The concept of God's patience is a recurring theme throughout the Bible, and Jerusalem serves as a significant focal point for understanding this divine attribute. God's patience, often intertwined with His mercy and justice, is vividly illustrated in His dealings with Jerusalem, the city chosen to bear His name and serve as a spiritual center for His people.

Jerusalem as the Chosen City

Jerusalem holds a unique place in biblical history as the city where God chose to establish His temple, the dwelling place of His presence among His people. In 1 Kings 11:36 , God declares, "I will give one tribe to his son, so that My servant David may always have a lamp before Me in Jerusalem, the city where I have chosen to put My Name." This choice underscores the city's spiritual significance and the expectations God had for its inhabitants.

God's Patience in the Face of Rebellion

Despite Jerusalem's privileged status, its history is marked by periods of rebellion and idolatry. The patience of God is evident as He repeatedly calls His people back to Himself, offering opportunities for repentance and restoration. In Jeremiah 3:12-13 , God extends an invitation to return: "Go, proclaim this message toward the north: ‘Return, O faithless Israel,’ declares the LORD. ‘I will no longer look on you with anger, for I am merciful,’ declares the LORD. ‘I will not be angry forever. Only acknowledge your guilt, that you have rebelled against the LORD your God.’"

Prophetic Warnings and Calls to Repentance

Throughout the prophetic books, God sends His prophets to warn Jerusalem of impending judgment due to their persistent disobedience. Yet, these warnings are coupled with calls to repentance, demonstrating God's desire for His people to turn back to Him. In Ezekiel 18:30-32 , God pleads with His people: "Therefore, house of Israel, I will judge each of you according to your ways, declares the Lord GOD. Repent and turn from all your transgressions, so that your iniquity will not become your downfall. Cast away from yourselves all the transgressions you have committed, and fashion for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. Why should you die, O house of Israel? For I take no pleasure in anyone’s death, declares the Lord GOD. So repent and live!"

The Destruction and Restoration of Jerusalem

God's patience is further exemplified in His response to Jerusalem's eventual destruction. Despite the severe consequences of their actions, God promises restoration and a future hope. In Isaiah 40:1-2 , God speaks comfort to His people: "Comfort, comfort My people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem and proclaim to her that her warfare is over, her iniquity is pardoned. She has received from the hand of the LORD double for all her sins."

The Ultimate Fulfillment in Christ

The patience of God finds its ultimate expression in the coming of Jesus Christ, who enters Jerusalem as the promised Messiah. In Matthew 23:37 , Jesus laments over the city, saying, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her, how often I have longed to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling!" This poignant expression of divine patience highlights God's enduring desire for reconciliation with His people.

Conclusion

The narrative of Jerusalem throughout the Bible serves as a profound testament to the patience of God. Despite repeated failures and rebellion, God's enduring love and willingness to forgive remain steadfast. His dealings with Jerusalem reveal a God who is slow to anger, abounding in love, and ever ready to extend grace to those who turn back to Him.Matthew 23:37
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you that kill the prophets, and stone them which are sent to you, how often would I have gathered your children together, even as a hen gathers her chickens under her wings, and you would not!
Torrey's Topical Textbook

But if Moreover any not Having Charity, which Pertaineth to the ...
... must take heed lest haply, if we affirm that patience to be ... to understand that there
be some gifts of God possessed by the sons of that Jerusalem which is ...
//christianbookshelf.org/augustine/on patience /23 but if moreover any.htm

Misused Respite
... is as deep a mystery as is God's loving patience. ... men when iniquity is 'full,' and
when God sees that ... would fain have gathered the people of Jerusalem to His ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture g/misused respite.htm

Of the Remedy for the Second Source of Weariness.
... patience with pity, inasmuch as also the "patience of God ... and immovable" position
in our heart, that Jerusalem which is ... "For the foundation of God standeth sure ...
/.../on the catechising of the uninstructed/chapter 11 of the remedy for.htm

It Remains Then that we Understand as Concerning those Women...
... but of that which is to come, the patience of God ... that house of which is sung unto
God, "Blessed are ... Jericho, or to Babylon, or still to Jerusalem itself, the ...
//christianbookshelf.org/augustine/against lying/section 33 it remains then.htm

God.
... and the captivity, which were about to fall upon Jerusalem, directly and ... to theology,
on the Freedom and the Patience of the Providence of God, and his ...
//christianbookshelf.org/smith/jeremiah/1 god.htm

The Church of God.
... "Now the God of patience and consolation ... second verse it is designated by "mount
Zion," the "city of the living God," the "heavenly Jerusalem," and an ...
//christianbookshelf.org/orr/the gospel day /chapter vii the church of.htm

God the Holy Spirit the Love which Dwells in the Heart.
... us; wherefore we are admonished to exercise patience and self ... in their city, and
not from that of Jerusalem. ... and stedfastly in the souls of the called of God. ...
/.../kuyper/the work of the holy spirit/xx god the holy spirit.htm

Of the Exposition of the Resurrection, the Judgment, and Other ...
... and what relief [1380] there is in the example of the patience of God, who has ... many
good Christians, most genuine citizens of the heavenly Jerusalem, if he ...
/.../on the catechising of the uninstructed/chapter 7 of the exposition of.htm

Two Ways of Despising God's Feast
... of the feast (that is, the death of Christ) and the destruction of Jerusalem. ... to
the actual facts, but, like the facts, set the miracle of God's patience in a ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture b/two ways of despising gods.htm

Chapter iii.
... notwithstanding, set forth at this same city of Jerusalem, propagated thence ... we
ourselves glory in you in the churches of God, for your patience and faith ...
//christianbookshelf.org/paley/evidences of christianity/chapter iii.htm

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