SLOW TO ANGER | THE GOD WHO IS - WEEK 3 скачать в хорошем качестве

SLOW TO ANGER | THE GOD WHO IS - WEEK 3

FOUNDATIONAL SCRIPTURE Exodus 34:6–7 (NIV) The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet He does not leave the guilty unpunished; He punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation. [FOR SO MANY PEOPLE…] this is the phrase that surprises them most: “Slow to anger.” Let’s dive in to what God really means when He says this. I. THE HEBREW PHRASE — ’EREK ’APPAYIM (“LONG OF NOSE”) The Hebrew phrase translated “slow to anger” is: ’erekh ’appayim (אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם) Literally: “long of nostrils” or “long-nosed.” Now, before you picture God with an exaggerated cartoon nose… This is a Hebrew idiom built on the physical experience of anger. In Hebrew: “angry” = “nose burns hot” “deep anger” = “hot nostrils” When Potiphar believed Joseph tried to sleep with his wife, Scripture says: “his nose burned hot.” When someone’s anger flares, their face gets hot. [SO IN THE HEBREW IMAGINATION…] A patient person is “long-nosed.” It takes a very long time for their anger to heat up. This is why Proverbs 19:11 says: Proverbs 19:11 (NIV) A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense.” Hebrew: “A person’s wisdom makes them long of nose.” Wisdom lengthens your fuse. And God—according to God—is THE MOST “LONG-NOSED,” PATIENT, SLOW-TO-ANGER BEING IN THE UNIVERSE. II. GOD DOES GET ANGRY — BUT NOT LIKE WE DO Let’s hit this misconception about God head-on: God is not an angry deity waiting for people to mess up. But the Bible does talk about God getting angry. [SO HOW DO WE…] hold these two truthful statements together? 1. GOD’S ANGER IS A METAPHOR, not a mood swing. God doesn’t literally have a nose. He doesn’t flare His nostrils or turn red. Hebrew uses human body language to communicate divine emotion. 2. God’s anger is HIS RESPONSE TO HUMAN EVIL, not human inconvenience. God is not irritated. He is not moody. He does not lash out because He lost His temper. God’s anger is HIS JUSTICE AND HIS COMPASSION WORKING TOGETHER against anything that destroys His creation. [THINK ABOUT IT…] If you saw a child being bullied and didn’t feel anger— something would be wrong with your heart. God feels anger when His world is vandalized by human evil. BUT— God is slow to anger. God gives people an enormous amount of time to change. III. GOD’S PATIENCE IN THE EXODUS STORY Let’s look at Exodus 3 and the Ten Plagues Pharaoh enslaves Israel. Pharaoh orders Hebrew baby boys to be thrown into the Nile. Pharaoh crushes God’s people under violence and oppression. God sees it; God hears it; God feels it; And God sends Moses. But notice what God does: God gives Pharaoh ten opportunities to repent. TEN. God could have judged him instantly… Instead—God delays judgment. But when Pharaoh continues to harden his heart and finally rides out with his chariots to destroy Israel… God allows Pharaoh’s own evil to rebound onto him. The waters that drowned Hebrew children now drown Pharaoh’s army. The Bible calls this an act of God’s “hot anger.”