Our Longsuffering Lord – Jeremiah 32:31-32

Growing with God: A daily devotional with Tonia Slimm.

Jeremiah 32:31-32 (NIV)

“From the day it was built until now, this city has so aroused my anger and wrath that I must remove it from my sight. The people of Israel and Judah have provoked me by all the evil they have done—they, their kings and officials, their priests and prophets, the people of Judah and those living in Jerusalem.”

Jeremiah 32:31-32 (MSG)

“This city has made me angry from the day they built it, and now I’ve had my fill. I’m destroying it. I can’t stand to look any longer at the wicked lives of the people of Israel and Judah, deliberately making me angry, the whole lot of them—kings and leaders and priests and preachers, in the country and in the city.”

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“From the day that they built it [during the reign of Solomon], even to this day, this city has been such a provocation of My anger and My wrath, that I must remove it from My sight, because of all the evil of the children of Israel and of the children of Judah which they have done to provoke Me to anger—they, their kings, their princes, their priests, their prophets, the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.” -AMPLIFIED

“Jerusalem, which ought to have been a holy city, had been so impure that it had been a standing provocation to God from the day it was built…They seem to have been all alike. With scarcely an exception, from the highest class to the lowest, they were always disobeying God.” ~Charles Spurgeon

The Lord has been speaking to Jeremiah, addressing the fact that the people of both Israel and Judah had fallen into a cycle of sin:

“From their youth, the Israelites and Judeans have done nothing but what is evil in my sight! They have done nothing but anger me by the work of their hands”—this is the Lord’s declaration—…” -Jeremiah 32:30 (CSB)

The Lord explains to Jeremiah how He has been longsuffering with the people, who have chosen to disobey Him from the least to the greatest, they have all tested the patience of the Lord.

NOTE: To be longsuffering is to be slow to anger. Longsuffering is a word often used to describe God’s patience and/or endurance. In Hebrew the word is “arak“, it means to be slow to anger, or patient. In Greek the word is “makrothumia“, it means forbearance, or patience.

“From the day Jerusalem was built until this very moment, the people have stirred My anger and provoked My wrath; so now I am forced to remove this city completely from My sight. The people of Israel and Judah have angered Me with their wickedness—from their kings and their officials to their priests and prophets, from the people of Judah to the citizens of Jerusalem.” -(VOICE)

The Lord God had been extremely longsuffering with the people. He tells Jeremiah that this rebellious spirit had been on-going, since the time of Solomon, who was the builder of His Temple. We can flip over to 1 Kings and find this record of what Solomon did after the Temple was built:

“Solomon abandoned his lifelong integrity and committed evil in the eyes of the Eternal. He did not follow Him completely, as his father David had. Instead Solomon constructed a high place on the mountain east of Jerusalem for Chemosh (Moab’s horrific idol) and for Molech (the Ammonites’ abhorrence). He constructed such sites for all his wives from other countries, so that they would have a place to burn incense and offer sacrifices to their many gods.” -1 Kings 11:6-8 (VOICE)

 “This destruction is brought about by the sins of the people, from the least to the greatest.  People from all social status have turned their hearts to Baal and other idol worship.  In response, God will allow the city to be burned.  Noteworthy is that the sin that provokes God’s wrath has been present since they built Jerusalem.  While David conquered the city, his son Solomon finished building and fortifying the city and it was during his reign that idolatry entered Jerusalem through his many wives.” ~Melissa Beaty

So, we learn that this sin of rebellion against the Lord had been ongoing for a very long time. It was a sin that affected both nations, from the leadership, all the way down. And the Lord had been longsuffering for a very long time, but He could not allow them to continue in their sin forever without disciplining them; He would not be a good Father if He did so.

“From the time this city was built until now, it has done nothing but anger me; so I am determined to be rid of it. The sins of Israel and Judah—the sins of the people, of their kings, officers, priests, and prophets—stir me up.” -(TLB)

“Even when God deems it necessary to discipline us for persistent disobedience, He always does so out of love to restore us to the way of obedience (see Hebrews 12:4-11).” ~Jerry Bridges

The Lord is longsuffering but there does come a time when He must discipline us if we insist on continuing in our sin and in so doing, rebelling against Him. Afterall, He has set in place boundaries for a reason. Thankfully Scripture tells us that the Lord is slow to anger:

• “The Eternal is compassionate and merciful. When we cross all the lines, He is patient with us. When we struggle against Him, He lovingly stays with us—changing, convicting, prodding; He will not constantly criticize, nor will He hold a grudge forever.” -Psalm 103:8-9 (VOICE)
• “The Eternal is gracious. He shows mercy to His people. For Him anger does not come easily, but faithful love does—and it is rich and abundant.” -Psalm 145:8 (VOICE)
  

Moses cautioned the children of Israel that they should never test the patience of the Lord:

“ Don’t put the Eternal, your True God, to the test the way you did back at Massah.” -Deuteronomy 6:16 (VOICE)

Instead, Moses cautioned the people to carefully obey all of God’s commands:

“Carefully obey the commands, rules, and precedents the Eternal, your True God, has given you. ¹⁸ Do the things He considers right and good. Then everything will go well for you, and you’ll go and live in the good land He promised to your ancestors.” -Deuteronomy 6:17-18 (VOICE)

May we never foolishly fall into the line of thinking that the Lord’s longsuffering patience with us is Him giving us permission to sin:

“Do you take the kindness of God for granted? Do you see His patience and tolerance as signs that He is a pushover when it comes to sin? How could you not know that His kindness is guiding our hearts to turn away from distractions and habitual sin to walk a new path?” -Romans 2:4 (VOICE)

“The goal of God’s discipline is to correct, or to set right, or to improve, not to make someone suffer as an act of vengeance or retribution.” ~Bryan Chapell

In the book of Joel, we find the Lord making this plea to the people of Israel, it is a plea that He extends to everyone:

“Even now, turn back your heart and rededicate yourselves to Me; show Me your repentance by fasting, weeping, and mourning. Rip the wickedness out of your hearts; don’t just tear your clothing. Now return to the Eternal, your True God. You already know He is gracious and compassionate. He does not anger easily and maintains faithful love. He is willing to relent and not harm you.” -Joel 2:12-13 (VOICE)

“God is longsuffering. His holiness demands that everything associated with Him also be holy. However, all people are sinners and deserve His judgement and wrath. At the same time, God is longsuffering, waiting in loving patience for each person to come to Him for salvation.” ~https://www.compellingtruth.org/Bible-longsuffering.html

My friend, the Lord is longsuffering, and extremely patient with us, but there will come a time, if we persist in our sin, that He must discipline us. Why? Because of His great love for us. He wants the best for us, and He desires to spend eternity with us. In order for this to happen, He must rein us in from our sin, and has turn our wandering hearts back to Him, so that He can teach us His ways. Instead of fighting against Him, choose to submit. Stop testing the patience of the Lord and accept His guidance. You will never regret that choice.

“Whoever and wherever we are, God’s patience invites our repentance.” ~Scott Hubbard

My Prayer:

Adonai Elohim, my Great Lord, your Word teaches me that you are indeed longsuffering, but I should not be testing your patience. Sadly, I know there have been times that I have tested the limits of your patience. For this, I am sorry. I am reminded of the need for your discipline, that you give it because you love me. Sometimes your discipline may not feel like an act of love, but in the end, I know you discipline me for the simple fact that you want what is best for me. You discipline, not because you seek to hurt or destroy me, but because you care about what happens to me. Your longsuffering love is a blessing, not a curse. Please, help me to remember this truth, Lord.