Lighthouse Trails Research Journal VOL. 7 | NO. 5 | Page 19

Lighthouse Trails Research Journal 19 THE ISRAELITES’ IMPATIENCE Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves. (Exodus 32:2-7) he Bible makes it clear that Jesus’ fol- lowers are to wait patiently for His re- turn. The Book of Exodus records how the Israelites did not wait patiently when Moses “delayed” his return from Mount Sinai: The apostle Paul cites this particular in- cident to warn how the Israelites’ simple act of impatience resulted in their “cor- rupting themselves”: PATIENTLY WAITING AND ENDURING THROUGH IT ALL EDITOR’S NOTE: In 2016, Warren B. Smith released his book, Pressing On Through It All. He wrote it during a time that was encompassed with many trials, challenges, and heartbreaks including a heart attack, the loss of his house in a fire, and the pass- ing of two co-laborers in ministry, Ray Yungen and Caryl Matrisciana. The book is mostly Scripture organized by chapters that each have a central theme. Lighthouse Trails published these chapters as separate booklets as we found them to be of such wonderful encouragement and reminders of who God is and of what He promises to those who put their trust in Him. The following is an excerpt from one of these booklets. PATIENTLY WAITING AND ENDURING THROUGH IT ALL WARREN B. SMITH For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. (Romans 8:24-25) W ENDURING PATIENCE ebster’s New World Dictionary de- fines the word “patient” as “bear- ing or enduring pain, trouble, etc. with- out complaining or losing self-control, calmly tolerating delay, confusion; able to wait calmly for something desired; steady, diligent, persevering.” The Greek mean- ing according to Strong’s Concordance is to have “a cheerful or hopeful endurance; a constancy or enduring patience; a patient continuance (waiting).” In short, patience may be seen as the ability to cheerfully and hopefully wait and endure—without complaint—whatever befalls us. Volume 7—No. 5 T And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him. (Exodus 32:1) In their impatience, the Israelites “cor- rupted themselves” by worshiping a god of their own making. Instead of waiting patiently for Moses and the true God of Israel, the people created another god. Scripture records how “the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play”: And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me. And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron. And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To morrow is a feast to the LORD. And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play. And the LORD said unto Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. . . . Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. (1 Corinthians 10:7,11-12) In a letter to the Romans, Paul empha- sizes how these former events described in Scripture can comfort us and help us to learn patience and hope: For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. (Romans 15:4) The first stanza of the hymn My Soul With Patience Waits underscores the im- portance of patience and the comfort of God’s Word—how we are to patiently wait for our Lord: My soul with patience waits For Thee, the living Lord My hopes are on thy promise built, Thy never-failing word. The following selected verses from Scrip- ture describe the importance of patience and how—with God’s help—we are to patiently wait and endure whatever cir- cumstances arise in our lives. Continues on next page SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019