God's patience day2

If you were to just sit down and read the book of Judges, you might find yourself getting so caught up in these fascinating individual vignettes that you would lose sight of the bigger picture. There are so many wonderful characters here, Deborah, Othniel, Shamgar. We relish the quirky details of Ehud stabbing the fat king Eglon, Samson’s disgrace at the hands of Delilah, Gideon’s torch-bearing, trumpet-blowing army of misfits, Jephthah’s rash vow.

But we cannot allow ourselves to get so involved in their stories that we end up thinking that the book is simply a cautionary tale about what happens to people when they divorce themselves from an absolute Source of absolute truth and simply do whatever is right in their own eyes. As valid as that point may be, the book is about much more than that.

From a distance, we can see a different pattern emerge. We are reminded that the Bible is not written to tell us the stories of the people of God. Rather, the Bible is written primarily to tell us the story of the God of the people. With that lens firmly in place, we get a better view of this book and can see two things about God that we would do well to remember.

First, God is remarkably patient. He lets the Israelites grow complacent and lax in their devotion. He allows them to be openly rebellious. He allows them to suffer the consequences and painful sting of His discipline. He hears them cry out to Him in great remorse. He sends them a deliverer and restores peace to the land.

Then He allows them to do the whole thing over again. And again. Each time, He listens as they say, “We’ll never do it again, God. This time we’ve learned our lesson, and this time we mean it.”

He could have wiped them off the map. He could have started over with some other nation. He could have done any number of things, but He chose to be patient, to restrain Himself and give them chance after chance. He never says, “I told you so.” He never tells them, “This is the fourth time we’ve done this.” His patience is astonishing, and it’s a good thing.

But the other side of that coin is that if we are to celebrate the amazing patience of God appropriately, then we must also acknowledge the fact that, clearly, patience has its limits. God is not a doormat here. He doesn’t operate like an abused woman who keeps taking back her husband just because he promises not to do it again this time.

God’s patience has a limit. He gives his people chance after chance after chance, but eventually He draws a line in the sand and says, “This far and no farther.” He is not opposed to discipline, even painful discipline. Just like any good parent, God establishes boundaries and consequences.

Mennonites have a saying: “We are living in the time of God’s patience.” We are wise to remember that, to thank Him for His patience and celebrate it. But we are also wise to remember that His patience has a limit, and one day judgment will come.

 

Lord God, You have progressively revealed Your person, powers and perfections through the course of Your dealings with people in the pages of Scripture. It is through Your revelation that I can see Your glorious attributes of holiness, love, mercy and justice. I find with the passing of time that Your patience with Your people is astonishing. I give thanks for Your forbearance and kindness and for Your willingness to endure my waywardness. But at the same time, I ask that I would not foolishly test the limits of Your patience and presume on Your grace. You discipline me when I stray too far, and I desire to take the better course of staying near rather than straying far. I know that the way of obedience is life-giving and that the way of disobedience is death-dealing.

In Jesus’s name, Amen