The Overwhelming Importance for Christians to Be Patient and not Hasty, and to Wait on God’s Timing!

Isaiah 52:12.           ‘For ye shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight: for the Lord will go before you; and the God of Israel will be your rereward (rear guard).’

Well friends, it’s one of those days, when we are reminded that winter is in the air! (smile) And the snow began falling early this Wednesday morning, and in some places, like my area, it’s still falling. Therefore you can imagine what the morning commute was like, or rather is like. I’ve seen several pictures of accidents and road blocks caused by the snow and inappropriate driving. But it looks like the snow plows and sanders are our in full force and are doing their best to keep up with the falling snow. 

Let’s hope and pray that by the time evening commute rolls around that things would have settled down and the roads will not be as dangerous, although there are always impatient and ignorant folks who try to go too fast and cause accidents. And I guess that’s a good enough reason for us to check out some scriptures on haste and impatience today. And I like the overview on the subject from this commentary. ‘Scriptures often caution against haste and impatience, linking them to foolishness, mistakes, and a lack of trust in God’s timing. Instead, the Bible encourages diligence, patience, and seeking wisdom before acting.’ 

And that’s the living truth. We see much loss in scripture by haste and not waiting on God’s timing, like how King Saul, the first king of Israel lost his kingship due to his impatience in offering a sacrifice. And Abraham and Sarah’s impatience to have a child of their own, led them to father one with their Egyptian maid Hagar, Ishmael, which only caused family conflict back then, with Isaac their natural son, and is till causing it today, between the Jews and the Muslims. 

And Cousin Sol, the wisest man, had a lot to tell us about haste. Proverbs 19 opens with two dillies. ‘Better is the poor that walketh in his integrity, than he that is perverse in his lips, and is a fool. Also, that the soul be without knowledge, it is not good: and he that hasteth with his feet sinneth.’ (Prov. 19:1-2) Yes friends, desire without knowledge and hasty actions can certainly lead to serious mistakes and even more serious consequences. 

Then in Proverbs 21, Cousin Sol offers this bit of awesome wisdom. ‘The thoughts (plans) of the diligent tend only (lead surely) to plenteousness; but every one that is hasty only to want (surely to poverty). (Prov. 21:19) And we all know there’s much truth in those words, as many of us have experienced them in our own lives, where instead of careful planning, we hastened to get plenty, but instead suffered disappointment. As the old people would say, more haste, less speed. And again, the Proverbs of Cousin Sol offers up this gem re hastiness. ‘He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding: but he that is hasty of spirit (impulsive) exalteth folly.’ (Prov. 14:29)

 Meanwhile in Ecclesiastes, writing as the Preacher, Cousin Sol offers up this other tidbit on haste. ‘Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.’ (Eccl. 7:9) More unadulterated truth! And the last piece of wisdom from Cousin Sol is this: ‘A faithful man shall abound with blessings: but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent (go unpunished).’ (Prov. 28:20) And we see that happening every day, especially in this current greedy and avaricious society, people rushing to get rich and falling flat on their faces. 

But Isaiah however tells us about waiting on God’s timing. ‘For ye shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight: for the Lord will go before you; and the God of Israel will be your rereward (rear guard).’ (Is. 52:12) And we also get the same wise advice from Isaiah. 40. ‘But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run , and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.’ (Is. 40:31) Yes my faithful brethren, God’s protection is always present when we wait on him, and don’t rush out in haste or fear. Furthermore, in Galatians, Bruh Paul lists patience (longsuffering) as a fruit of the Spirit. (Gal. 5:22-23) 

Then in the epistle of James, he cautions us re patience and anger, when he writes: ‘Wherefore my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not (does not produce) the righteousness of God.’ (James 1:19-20) Then Romans 12:12, tells us about patience in affliction as an aspect of faith ‘Rejoicing in hope; patient (persevering) in tribulation; continuing instant (steadfastly) in prayer.’ And in Bruh Paul’s letter to the Colossians, when talking about walking worthy of the Lord, he exhorts: ‘Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness.’ (Col. 1:12) 

There we have it friends, walking with God in patience and joyfulness despite what might happen to us. And we’ll close with this gem from the pen of Bruh David in Psalm 27 that we all know. ‘Wait (in faith) on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait (in faith) I say, on the Lord.’ (Ps. 27:14) 

Now, with all those wise and wonderful words of scripture on haste and patience under our belts, lets’ go home declaring our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus! As one strong and sincere voice: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’ 

And the long and short of the story is that if we endure to the very end with Jesus, then we will enjoy a future even more glorious than we can ask or imagine. So, wisdom dictates that we endure to the very end, so we can enjoy that more than glorious future together! Much LOVE!

…patience is the bedrock of the Christian life…

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien

Today’s Scrip-Bit 19 February 2020 Isaiah 52:12.

Isaiah 52:12.    ​For ye shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight: for the Lord will go before you; and the God of Israel will be your rearward (rear guard).

 

Then it was Wednesday… and everybody breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that they had survived, gotten through the most onerous part of the work week and the rest was just cool sailing until their big day of Friday came around again! It’s surprising how we are creatures of habit yes friends. We begin on Monday like a storm assailed vessel, writhing in the throes of agony, can’t make head nor tail of anything…then by Wednesday the storm has calmed and the ship has righted itself…then we look forward to clear and calm sailing as we round the bend of life and see heaven on Friday. (smile) 

But my people, there is no reason whatsoever to fear the storms of life and wait until Friday before we experience a slice of heaven, for the Lord our God made an ever-faithful promise to us long long ago through the prophet Isaiah, that He will deliver Zion (Jerusalem) from captivity by the hands of His suffering servant, the Messiah. ‘For ye shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight: for the Lord will go before you; and the God of Israel will be your rearward (rear guard).’ 

Oh friends, if the Lord promised it, then you can rest assured that it will happen. Yuh see how He guarded and guided the Israelites when He brought them out of bondage in Egypt? ‘ And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night. He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.’ (Ex. 13:21-22) 

Wow mih breddren! What a mighty and faithful God we serve! He guided the Israelites through the wilderness, assuring them of His enduring and powerful presence, protecting them from their enemy back then. And He has not forgotten us, those who have come after. 

Listen to this immortal promise: ‘Behold, my suffering servant shall deal prudently (prosper), he shall be exalted and extolled (lifted up), and be very high. As many were astonished at thee; his visage (appearance) was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men: So shall he sprinkle (startle) many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider.’ (Is.52:13-15) 

That’s what you call prophecy! (smile) Now listen as the scholars explain: ‘52:13-15. These verses actually stand as the introduction to the prophecy of the Suffering Servant in chapter 53. The subject of both passages is the servant of the Lord individualized as the Messiah who suffers for our sins. He is the culmination of all of Isaiah’s messianic prophecies. He is the miraculously born Son of the Virgin – Immanuel, “God with Us” (7:14; cf. Matt. 1:23). He is the Branch (11:1) who springs up out of the stump of the Davidic line. 

He is the new David (9:7) who will bring in a new Exodus and a new redemption for the people of Israel. Further, He is the One who deserves to rule the world because He is the One who suffers redemptively for all humanity. The terms exalted and extolled, and be very high are used only in 33:10 and here, but nowhere else in the prophets. It refers to the ultimate and final exaltation of His spiritual glory. Thus He will not remain in the humiliation which is described here but will rise above it (cf. Phil. 2:9-11). 

There is a deliberate contrast between the many who are astonished and the kings who will shut their mouths at him. The idea is that both the common man and the potentate will stand speechless in awe of Him. His visage refers to His appearance (or face), which will become so marred (disfigured) by beatings and scourgings that He will be barely recognizable. The verb for shall he sprinkle is a technical term found in the Mosaic Law for the sprinkling of blood in order to cleanse or purify from sin. 

This reference has nothing to do with water baptism. Here the servant of the Lord is viewed as our High Priest who offers His own blood for our sins. Before this Suffering Servant, the nations of the world are rendered speechless as they observe this unbelievable demonstration of God’s LOVE.’  

All I can say is ‘Wow, friends, Wow!’ Yuh see how the coming of Jesus was prophesied right down to the nth degree! All that we talked about there has happened already, or will happen in the Lord’s time. So remember, Jesus Himself spoke of His coming again in glory: ‘For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.’ (Matt. 16:27) 

Please be careful then friends, for remember what was prophesied by Isaiah about Jesus came through, so it’s fairly certain that what Jesus says will also come through. So let’s not be found on the outside looking in when He comes again nuh. For the wise money is on Jesus: He’s the odds on favourite; the One who can’t lose! 

So let’s wisely align our lives with him nuh: The One whom ‘God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name; That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of (those) things in heaven, and (those) things in earth, and (those) things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of the Father.’ (Phil. 2:9-11) 

Now that ought to seal the deal people! Jesus is officially the NAME above every other, to whom ALL knees will eventually bow! And it’s ALL to the glory of the Father…as it ought to be, for He is the One who made the plan and carried it out, based on His undying, everlasting and unconditional LOVE for us! So let’s acknowledge Him with gratitude and reverence as we declare (yeah!) our Wednesday Wail, letting everyone know our wonderful position in Christ, our Lord and Saviour. 

All together now in strong voice, with sincere hearts. ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’ 

Oh Mama, Mama! And what a glorious future that will indeed be. Our puny minds can’t even picture how glorious it will really be! Much LOVE!

…the most important name we can ever call…JESUS…!