A Patient God
3/25/26 Bible Thought (Amos 5)
Main Idea: God is incredibly patient and eagerly awaits the return of His people.
A Look at the Text:
The Lord made it incredibly clear through the prophet Amos that judgment was soon to come. Yet, even with things looking incredibly bleak, there was yet an open invitation for the people to turn from their waywardness.
“Seek me and live,” Yahweh spoke through His prophet (Amos 5:5b). Although doomsday was on their doorstep, it wasn’t too late. The prophet exhorted the people in the same manner, “Seek the Lord and live” (Amos 5:6).
“Seek me and live”
God was yet still open to their return. They merely had to return wholeheartedly. It wouldn’t be enough to offer sacrifice; they had to become living sacrifices. God didn’t want worship apart from obedience:
Take away from me the noise of your songs; to the melody of your harps I will not listen. 24 But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream” (Amos 5:23-24).
If they would amend their ways, God would relent from coming destruction. They could seek Him and live, or they could continue to forsake Him and die. The choice was theirs. He was patient, but one day the decree would be final.
Bringing it Home:
Many people find themselves struggling with the judgment passages of Scripture. At times, it can seem that God in the Old Testament was simply vindictive, wrathful, and eager to judge.
While God is just and certainly will punish sin as Judge, let us never lose sight of the consistent testimony of Scripture that God is slow to anger.
He Himself proclaimed this reality to Moses:
“The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness” (Ex. 34:6b).
However, being slow to anger doesn’t mean that God does not get angry. It just reminds us that God’s holiness and justice are intermingled with His love and grace. He is far more patient with us than we deserve.
Even the apostle Peter echoes this truth, showcasing that the delay in Christ’s coming isn’t the result of divine negligence. Rather, it is due to the patient mercy of our loving God:
The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance (2 Pet. 3:9).
Let us always remember that God is gracious and merciful in His very nature and that His judgments don’t change that. He is a patient God. While the window of mercy will one day close, we cannot lose sight of how long it stood open.
Challenge:
Do I ever struggle with the judgment passages of Scripture, losing sight of the incredible patience of God?