I do not know

(The following is an article written by Dr. Bob Jones, Jr.)

There is much I do not know; there is much I cannot know.

Picture: sxc.hu

- I do not know what a day may bring forth.
- I do not know what tomorrow has in store for me.
- I do not know what will be the outcome of the things I undertake.
- I do not know where the path of life may lead me before I reach its end.
- I do not know where sorrow awaits along the way or where death lurks.
- I do not know where I may come across something which I would like to escape.
- I do not know when I may be afflicted with sickness or disease.
- I do not know when I may be called upon to pass through a fiery trial or when tragedy may strike.
- I do not know when a loved one may be taken away or when I shall be called to join those who have gone before.
- I do not know why sorrows come into our lives.
- I do not know why innocent people are called upon to suffer for the sins of others.
- I do not know why things which I desire are denied me nor why things which I would avoid are thrust upon me.
- I do not know how the flesh can stand the suffering which it is sometimes called upon to endure.
- I do not know how the soul can go through the waters deep and chill, which threaten to engulf it.
- I do not know how to reconcile God's love for men with the terrible tragedy and suffering which Divine Providence visits upon them.

But, I do not need to know what, nor when, nor how, nor why, because I do know "whom I have believed" (II Timothy 1:12).

I know God. In the Lord Jesus Christ I find Him perfectly revealed. The God I know is a God of love. His love is manifest in the death of Christ on the cross for our sins. He loved us and gave Himself for us.

The God I know is wise. He is the Author of all wisdom and all knowledge. He knows the end from the beginning. The God I know is omnipotent. He upholds "all things by the word of his power."

I can trust Him who is Himself perfect love and power and wisdom. He knows what I need and understands what is best for me, and He will not permit anything else to come into my life. He is able to give me strength to face whatever may come into my life.

Do you know Him?

(Text from "As the small rain" by Bob Jones, Jr., found at http://www.baptistbiblebelievers.com/BookList/ASTHESMALLRAINbyDrBobJoneJr1945.aspx)

Long nostrils

I'm currently reading a book about the attributes of God. It's called More Like The Master and was written by Dr. Randy Jaeggli, who was my Hebrew professor at Bob Jones University (BJU). One of the passages he comments on is in Exodus 34:6-7, where God proclaims His name to Moses, saying:

The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.

Dr. Jaeggli makes the following interesting observation on the Hebrew expression for God's "longsuffering" or patience, which I remember him telling us about in class one day:

We can rejoice that God is longsuffering. The Hebrew in Exodus 34:6 literally says that the Lord is "long of nostrils." Picture a person who is really mad. He gets red in the face, the veins in his neck become prominent, adrenaline starts coursing through his bloodstream, and his nostrils flare as he starts inhaling extra oxygen to support his anticipated physical activity (perhaps hitting the person who has infuriated him). Along with inhaling comes exhaling. As the irate person heats up, so does the breath he exhales. If the person has long nostrils, however, the breath has time to cool down before it comes out. This is a picture of the self-control our God manifests when He is angry with sinners. If He brought swift judgment on every act of disobedience to His Word, there would not be a person alive in the world today. Instead of bringing swift retribution, God allows man time to repent. We might even sometimes think that He allows too much time for people to continue in their flagrant sin, but that is not our determination to make. We can be thankful that His patience has borne with our sin, too. (More Like The Master, p. 92f.)

Thankfully, God's patience is far greater than mine or yours. Praise God for His longsuffering with us!

It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed,
because his compassions fail not.
They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
(Lamentations 3:22-23)