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"You warned them in order to turn them back to Your law, but they became arrogant and disobeyed Your commands. They sinned against Your ordinances, of which You said, ‘The person who obeys them will live by them.’ Stubbornly they turned their backs on You, became stiff-necked and refused to listen. For many years You were patient with them. By Your Spirit You warned them through Your prophets. Yet they paid no attention, so You gave them into the hands of the neighboring peoples" (Nehemiah 9:29,30). "Or do you presume on the riches of His kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead You to repentance?” (Romans 2:4).

We are often blessed as we pass local churches with a sign that not only identifies the name of the church but also presents a brief message of truth. Here’s a thought-provoking message on a church sign we saw here in Lancaster County, "Don't mistake God's patience for His permission". Can you just picture this truth on a sign scrolled across the sky or uttered by a booming heavenly voice, "DON'T MISTAKE MY PATIENCE FOR MY PERMISSION". (The graphic expresses this same truth in different wording).

Today we want to consider God’s patience toward us as individuals and His patience toward the human race. We observe God’s patience on both the small and large scale, from our individual lives to His dealings with the nations.

We are sure thankful (even relieved) when God is patient toward us, our sin and shortcomings!

As we observe the increasingly frayed moral and spiritual condition of America and throughout the world we marvel at God’s patience and wonder just how long before He pronounces judgment. Of course we live out our entire life overshadowed by the consequences of sin (our own and those due to the fall). Our disobedient attitude is itself a part of God’s judgment.

Our Scripture passage describes the patience of God in regard to His dealings with the nation of Israel: "For many years You were patient with them". This describes the period prior to the Babylonian Captivity. Many years were actually many centuries. God had spoken again and again through His prophets all through this time period.

Nehemiah served the Lord around 450 BC after the captivity when the people had returned to settle in Israel. In chapter 9 of his short book we have a sweeping panorama of the previous thousand years since the great Exodus. God showed great patience to the Israelites all the while warning His people repeatedly. They paid little to no attention and over time faced various judgments, resulting in the Babylonian captivity which ended about 100 years before this verse was recorded.

“By Your Spirit You warned them through Your prophets. Yet they paid no attention, so You gave them into the hands of the neighboring peoples". Consider the timeless truth in this verse as it relates to your own life, the church, or your nation. Without question we can conclude that God is patient and enduring. Surely He has been gracious in sending many, many prophets, "preachers of the Word of God" and godly family members whom He commissioned to warn.

I’m particularly intrigued with the phrase, "Yet they paid no attention". It’s a glimpse not just of the past but also the time period in which we live.

Romans 2:4 asks the human race, "Or do you presume on the riches of His kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?”

How much attention in our modern culture is paid to the warnings of God? What about much of the church? What about us today? When it comes to spiritual attention, let us have the same response as young Samuel, who exclaimed, "Speak, for your servant is listening" (1 Samuel 3:10).

Be encouraged today! Hebrews 3:13

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