February 24, 2011
God’s Patience
Today’s reading is a quick visit to the book of Judges (Chapter 10, Verses 6-16), which highlights the patience and the grace of God given to the Israelites who “did evil in the eyes of the Lord… they forsook the Lord and no longer served him.” Many times the Israelites had turned away from God to worship other gods; God’s justice quickly swept down upon them and misfortune came their way. Many times, the Israelites were conquered by other nations and they suffered under the oppression of their conquerors. Many times the Israelites were delivered from the hands of their oppressors by God. Eventually, the Israelites tried God’s patience to the point where a lesson needed to be learned:
The Lord replied, “When the Egyptians, the Amorites, the Ammonites, the Philistines, the Sidonians, the Amalekites and the Maonites oppressed you and you cried to me for help, did I not save you from their hands? But you have forsaken me and served other gods, so I will no longer save you. Go and cry out to the Gods you have chosen. Let them save you when you are in trouble!” (Judges 10:11-14)
God challenged the Israelites to count on their foreign gods to save them; but they did not. God watched on as the Israelites were enslaved by their conquerors and they suffered greatly under the yoke of their captors. Yet, in these times of trouble for the Israelites, they became remorseful and their inside sincerity finally became true to their repentance towards God.
But the Israelites said to the Lord, “We have sinned. Do with us whatever you think best, but please rescue us now.” then they got rid of the foreign gods among them and served the Lord. And he could bear Israel’s misery no longer. (Judges 10:15-16)
Even with so many transgressions against the Lord, the Lord still took back the Israelites with open arms. His patience with us is unfathomable. No matter how we may have sinned against Him, He always shows mercy to those who truly seek His forgiveness. For the same reason, we should extend the same mercy and patience for our spouses and our loved ones. No matter how frustrated we may become with the people in our lives, approaching them with patience and acceptance follows God’s example.
How can you communicate patience and mercy in your actions today?
