1) THE LONGSUFFERING OF GOD
Word-Meaning: The Old Testament uses an expression that means “slow to anger.”
Ps. 86:15 “But You, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, Slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness and truth.”
The New Testament expresses the idea by a word that shows an aspect of the goodness and love of God which He bears with the self-willed and evil ones despite their long-continued disobedience. It reveals itself in the postponement of the merited judgment.
In the New Testament, God’s longsuffering is expressed, for example, in Rom. 2:4 “Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?”
Biblical Applications: God’s longsuffering belongs to His riches toward us! God’s longsuffering intends to lead men to repentance!
This is illustrated in the life of Noah. 120 years before God’s severest judgment came upon mankind, He warned men of His judgment through His preacher of righteousness, Noah. For how long? 120 years, cf. Gen. 6:3.
What do those who are spiritually careless overlook about God in His longsuffering?
Ps 7:11-12. 11 God is a righteous judge and a God who has indignation every day. 12 If a man does not repent, He will sharpen His sword; He has bent His bow and made it ready.
2) THE PATIENCE OF GOD.
A General observation: God’s patience is “an active endurance of opposition, not a passive resignation.” [Holman Bible Dictionary.]
Word-Meaning regarding God as patient:
2 Pet 3:9 The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.
NT: There are 2 words mainly:
a. One word describes maximum control over a stirring desire to inflict immediate judgment against rebellion. This word expresses God’s patience in respect of persons
b. Another word expresses “A remaining under a load.” Luke 21:19 says: “By your endurance, you will gain your lives.”
The OT uses the following expression: “patiently wait.” We find it, for example in Ps. 40:1 “I waited patiently for the LORD, And He inclined to me and heard my cry.”
OT Example: Job! James says in his epistle in 5:11 “We count those blessed who endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job, and have seen the outcome of the Lord’s dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.”
Job says about His strength: Job 6:11 “What is my strength, that I should wait? And what is my end, that I should endure?
Job cried out his pain before God and his thirst to understand why a man so righteous and careful in his walk should suffer such severity. He did not fully understand until God revealed Himself to Job. My paraphrase: “Job, where were you when I created the universe infinitely perfect? [Job 38:4 ff]. Even if I would explain all the intricacies to you, you would say with the Psalmist in Ps 139:6, “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is too high, I cannot attain to it.” The reassuring words of God that He is sovereignly in control, fulfilled Job’s need, even though God remains ultimately too high for us to fully fathom Him. Job’s later blessing outshined all he had before!
Part of the fruit of the Spirit is patience! We read in Gal 5:22-23a “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control . . .”
3) FORBEARANCE
The NT uses a word that describes a “holding back, delaying.” Romans 3:24-25 V. 24 “Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: V. 25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God.
“The forbearance of God and his long-suffering—the two terms exhaust the one idea—they denote the disposition of God, by which he indulgently tolerates sins and delays their punishment” (Meyer, Com.). Phil. 4:5 says: “Let your forbearance be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.”
The supreme act of patience bringing about supreme good: Is 53:3-11
3 He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. 4 Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. 6 All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.
7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth. 8 By oppression and judgment He was taken away; And as for His generation, who considered That He was cut off out of the land of the living For the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due? 9 His grave was assigned with wicked men, Yet He was with a rich man in His death because He had done no violence, Nor was there any deceit in His mouth. 10 But the LORD was pleased To crush Him, putting Him to grief; If He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, And the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand. 11 As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant will justify the many, As He will bear their iniquities.
Roland Freischlad
