The Bible uses a variety of expressions to reveal God’s dual characteristics of being longsuffering, yet disciplining. For example, Exodus 34:6–7 gives God’s response to Moses’ prayer of intercession for Israel: “The Lord passed by before him and proclaimed, ‘The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.’”
With a similar emphasis on His longsuffering, the phrase “slow to anger” is attributed to God multiple times in the Bible. For example, Psalm 86:15 declares, “You, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.”
Opportunity to repent
Divine longsuffering, often shown in deferred anger, is accomplished by looking to see people turn from their sinful ways. To this very end, Romans 2:4 emphasizes that God’s longsuffering toward people who sin is with a view to granting them opportunity to repent: “Do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?” Clearly God’s longsuffering is not to be equated to endless indulgence.
God’s longsuffering is balanced by disciplining love. At its best and most God-like, discipline is not punishment. Rather it involves instruction with a view to correction. God’s goal in disciplining His children is improvement, not simply chastisement. His aim is always the perfecting of our character and behavior. The Bible illustrates divine discipline by referring to earthly fathers who engage in correcting their children. From the action of earthly fathers, light is shone on the action of our Heavenly Father. For example, Deuteronomy 8:5 says, “Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, the Lord your God disciplines you.” The Psalmist, believing that God disciplines those who live contrary to His will, prayed, “O Lord, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in Your wrath” (Ps. 6:1).
Proverbs 3:11–12 admonishes, “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; for whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives.” Godly discipline is motivated by godly love and for us it is prime evidence that He loves us. Furthermore, God’s discipline also is evidence of our genuineness as His children. This is put in the form of a question: “For what son is there whom his father does not discipline?” The answer to the question is cast in the negative declaration, “If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons” (Heb. 12:7–8).
When God’s longsuffering transitions into discipline, He has a positive purpose in view. While we humans sometimes equate discipline with punishment, God purposes it for spiritual growth. Hebrews 12:10–11 declares, “He disciplines us for our good, that we may share His holiness,” before adding, “for the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”
Share with others: