1 Samuel 8:8 (KJV) Longsuffering Across the Centuries

1 Samuel 8:8 (KJV) 

According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee.

The wisdom of many so far exceeds that of man that we seldom can attain unto it. Even among those of us who trust Him most, who are willing to accept that His ways are higher than ours, there are still choices God makes that simply do not compute with our sensibilities.

This disparity is, in fact, a major issue for those whose wisdom is only of this world. They find fault with God’s wisdom as it is revealed in the Bible, considering Him to be unjust, unloving, or unkind.

In His conversation with Samuel, God seems to lament that Israel has, since the day He delivered them from Egypt, lived in a continual pattern of forsaking Him and serving other gods. From the time of the Exodus to Samuel, nearly four hundred years had passed.

For four hundred years Israel had consistently forsaken God and chased after the false gods of the nations around them. For four hundred years God had instructed them, warned them, judged them, and then shown them grace. For four hundred years He had given them leaders like Moses, then Joshua, and now Samuel—and for four hundred years, very little had changed.

Yet God, who could have done whatever He pleased to correct their actions and attitudes, simply told Samuel, “Give them what they want; as they have done to me, so they are doing to you.”

I don’t get it.

Why didn’t He correct them on the spot?

And then I remember 2 Peter 3:9 (KJV):
“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward…”

I still don’t fully understand it—but I am certainly grateful for the rest of the verse:
“…not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”

I never want to forget that God’s longsuffering is directed not only toward those I struggle with—but toward me.

And I am certainly glad of that.

#GodsLongsuffering #ForsakingAndGrace #FourHundredYearsOfMercy #BibleTruthKJV #LessonsFromSamuel

Longsuffering Across the Centuries: God’s Mercy Outlasted Israel’s Rebellion

Are you searching the Bible for answers about God’s patience, human rebellion, or why God allows people to choose their own way? 📖
1 Samuel 8 reminds us that God’s longsuffering stretches far beyond what we can understand—and that truth still speaks to our hearts today.

👉 Why do you think God sometimes allows people to have what they want instead of stepping in immediately?
Share your thoughts in the comments—I’d love to hear how this passage has spoken to you. 💬

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1 Samuel 8:8 (KJV) Longsuffering Across the Centuries