The book of Numbers and the fourteenth
chapter. There is no greater thing for any child of God to do than to study the glory and the
attributes of God. I've said this a lot of times
and I truly believe it. It's like taking a precious diamond
and just holding it up to the light and looking at all the
various facets that make up the whole and the light that comes
through that diamond and all it shows about God. That's what happens when the
sunlight shines through the vapor after a rain and produces that
glorious, brilliant rainbow. And here in this chapter, Moses is reminding God of something
God told him. we can believe what God says
about Himself. And here, in light of Moses trying
to lead this people, and they so rebellious and disobedient
that he is fearful in one sense that God will destroy them all
in an instant, look down at what he says in verse 17. And now I beseech thee, let the
power of my Lord be great, according as thou hast spoken, saying,
The Lord is long-suffering, and great of mercy, forgiving
iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty,
visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto
the third and fourth generation. He says, Lord, you yourself say that you are
the Lord long-suffering. And what we find throughout all
of the Bible is that this longsuffering of God has to do with His justice
and with His grace. I thought I'd read to you what
one old writer had to say about the longsuffering of God. He said the long-suffering of
God is a quality in the divine nature that makes him slow in
dealing with his enemies. He's not in any hurry. God does not fly into a rage
at the least provocation. The Hebrew word, which is sometimes
translated longsuffering, and also sometimes as slow to
anger, literally means long of nose. Now, what in the world would
longsuffering or slow to anger have to do with a Hebrew word
that means long of nose, long of nose or breathing. In other words, what it is picturing
God is that His anger, which is indicated by rapid and violent
Hard breathing is not like that. He doesn't rise up in a passion
at being provoked at man. He does not act without thought. He is not forced by the rebellion
or whatever of man. He said he's not like a snorting
charging bull or a prancing horse eager to go and eager in a work
of judgment. And he's not like a cruel, nervous
dictator in a hurry to have his enemies shot at dawn. He is patient
with rebels. And this patience belongs to
His nature. He's not in a hurry to bring
judgment and all of these things. And for this reason, I was thinking,
it came to my mind in thinking about this, for this reason,
men and women misjudge God. He says in Ecclesiastes, Because
the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily,
therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to
do evil. Because they sin and God doesn't
deal with them just like that, their hearts are set to continue
in evil and do greater evil. They misjudge the long-suffering
of God. And this was what Moses, in speaking
here, was reminding God about, because he had showed Him in
the book of Exodus. If you remember in Exodus 34,
he revealed this as part of his great glory. says the Lord passed
before him. That is, passed before Moses
and proclaimed the Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious,
longsuffering. Longsuffering. The old writers
used to say, you can neither hurry him up or slow him down. He's long-suffering. And David
knew this. David experienced this. And he says this in Psalm 86,
But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion and gracious, long-suffering. Long-suffering. David knew that
from experience. And not only that, Paul spoke
of it, and Paul experienced it, and Paul was an example of it. He says, writing to Timothy,
"'Howbeit for this cause I obtain mercy, that in me first Jesus
Christ might show forth all longsuffering, for a pattern, to them which
should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting." He was
one who experienced himself the longsuffering of God, and not
just in his life in the matter of judgment, no, in the matter
of grace. He was himself one who experienced
the longsuffering of God. And he was at the same time one
who he says is a pattern or an example of the longsuffering
of God. And he also preached and wrote
about the longsuffering of God. And I wanted you to think about
this. I remember some time ago, I don't
remember when it was, but I had this example in a message. But God gives us the most glorious
example of His long-suffering, I do believe, when He tells us
in the book of Genesis about the man Methuselah. You remember
Methuselah? Well, the example of God's long-suffering
in this man himself is so amazing because the name Methuselah,
if you remember, it means, when he is gone, it will come. What was he talking about? The
it there was the flood. And he was born and given this
name in God's purpose and providence And it says, when he dies, the
sending forth will come. When he is no longer the sending
forth of the waters upon the earth to destroy it, the it being
the flood, the judgment of God will come. Hold your place right
here and turn back over to Genesis chapter 5. Now, why would we say that Methuselah
is an example of the long-suffering of God? Well, look down here
in Genesis 5 beginning with verse 21. And Enoch lived sixty and
five years and beget Methuselah. And Enoch walked with God after
he beget Methuselah three hundred years, and beget sons and daughters. And all the days of Enoch were
three hundred sixty and five years." Now, that's a long time,
isn't it? That's a long time. All right? But look, verse 24, "'And Enoch
walked with God, and he was not, for God took him, and Methuselah
lived a hundred eighty and seven years, and begat Lamech. And Methuselah lived after he
begat Lamech seven hundred eighty and two years, and begat sons
and daughters. And all the days of Methuselah
were nine hundred sixty and nine years, and he died." Now here's the difference. In
other words, God had already purposed, He had already promised,
He had already prophesied through Moses the fact that when this
man dies, that's when judgment's coming. And God in His long-suffering
caused this man to live longer than any man has ever lived. That's His long-suffering. He
waited. He didn't say, Methuselah, when
he dies, judgment's going to come, and then turn right around
two years after he's born, and he dies. He didn't die in childhood.
He didn't die in childbirth. He didn't die as a young man.
He didn't die as old as his father was. He didn't die as old as
anybody else did. He lived the longest. And he stands as a witness to
the longsuffering of God. He didn't bring that flood and
judgment for 969 years. And Peter is led by the Spirit
of God to say this about that. He said, when once the longsuffering
of God waited in the days of Noah, while
the ark was a-preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls, were
saved by water." Now God, in His long suffering, cause this
man to live all this long time before he sent the judgment of
the flood, but at the same time, he was demonstrating his long-suffering
in showing grace to Noah and his family. In other words, God was not in
a hurry to destroy the multitudes that were on the earth Neither
was he in a hurry to save these eight people that he had purposed
to save through this ark, but he did the both and accomplished
the both in demonstrating that he's long-suffering. He's long-suffering. He waits. That's not something that's characteristic
of us by nature, is it? But he waits. God never does
anything in the hurry that we want Him to. But why does He wait? Why does
He wait? I can't help but think, you know,
everything in this world almost that goes on, that we hear on
a daily basis and see in the news on every hand, it's just
God demonstrating more and more and more His long-suffering. He waits. And He does so, first of all,
to show and declare His sovereignty. You ever stop and think about
that? It doesn't matter how men say
that this is going to happen then, or then, or then, or this
has got to happen, and such as that, it doesn't matter if it
is so obvious as the nose on your face that it has got to
happen next week at this time. No, it doesn't. No, it doesn't. And I fully believe that that's
one thing that so thoroughly throws a monkey wrench in man's
timetable, in his calendar, in his purpose, in who, I mean,
in what he says regarding how long this world has been here,
whatever took place here, there, and the other. It's impossible
to know. Because God may move at a pace
that seems fast in this year or this time or this century,
and He may move at a pace that seems unbelievably slow in the
next. But He shows us in His long-suffering
that He is God, that He is in control, that there is none beside
Him, He shows us that He is the Sovereign who exercises His rule
and His right over all His creation, over all His creatures, and He
does all things when it pleases Him. Now, you can just put that in
the bank. Somebody says, well, when's God going to do this,
or why doesn't He? He's going to do it when it pleases
Him. all over the Scriptures it says
it, when it pleased God. Or, and it came to pass. And
this and that and the other and everything dictated by glorious
infinite wisdom and power. And He's long-suffering. He wasn't,
there wasn't any of us know Him. Not at all. He's the absolute
sovereign and does everything when it pleases Him. And He does
so also to carry out His eternal purpose. I don't know why I've been thinking
about it this week so much. The number of things that people
say, especially in the light of what we would call tragedy,
and the claims they make concerning God that they'd never make on
any other occasion, and they never bother even to think about
how how contradictory what they're saying is. Well, it's the Lord's
will. Or try to find refuge in the
fact that God's in control. Here they are looking at a situation
that in their heart and mind they think is totally out of
control. But He has a purpose. Like I
was mentioning in the prayer, it says, that the wrath of man
will praise the Lord, and the remainder he'll restrain. But he's long-suffering, and
he carries out his will and his plan in all things, especially
as it was in sending the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, you
just tell me why. If God purposed and God knew
everything He was going to do in the Lord Jesus Christ, why
did He go century after century, send prophet after prophet, do
one thing after the other all that long time before Christ
came? After Christ died on the cross,
why did He go now all these many years and carry on and continue
this world with Him seated at the right hand of the throne? Think about how long He took
in having Noah to build the ark. that he might be long-suffering. When it speaks of Christ, it
says, in the fullness of time. Whose time? God's time. God's
time. And God appointed all the times
of the sacrifices. He appointed time of the year,
he appointed the time of the day that the sacrifices would
be made, all to show us that he was the one who had appointed
the sacrifice, because he's long-suffering. When Adam and Eve fell in the
garden, they were not slain instantly, nor were their children. Because God is long-suffering. I want to show you a verse. I
wish that I could get a hold of this. But turn over in Isaiah
chapter 30. Look down here in Isaiah 30 and
verse 18. If you notice, in the Old Testament,
oftentimes the deliverance of Israel was not only what we might
say in the nick of time, but what almost seemed like past
that time. But look at what Isaiah is led
by the Spirit of God to record here. And therefore will the Lord wait. The Lord will wait. Why? That He may be gracious unto
you. When we're fussing and fretting and fearful and all that, and,
why don't the Lord help me? Why don't the Lord do something?
Why don't the Lord? He says, the Lord waits 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. He's long-suffering. And in His
long-suffering, He will in His time judge all His enemies, conquer
them publicly, physically, and eternally. He will bless and
save and keep and manifest His grace to all His people, and
He will at the same time be exalted. He's long-suffering. And he does it to show himself
long-suffering, especially in the salvation of his elect people. We know this because he says
so. And we see God bringing to pass and permitting in every
age and time everything that accomplishes the salvation of His people.
Everything, I don't know a lot, but I know this, everything that
is going on in this world at this very moment that was going
on yesterday or last week or will be going on as long as this
earth stands, it is every bit being worked by God to accomplish
the salvation of His people. So much so that if not one person
from this moment on believed the gospel for the next
5,000 years, if he had one of his chosen people
yet to live in that next generation after 5,000 years. If he never
saved one person until that person came into this world, he would
demonstrate his long-suffering until that person came. And there
would be a gospel to be preached to that person and a witness because he's long-suffering. Turn over to 2 Peter. 2 Peter and the 3rd chapter. Now listen to the language here
in 2 Peter chapter 3, beginning in verse 1. Peter says, This
second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you, in both which
I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance, that ye may
be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy
prophets, and of the commandment of us the Apostles of the Lord
and Savior. Knowing this first, that there
shall come in the last days scoffers walking after their own lusts,
and saying, Where is the promise of his coming? For since the
fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the
beginning of the creation." That's not true, but that's what
they say. For this they willingly are ignorant
of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the
earth standing out of the water and in the water, whereby the
world that then was being overflowed with water perished, were destroyed by that water. But the heavens and the earth
which are now, by the same word, are kept in store, reserved unto
fire against the day of judgment, and the perdition of ungodly
men." The same word that pronounced and brought the judgment of the
flood, that same word keeps this earth to a judgment that shall
come whereby it's judged by fire, destroyed by fire, purged with
fire. But, beloved, be not ignorant
of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand
years and a thousand years as one day. Just because he hasn't
sent that judgment yet doesn't mean it isn't coming. Just because
it was this length of time to the first judgment, doesn't mean
it's going to be the same length of time to the second last judgment. The Lord is not slack concerning
His promise, as some men count slackness, but is longsuffering. Somebody says, is He longsuffering
to everybody? Yes. But that means, on the one hand,
to some, he lingers, he's long-suffering in his judgment that will come
to them just like to those that it came in the flood. But that's not what Peter's talking
about here primarily. Because he's reminding the Lord's
people. He's reminding believers in his
day. He's reminding us that this is
the reason God is long-suffering primarily to us. He is long-suffering
to us-ward. To us-ward. In grace. Not willing that any. Any is
a pronoun, is it not? And it cannot just stand out
there by itself. It has to be connected to that
noun, or that people in this case, which immediately precedes
it. But he's long-suffering to usward,
not willing that any of this usward should perish, but that
all should come to repentance." Now, that's the only way that
verse can be. If that is not the case, then
his long-suffering, his total waste, nothing, his sovereignty
is nothing, his love is nothing, the death of Christ is nothing. But he's long-suffering, Peter
writes, to these believers. To these he addresses in chapter
1 as God's elect. And he said he's long-suffering
to usward. He's not willing that any of
his people should perish. He's not willing that any of
them should come into this world and die in their sins. He's not
willing that any of them should live in this world and never
hear his gospel and never receive the gift of his faith and never
believe on his side. He's not willing that any of
them should perish, but that all of them should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will
come as a thief in the night, in the which the heavens shall
pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with
fervent heat, the earth also, and the works that are therein
shall be burned up. seeing then that all these things
shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in
all holy conversation and godliness? Looking for and hasting unto
the coming of the day of God wherein the heavens being on
fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with
fervent heat. Nevertheless, according to His
promise, look for new heavens and a new earth wherein dwelleth
righteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that
ye look for such things, be diligent that ye be found of Him in peace
without spot and blameless, and account that the long-suffering an account that the long-suffering
of our Lord is salvation. You can just go back. He waited
and shall wait for every one of His people to be born. He will wait as He waits and
has waited for them to go to all various lengths of time in
their life, go through all their rebellion, go through all their
sinfulness, some such as Paul, others such as Peter, some such
as Mary Magdalene, just all different various degrees of outward wickedness. He's long-suffering. And His long-suffering is our
salvation. He waited to send His Son. He
waited to accomplish everything in His purpose. He waited to
magnify Himself in the salvation of our soul and the long-suffering
of our Lord. Even Christ, as He sits there
on that throne tonight, is our salvation. Turn over to
Romans chapter 9 for just a quick look. Romans 9, and look down in verse 22. Paul is talking
about God as the potter, taking of the same lump of clay and
making one vessel unto honor and another unto dishonor. And then he says this, what if
God, willing to show His wrath, well, that last part's a surprise
to a lot of folks that God has wrath. But even more than that,
the fact that He's willing to show it, and has been, and always
will be. What if God, willing to show
His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering
the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction? Why does He put up with all this
wickedness and all these wicked people? to save his people, who though
they are wicked in themselves, they are holy in his Son, and
that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels
of mercy which he had aforeprepared unto glory, even us whom he hath
called not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles." When Paul wrote to the Romans,
one of the things he says to the Romans to urge them and instruct
them in living a life that's honoring to Christ, he said,
despiseth thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance
and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness
of God leadeth thee to repentance." And so when every person is born
of God, when the Spirit of God comes and takes up residence and brings by His own producing what in
Galatians 5 Paul calls the fruit of the Spirit. Not the fruits
of the Spirit now. This is the fruit. It's all on
one cluster, if you will. The fruit of the Spirit is love,
joy, peace, long-suffering. Those who experience the longsuffering
of God in grace and salvation are brought to bear that fruit
in some measure, in some degree, by the Spirit of God and to show
themselves as longsuffering. With all lowliness, Paul says,
and meekness, with longsuffering for bearing one another in love. He says to those who preach,
preach the Word, be instant in season, out of season, reprove,
rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. Just keep preaching
the gospel. And then he says to the church
at Colossae, he says, put on, put on therefore as the elect
of God, holy and beloved. vows of mercy,
kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering. We wait on Him, and we wait and are patient with
all those around us, and we remember that the longsuffering
of our Lord is our salvation. Instead of snorting the snorts
of unbelief, we can take the long breaths
of God's longsuffering. He never works at the pace that
we think he ought to. And that's a wonderful thing, because that way he saves all
his people, carries out every detail of his purpose and plan,
and gets all the glory. God is long-suffering. Lord, we are so amazed, and we remember just how very
different you are from us. And we are, Lord, delighted to
thank you that you are long-suffering,
that you are patient, and that you are in all this
long-suffering, all our salvation. We thank you, and we pray that
you would press to our hearts and minds this blessed truth, that you wait, that you might
be gracious to us. you endure yourself all the wickedness
of men in order to save your people,
that you love with an everlasting love, and to bring each one of
these vessels of mercy unto their eternal home with you. Bless and help us, we do pray.
And thank you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.