

As I thought about Manasseh’s life, God’s patience and mercy once again really struck me.

Manasseh was probably the worst of all the kings of Judah, bringing idol worship back, sacrificing his own son, and spilling much innocent blood.

Tradition has it that it was under Manasseh’s reign that the prophet Isaiah was “sawn in two” (Hebrews 11:37).

As a result, God passed judgment on Manasseh and Judah.

But that judgment did not come for many years. Why? Because it was God’s desire that they repent.

Amazingly, Manasseh did. (2 Chronicles 33:10-13)

Manasseh’s son Amon didn’t, unfortunately, but his grandson Josiah, as we’ll see in later chapters, also had a repentant heart.

As a result, God’s judgment did not fully fall until after Josiah’s death.

It made me think of God’s mercy to me over the years despite all my “detestable acts.”

His patience toward me has been incredible. And I’m grateful.

As David wrote and experienced himself,

The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in faithful love. (Psalm 103:8)

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2 Kings Devotionals

God’s patience, God’s judgment

Back when Ahab first killed Naboth, God passed judgment on Ahab and his family.

Yet when Ahab humbled himself, God in his mercy put off that judgment. (1 Kings 21:21-29)

Even so, it wasn’t long before Ahab rebelled against God one final time and he died. (1 Kings 22)

What’s remarkable to me, though, is how much grace God showed his son Joram. Over a period of twelve years, time and again, God helped him (2 Kings 3, 5-7).

God also showed his impeccable timing to Joram, leading him to help the Shunnamite woman. (2 Kings 8:1-6)

I don’t know if there was any other ungodly Israelite king that God had showed so much grace to.

And yet, in the end, we see no sign that Joram actually ever repented and started following God.

Instead, he clung to his sins and refused to turn from them (2 Kings 3:3).

And so in the end, judgment came.

What’s my point?

It’s easy to think of God as being harsh in his punishments in the Old Testament.

But I think it’s worth remembering that he was also very patient and gracious with even the most rebellious people.

As a just God, he can’t put off judgment forever. But he isn’t a God that delights in judgment. Rather he delights in mercy. And it’s his desire that people repent.

As God would tell the prophet Ezekiel,

As I live—this is the declaration of the Lord God—I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked person should turn from his way and live. (Ezekiel 33:11)

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Revelation

A final warning

Revelation

I have said more than once over the past five years I’ve been writing this blog that God is patient, but that his patience will not last forever.

And here in this passage, I think we see that patience just about to run out.

Here we see an angel flying out, proclaiming the gospel to every nation, tribe, language, and people one last time. And he shouted,

Fear God, and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and the springs of water. (Revelation 14:7)

I wonder if this is a real angel or if it’s merely symbolic of the gospel going out to the whole world. (Matthew 24:14)

Or perhaps it’s both. Either way, the gospel goes out one last time. And with it comes warning.

“Now is the time to turn to God. His patience has run out and the time for judgment has come. Fear him. Give him glory. And worship him. Before it’s too late.”

The warnings are intensified by the next two angels.

Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great, which made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries. (8)

This is a preview to what we will see later. Babylon had once been a great empire, but it was totally pagan, a people who had turned their backs on God and were committing adultery with the world.

John no doubt saw Babylon as a symbol of Rome. And for us today, Babylon and Rome are symbols of a godless society, a society in which antichrist will arise.

But this angel cries out, not only that Babylon will fall, but that it has already fallen. It is dead while it yet lives. It’s only a matter of time before all will see it.

Then the third angel cries out a final warning.

If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand, he, too, will drink of the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath.

He will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. (9-11)

In short, there is no middle ground. You have to choose sides. Either you worship God or you worship the beast. And if you choose to worship the beast, all of God’s wrath will be poured upon you.

A lot of people hate the idea of hell. They can’t believe that a loving God would punish someone forever in conscious torment. But it can’t be any clearer here. There will never be rest, day or night for them. Rather, they will face torment for all eternity.

Why does this have to be so?

Number one, we were created eternal beings. The question is not whether we will live forever. The question is where.

Number two, if people will not receive God as king, they must be separated from him, if for no other reason that they don’t want to near him. But the thing is, life without God is hell.

If you don’t believe me, look at the world around you. We have tried to live in a world where God is not king. What’s the result? Murder. Rape. Terrorism. All manner of atrocities.

The experiment has failed.

And this is a world where God is still here, working in the lives of people. What will a world completely devoid of God be like?

But it doesn’t have to be that way. On the cross, Jesus drank the wine of God’s wrath for us. He experienced the full strength of God’s anger so that you don’t have to.

But if you reject him, then you’ll have to drink it yourself.

What will you choose?

Categories
Psalms

Discouraged by the evil we see.

Psalms

It  can be discouraging at times to see all the evil that is in this world.  To see people who prosper despite having no fear of God at all.  People who only look out for themselves and don’t care who they hurt.

And when we see them prospering, it’s easy to start saying, “What’s the point of doing what’s right?  What’s the point of following God when I’m struggling, and those who don’t give a rip about God are doing well?”

That’s what Asaph struggled with and Psalm 73 describes his struggle with the evil he saw.

He starts the psalm with his conclusion.

Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart.  (Psalm 73:1)

In other words, when all is said and done, God is good.  And those who follow him and keep pure hearts before him will see his goodness in their lives.

But then he talks about his struggle, saying,

But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold.

For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.  (2-3)

And in the next few verses, he talks about how all the wicked people he saw seemed to have no struggles at all.  They were healthy and rich, with none of the burdens that most people have.

This despite how proud and violent they were. This despite all the evil that came out of their hearts and mouths, saying,

How would God know?  Does the Most High know anything?  (11)

So Asaph cried out,

Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure and have washed my hands in innocence.

All day long I have been afflicted, and every morning brings new punishments.  (13-14)

But as he came into the presence of God, all of these thoughts melted away like the mist as he realized their final destiny.

Surely you place them on slippery ground;
you cast them down to ruin.

How suddenly are they destroyed,
completely swept away by terrors!

They are like a dream when one awakes;
when you arise, Lord,
you will despise them as fantasies.  (18-20)

In short, their time will come.  Their prosperity lasts only a moment compared to eternity, and then all will see just how temporal it all was.

When Asaph realized this, he felt so stupid for envying the wicked and questioning God.  But then he said,

Yet I am always with you;
you hold me by my right hand.

You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will take me into glory.  (23-24)

The nice thing about God is his patience.  That though we sometimes question him and his goodness, he doesn’t give up on us.  He continues to stand by us and lead us until the day we see him face to face.

As Asaph realized all this, he sang in praise,

Whom have I in heaven but you?  And earth has nothing I desire besides you.

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Those who are far from you will perish; you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.

But as for me, it is good to be near God.  I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds.  (25-28)

Lord, whom have I in heaven but you?  Lord, it’s so easy to be jealous of those who do evil, because their lives seem to be so good.  But Lord, it is good to be near to you. 

Let me never envy the wicked, no matter how good their lives may seem.  Instead, Lord, be my desire above all things.  Be my strength and portion forever.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

Categories
Malachi

Where’s the justice?

Malachi

Many times people ask, “If God is good, why is this world so bad? If he’s so just, where’s the justice?”

It’s not a new question. People were asking it in Malachi’s day. God told them,

You have wearied the Lord with your words.

“How have we wearied him?” you ask.

By saying, “All who do evil are good in the eyes of the Lord, and he is pleased with them” or “Where is the God of justice?” (Malachi 2:17)

How did God answer this charge?

“I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me.

Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the Lord Almighty. (Malachi 3:1)

In other words, “You’re asking where I am. You’re wondering why I don’t do anything about the injustice in this world.

Well, I will be coming soon. I will appear in your midst right in your very temple.”

This was fulfilled when Jesus came, while the messenger who prepared the way for him was John the Baptist.

But then, God asks a very piercing question.

But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. (Malachi 3:2)

Here he’s saying, “You’re waiting for me to come and bring justice and are complaining that I am long in coming. But when I come, will you be ready?

Because when I come, I will be like the fire that purifies gold and silver. I will be like the soap that washes away all the sin that I see.

Can you stand when I come with this cleansing fire? Can you stand when I come to wash away all the evil in this world?”

For those who belong to him, his priests, he said that he would purify and refine them. (Remember that as Christians, we too are called his priests).

But then he said,

“So I will come to put you on trial.

I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive the foreigners among you of justice, but do not fear me,” says the Lord Almighty. (Malachi 3:5)

In short, the time of judgment will come. And all who have done evil will be condemned. So the question again is, will you be able to stand before him when he comes?

When people challenge you on the justice of God, that’s the question you need to put to them.

“Think about what you’re asking. You’re asking him to wipe out all evil now. But that means that if there’s any evil in you at all, you need to be wiped out too (unless you’re going to claim to be perfect). Is that what you really want?”

The only reason God hasn’t come to bring judgment yet is simple. He’s waiting for as many people as possible to repent. And so he closes this passage by saying,

I the Lord do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed.

Ever since the time of your ancestors you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. (Malachi 3:6–7)

In other words, “I should have wiped you out a long time ago because you have broken my laws and commands.

It is only because I am unfailingly patient and merciful that you have not been destroyed.

But don’t mistake my patience for injustice. Because the time of judgment is coming.”

The question is, are you ready?

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Isaiah

Though God seems silent

Isaiah

Sometimes as we look at all the evil that is around us, we wonder where God is?  Why doesn’t he do something?  Is he doing anything at all?  Does he even care?

And indeed, that seems to be the case in this passage.  In the face of a people who “were feared far and wide, who were an aggressive nation,” God remained quiet, looking down on events from his dwelling place, seemingly with disinterest.  (Isaiah 18:4)

But then God says, the time will come when he will no longer just sit back and watch.  Instead,

[God] will cut off the shoots with pruning knives, and cut down and take away the spreading branches. 

They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey and to the wild animals; the birds will feed on them all summer, the wild animals all winter.  (Isaiah 18:5-6)

In other words, although God may be sitting back now, he will bring judgment.  He brought judgment on this aggressive nation, and the time will come when he will bring judgment on those who oppose him and his people.

But here’s the interesting part:  God is working that even his enemies would turn to him and repent. 

It says in verse 7 that this same aggressive people that used to be feared and who were hostile to God and his people would bring gifts to God and submit to his Lordship.

I think it’s important to remember the words of Peter who wrote,

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness.  He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.  

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief.  The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.  (2 Peter 3:9-10)

Always remember that God’s will is to save, not destroy.  The day will come when people who refuse to repent will eventually be destroyed.  But God desires their repentance, and that’s why he’s putting off his judgment.

So as his people, how should we respond? 

Let us pray for the people around us, even those who hate us, that they may escape the judgment to come and find the life that we ourselves have found in Christ. 

As God’s children trying to be like our Father, how can we do any less?