THE LONGSUFFERING OF THE LORD
- Apr 12, 2022
- 5 min read
Updated: Jan 26
Word and Study from March 2022 | Originally released by Truth-Justice-Mercy on April 12, 2022
Blessings to you in this Holy Week!
Much of the second half of March the Lord was speaking to me about the following and wanted me to share.
-Lana
THE LONGSUFFERING OF THE LORD
March 2022
Over the past few years, I’ve been given some pretty strong dreams and words against leaders and others in the spotlight. I don’t ever want anyone to think that I’m just rubbing my hands together and rejoicing at the thought of someone else’s demise, though. Far from it.
It is such a joy to share the happy, encouraging words! But, it can be a huge challenge to share the difficult ones, and the warfare can be absolutely intense. Much of the time, I’d really rather keep quiet, to be quite honest, but I am learning to be faithful with what He gives me.
During the process of sorting through photos of specific people for graphics, I frequently find myself grieved and just greatly saddened that they are about to face the judgment of God.
"It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God."
-Hebrews 10:31, NKJV
The Lord allows me to feel just a small part of the weight of this. I certainly couldn’t bear the full weight! These people are fathers, mothers, sons, and daughters. Some are absolutely beautiful to look at or have the most amazing smiles. The Father gives me a glimpse of His love for them. He sent His Son to die for them! He created each one for an amazing and unique purpose to be used for His glory, in His Kingdom.
But we all have a free will to choose what we will do with our lives and whom we will serve, and for those who have continued to reject and rebel against Him—harming many in the process—there is a point where His justice must be meted out. As much as He is loving and forgiving, He is also holy and just, and He must act… or He would not be God.
So, it is with all of this in mind that He began to speak to me during the month of March and has continued to do so:
“Tell them about My longsuffering, Lana.
Tell them what I taught you about the Amorites.”
He was directing me back to something He had impressed greatly upon me several years back, during a chapter by chapter study through Genesis and Exodus with our small group. So, I dug up my old notes… and here goes!
As a brief refresher of the scene as Exodus begins, let’s look at Exodus 2:24-25:
“And God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. God saw the people of Israel—and God knew.” (ESV)
You may recall that the Israelites were enslaved by the Egyptians at this point. Many generations prior, as recorded toward the end of Genesis, Jacob and his entire family had relocated to Egypt to join Joseph, whom God had placed as second in command to save many lives in Egypt and beyond. But the new Pharaohs of Exodus did not know or care about Joseph’s admirable part in their history, nor did they appreciate his ever-growing family, who by now had swelled into an entire people group. So, they enslaved the Israelites… in bitter bondage.
Going back to the verse above, it says that
“God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.”
So, let’s take a quick look at that covenant. The following is an abridged excerpt from my study guide, dated August 27, 2018, “He Hears. He Remembers. He Sees. He Knows: Exodus 1 – 4.” You may find it beneficial to pull out your Bible to look up the passages referenced below.
Speaking of the Covenant…
When God remembers, it’s not as if He’s ever forgotten, but rather that He’s about to move. He knows how long to let things simmer, and He also knows when it’s time to bring them to the front burner, so to speak.
Let’s review the Abrahamic Covenant from Genesis:
Now, let’s look closely at what the LORD God says to Abram after the ceremony in chapter 15:13-16 and compare it with where we find His people in Exodus:
His descendants will live in a foreign land… ✅Check.
They will be enslaved and oppressed… ✅(umm..) Check.
In the FOURTH generation they will return, for “the iniquity of Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.”… ❓Huh?
He is Longsuffering (even, as it seems, at our expense)
Before Abram even had a physical heir, God KNEW that His people would suffer deeply, and that He was NOT going to intervene immediately, because He was going to give ANOTHER PEOPLE (the Amorites) plenty of opportunity for repentance! (The pagan Amorites were descendants of Canaan… living in the land the Lord wanted the Israelites to conquer).
What does the Word say about God’s compassion?
It’s interesting to note that Sodom, Gomorrah, Ninevah, and the Amorites were all eventually dealt with. God’s Word cannot return void. But He was willing to hold off on judgment TO ALLOW TIME FOR REPENTANCE (or, as in the case of Sodom/Gomorrah, on behalf of Abram).
Right now, our world is in a modern-day Exodus period. If it’s been a while since you’ve studied out the first part of Exodus, now would be a great time to dust it off and dig in… especially as we head into Passover at the end of the week! There are so many parallels and side studies that we could do.
We wait in great expectation for the Lord to move in a way that only He can do… to set His people free and to make HIS NAME GREAT among all the earth! Bondage is about to break in every land, and many, many will see the truth and come to Him. As His people, we have cried, “How long, O Lord?”
But He has been giving the evildoers ample time and opportunity to repent and turn to Him... because He is longsuffering… and not willing that any should perish! Just like Pharaoh, though, if they continue to rebel, the LORD God will deal with them. And, when He does, there will be freedom for God’s people.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES:
Hebrews 10:31
Exodus 2:24-25 Genesis 12:1-3, 6-7
Genesis 13:14-17
Genesis 15:1-7, 13-16
Genesis 18:26-32
Jonah 3:5,10
Jonah 4:2
II Peter 3:9
Isaiah 55:11
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