How Long, O Jehovah?

 

When people are rebuked and chastened by God, because His indignation and anger are heavy, they may become withered away, as David recorded above, and they may experience an extreme condition in which not only their bones, but even their soul, is sore troubled.

 

However, one clear fact we must know is that God’s punishment is less than our sin deserves.

 

Job 11:5-6 “5But oh that God would speak, And open his lips against thee, 6And that he would show thee the secrets of wisdom! For he is manifold in understanding. Know therefore that God exacteth of thee less than thine iniquity deserveth.”

 

And we must also know that God’s chastening is for our profit.

 

Hebrews 12:5-13 “5and ye have forgotten the exhortation which reasoneth with you as with sons, My son, regard not lightly the chastening of the Lord, Nor faint when thou art reproved of him; 6For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, And scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. 7It is for chastening that ye endure; God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father chasteneth not? 8But if ye are without chastening, whereof all have been made partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. 9Furthermore, we had the fathers of our flesh to chasten us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? 10For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed good to them; but he for our profit, that we may be partakers of his holiness. 11All chastening seemeth for the present to be not joyous but grievous; yet afterward it yieldeth peaceable fruit unto them that have been exercised thereby, even the fruit of righteousness. 12Wherefore lift up the hands that hang down, and the palsied knees; 13and make straight paths for your feet, that that which is lame be not turned out of the way, but rather be healed.”

 

Amen. That is right. As this passage says, chastening does not seem joyous at the time, but grievous. Yet afterward, to those who have been exercised by it, it surely yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness, which is pleasing to God. Truly, because God deals with us as sons, He chastens and scourges us for our profit, so that we may become partakers of His holiness.

 

Proverbs 13:24 “He that spareth his rod hateth his son; But he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.”

 

If we do not understand this, we may misunderstand God like immature children.

 

Psalm 73:12-14 “12Behold, these are the wicked; And, being alway at ease, they increase in riches. 13Surely in vain have I cleansed my heart, And washed my hands in innocency; 14For all the day long have I been plagued, And chastened every morning.”

 

As this passage says, a person may think that he himself is plagued all day long and chastened every morning, while the wicked are always at ease and increase in riches.

 

But in reality, it will be well with the one who fears God, while it will not be well with the wicked.

 

Ecclesiastes 8:11-13 “11Because 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. 12Though a sinner do evil a hundred times, and prolong his days, yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, that fear before him: 13but it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he prolong his days, which are as a shadow; because he feareth not before God.”

 

Therefore, we must fear God (Eccl. 12:13). God rebukes and chastens us so that we may fear Him, because that is the way for us to be well.

 

Therefore, we must not regard the chastening of God lightly, but must learn to fear God through pain and suffering.

 

Psalm 119:71-72 “71It is good for me that I have been afflicted; That I may learn thy statutes. 72The law of thy mouth is better unto me Than thousands of gold and silver.”

 

 

“How long?”

 

Perhaps we too will have the same question as David when we are rebuked and chastened by God. This is probably because suffering and pain are severe. However, no one can know when it will end, because the times and seasons are known only to God.

 

Matthew 24:36 “But of that day and hour knoweth no one, not even the angels of heaven, neither the Son, but the Father only.”

 

Isaiah 6:11-12 “11Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until cities be waste without inhabitant, and houses without man, and the land become utterly waste, 12and Jehovah have removed men far away, and the forsaken places be many in the midst of the land.”

 

Thus, times and seasons belong to God’s authority. They are determined by God alone, and we cannot know them. Therefore, we have no choice but to fear God all the more, for He is the One who appoints them.

 

Then what can we, who cannot know the time at all, do—or what must we do?

 

It is to humbly rely on God’s mercy and compassion.

 

Our God is infinite in mercy and compassion. Jonah, in fact, became angry because of this very aspect of God. But if we rely on His mercy and compassion, we can receive forgiveness like the people of Nineveh.

 

Jonah 4:1-2 “1But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry. 2And he prayed unto Jehovah, and said, I pray thee, O Jehovah, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I hasted to flee unto Tarshish; for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness, and repentest thee of the evil.”

 

Jonah 3:8-10 “8but let them be covered with sackcloth, both man and beast, and let them cry mightily unto God; yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in his hands. 9Who knoweth whether God will not turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not? 10And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil which he said he would do unto them; and he did it not.”

 

James 5:11 “Behold, we call them blessed that endured: ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord, how that the Lord is full of pity, and merciful.”

 

Therefore, when the calamity of God comes upon us, we must cast away pride and humble ourselves before Jesus.

 

1 Peter 5:5-6 “5Likewise, ye younger, be subject unto the elder. Yea, all of you gird yourselves with humility, to serve one another: for God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble. 6Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time.”

 

And relying on the great mercy of God, we must pray “for the name of God.”

 

Daniel 9:18-19 “18O my God, incline thine ear, and hear; open thine eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city which is called by thy name: for we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousness, but for thy great mercies’ sake. 19O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken and do; defer not, for thine own sake, O my God, because thy city and thy people are called by thy name.”

 

When our heart and prayer are like this, we can receive an answer from God.

 

Daniel 9:23 “At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment went forth, and I am come to tell thee; for thou art greatly beloved...”

 

Through words such as these, we can realize that our humble heart is more important than knowing the times or seasons. This is because whenever we become humble in spirit in God’s sight, fearing God, the God who governs the times and seasons can turn from His purpose at any time.

 

2 Samuel 24:14-17 “14And David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait: let us fall now into the hand of Jehovah; for his mercies are great; and let me not fall into the hand of man. 15So Jehovah sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning even to the time appointed; and there died of the people from Dan even to Beer-sheba seventy thousand men. 16And when the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, Jehovah repented him of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed the people, It is enough; now stay thy hand. And the angel of Jehovah was by the threshing-floor of Araunah the Jebusite. 17And David spake unto Jehovah when he saw the angel that smote the people, and said, Lo, I have sinned, and I have done perversely; but these sheep, what have they done? let thy hand, I pray thee, be against me, and against my father’s house.”

 

Therefore, what is important for us now is to destroy reasonings and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God, and to bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ (2 Cor. 10:5-6). And now our life must become a life that is through Jesus (John 14:6), that is, a life in which we do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then the grace and love of God, and His mercy and compassion, will be with us forever.

 

2 Chronicles 7:15-16 “15Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent, unto the prayer that is made in this place. 16For now have I chosen and hallowed this house, that my name may be there for ever; and mine eyes and my heart shall be there perpetually.”

 

John 17:26 “And I made known unto them thy name, and will make it known; that the love wherewith thou lovedst me may be in them, and I in them.”

 

Matthew 18:20 “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”

 

Colossians 3:17 “And whatsoever ye do, in word or in deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

 

Amen.