We do not usually think of God as crying out to
us: "How long do I have to keep
waiting for you people to get ready for the coming of My Son Jesus?" We cry out "how long" thinking from
our desire, but let's stop being self centered and think of it from God's
desire.
God's people have always clung too
tightly to sin and this world. In Exodus
16:28 we read: "How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws? In Numbers 14:11
"And the LORD said unto Moses, How long will this people provoke me? and how long will it be ere they believe me, for all the
signs which I have showed among them?"
Joshua 18:3 "And
Joshua said unto the children of Israel, How long are ye
slack to go to possess the land, which the LORD God of your fathers has given
you?"
It
wasn't just the Hebrews who came out of Egypt and wandered longer than God's
plan had been for them. Read this from
Psalm 4:2 "O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame? how long will ye love vanity, and seek after lies?
God's call through Jeremiah applies to us today: Jeremiah 4:14
"O Jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness, so that
you may be saved. How long shall thy vain
thoughts lodge within thee?"
Jesus asked the same question when He was here in Person: "O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you?
how long shall I bear with you?” It is such an important question that it is
recorded in Matthew 17:17, Mark 9:19, and Luke 9:41. It is as if the Holy Spirit holds these words
up in front of our face trying to impress us with the truth that we are
delaying God's work!
We
sometimes think of this text in 2Peter 3:12
"Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God",
as a reminder that it is within our power to hasten the day of Christ's
return. But study this text in Isaiah
16:15: "And in mercy shall the
throne be established: and he shall sit upon it in truth in the tabernacle of
David, judging, and seeking judgment, and hasting (to hurry or speed up)
righteousness."
Jesus
rebukes us because we ignore the important things of the gospel: "(you) have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy,
and faith". In Scripture
Judgment and mercy are often linked together as good and necessary. Hosea 12:6
"Therefore turn thou to thy God: keep mercy and judgment, and wait
on thy God continually.” Psalm
101:1 "I will sing of mercy and judgment: unto
thee, O LORD, will I sing."
We have a tendency to have mercy on ourselves
and harsh judgment against others. It
should be the other way around. We
should hold ourselves up to a high standard, judge ourselves closely, while having
mercy on those around us. "Thus
speaks the LORD of hosts, saying, Execute true judgment, and show mercy and
compassion every man to his brother." (Zechariah 7:9) Our Heavenly Father executed judgment on Himself, that He might show mercy
to us.
Jesus
wants to put an end to sin and suffering.
He has no pleasure in all the terrible things we see around us that are
the result of sin. He longs to come back
and take His redeemed people home to heaven.
He wants to see the end of sin.
But in mercy He waits because we are not ready. If we will concentrate on obeying His word,
we will be representing Him and the world will take notice. The gospel of His power to save will be
demonstrated to the world and Jesus will be able to return and sin will be at
an end.
Isaiah
30:18 "Therefore will the LORD
wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that
he may have mercy upon you: for the LORD is
a God of judgment: blessed are
all they that wait for him."
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