Good Thing God is Patient With Us
by: Jahan Berns
August 21, 2024
Header photo: Balaam and the Ass, by Pieter Lastman 1622, Wikimedia
“for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.”
Did you read the story of the mother who went one Sunday morning to wake up her son and tell him it was time to get ready for church? The son replied, “I’m not going.”
“Why not?” she asked.
“I’ll give you two good reasons,” he said.
“One, they don’t like me, and two, I don’t like them.”
His mother replied, “I’ll give you two good reasons why you should go to church. One, you’re 54 years old, and two, you’re the pastor!”
Doesn’t that funny mother-son interaction remind you of the many times God has had to really get on you to do the right thing? We should know better but somehow; we often want the easy way out…to get by with minimum effort…take the path of least resistance…ditch our responsibilities. And through all these growing pains, God displays great patience towards us for He knows and remembers that we are weak. (See Psalm 103:14).
I have often thought that in addition to patience, God must have a great sense of humor. Otherwise, how could he put up with some of our stupid obstinacies? Think of Balaam (See Numbers 22-24). Even though there was a handsome profit to be made, God had succinctly told Balaam that he was not to curse the Israelites for God’s pleasure was to bless them. So, Balaam knew better than to saddle his donkey and go on that forbidden journey. But he went anyway. Accordingly, God orchestrated a unique and humorous set of circumstances to drive His point to Balaam.
Numbers 22:21-34 KJV: “And Balaam rose up in the morning, and saddled his ass, and went with the princes of Moab. And God's anger was kindled because he went: and the angel of the LORD stood in the way to oppose him. Now Balaam was riding upon his ass, and his two servants were with him. And the ass saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and the ass turned aside out of the way, and went into the field: and Balaam struck the ass, to turn her back to the way. But the angel of the LORD stood in a path of the vineyards, a wall being on this side, and a wall on that side. And when the ass saw the angel of the LORD, she thrust herself unto the wall, and crushed Balaam's foot against the wall: and Balaam struck her again. And the angel of the LORD went further, and stood in a narrow place, where was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left. And when the ass saw the angel of the LORD, she fell down under Balaam: and Balaam's anger was so kindled, and he struck the ass with a staff. And the LORD opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times? And Balaam said unto the ass, Because you have mocked me: I wish there was a sword in my hand, so I could kill you. And the ass said unto Balaam, Am I not your donkey on which you have ridden, ever since I became yours, to this day? Was I ever disposed to do this to you? And he said, No. Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and he bowed down his head, and fell flat on his face. And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Why have you smitten your ass these three times? behold, I went out to oppose you, because your way is perverse before me: and the ass saw me, and turned from me these three times: unless she had turned from me, surely now also I would have slain you, and saved her alive. And Balaam said unto the angel of the LORD, I have sinned; for I did not know that you stood in the way against me: now therefore, if it displease you, I will turn back.”
So we see a guy who is so greedy for gain that his mind has completely been turned. For the right price, he is willing to disobey God’s word. Then his donkey started acting out of character, so much so that instead of caring and investigating the matter, he resorted to spanking the donkey. Then a miracle happened, and donkey spoke to him. Instead of shaking in terror or fleeing from the scene, he proceeded to threaten the donkey with death. Preposterous!
Our COO, Janie Denney has a black lab called Oakley. Sometimes we work with Oakley seated by our side. Oakley is cute; he is a huggy-feely-touchy-needy kind of dog. He also happens to have the longest tongue ever! He has to keep it rolled back in his mouth to keep it from touching the floor. If Oakley’s tongue ever uttered even a single human phrase, you better believe that Janie and I would be bolting out of her house to find the nearest police station. But not our man Balaam. He was intent on spanking that donkey until he got his greedy way. Thankfully God was patient and merciful. While Balaam was wishing for a sword to kill the donkey, God was using the donkey to restrain the angel from driving his sword through Balaam. Ironic.
While Balaam’s story is as dramatic as it is funny, it underscores a great lesson: God’s dealings with us, though far beyond our comprehension, are undergirded by great patience and compassion. Otherwise, if He marked our transgressions, who would stand? If the Lord kept a record of our sins, who could survive? (Psalm 130:3) As things stand, while we are in the throes of our growing pains, God must continue handling with us with great patience (and sometimes a good dose humor) to get us to where we need to be.
Worship
Prayer
Dear Lord, only you know how many times I have tried your patience! Thank you for being patient with me. Thank you for never giving up on me. You say “Come let’s reason together, though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.” (Isaiah 1:18) Thank you for all the times you have been patient, reasoning with me in my blindness, persuading me that you are acting in my best interests. Despite my stubbornness, doubt and unbelief, you do not give on me. Thank you that you started a very good work in me; I know you will accomplish it. Just as you show great patience with me, help me be patient with others. In Jesus’s name I pray. Amen.
Further Study
Numbers 22-24
Related Posts
To love well as Christians, we must grasp the depths to which love went for us and understand how deeply we are loved. The Bible tells the story of a good Father who passionately loves His children, giving the most valuable possession of heaven to redeem us. Love paid a high price for us.