Long-Suffering

I mentioned on January 1st that I would be doing a variety of Bible studies this year.  This week I started "Fresh Fruit," a study of the fruit of the Spirit.  Each day has contained a short devotion and several scriptures pertaining to that day's fruit - love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance.  Reading in the app, I can read the verses that are included, but I've found that is not quite enough, so I then read the entire chapters.

I thought today's topic fell short.  The fruit for today is long-suffering.  The version of the Bible used by the writers used the word patience instead.  I don't feel that those two words are 100% interchangeable so I wanted to look at long-suffering a little more.

The Greek definition of long-suffering is longanimity, that is, (objectively) forbearance or (subjectively) fortitude: - longsuffering, patience.  Longanimity, according to Merriam-Webster is, "a disposition to bear injuries patiently, forbearance."

The Greek definition of patience is cheerful (or hopeful) endurance, constancy: - enduring, patience, patient continuance (waiting).  *I believe many of us have learned to wait, but cheerfully waiting is still a work in progress.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible says about long-suffering, "Long-mindedness, bearing with the frailties and provocations of others, from the consideration that God has borne long with ours; and that, if He had not, we should have been speedily consumed: bearing up also through all the troubles and difficulties of life without murmuring or repining; submitting cheerfully to every dispensation of God’s providence, and thus deriving benefit from every occurrence."

Each time the word long-suffering is used in the Old Testament, it talks about God's long-suffering.  Interestingly, the word patience is not found in the Old Testament. The Hebrew definition of long-suffering is a combination of two words:

'ârêk - long: - long [-suffering, -winged], patient, slow [to anger].

'aph - properly the nose or nostril; hence the face, and occasionally a person; also (from the rapid breathing in passion) ire: - anger (-gry), + before, countenance, face, + forbearing, forehead, + [long-] suffering, nose, nostril, snout,  worthy, wrath.

When combined, it means "long of nose" (or "breathing"), and, as anger was indicated by rapid, violent breathing through the nostrils, "long of anger," or "slow to wrath." It is associated with "great kindness" and "plenteous in mercy."  Have you ever been SO angry, but instead of responding, you concentrated on your breathing, trying to calm yourself down?  Maybe you counted to 10, or even 100.  I think God's long-suffering is like that, but He probably has to count to one million, then start over, when dealing with some of us.

1 Corinthians chapter 13 is the well known "love" chapter.  One of the characteristics of charity is that it suffers long.  We can't patiently endure or be slow to anger without love.  Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible says about 1 Corinthians 13:4, "It can endure evil, injury, and provocation, without being filled with resentment, indignation, or revenge. It makes the mind firm, gives it power over the angry passions, and furnishes it with a persevering patience, that shall rather wait and wish for the reformation of a brother than fly out in resentment of his conduct. It will put up with many slights and neglects from the person it loves, and wait long to see the kindly effects of such patience on him."

Long-suffering is taking patience to the next level.  It's not just waiting.  It's waiting without being filled with resentment.  It's enduring without seeking revenge.  It's a mind that is firm, that doesn't give in to angry passions.  It takes God's love in our hearts to be long-suffering.