What the Bible says about Delay in Judgment
(From Forerunner Commentary)

Psalm 50:16-21 The Message, a paraphrase, renders verse 21 as: “I kept a quiet patience while you did these things; you thought I went along with your game. I'm calling you on the carpet, now, laying your wickedness out in plain sight.” In other words, because the hammer had not yet fallen, the Israelites of old assumed that God did not care about what they were doing—but, as God declares, “. . . your sin will find you out” (Numbers 32:23). Solomon speaks of this same tendency in Ecclesiastes 8:11. He observes that, because a delay in justice occurs, people conclude that crime and sin are not so terrible. This pause between cause and effect encourages them to continue in their evil. God's longsuffering is thus double-edged. For those who are serious about following God, His longsuffering gives them time to repent and change. But for those who are ambivalent about what God thinks, His delay of justice reinforces their wrong beliefs and behavior. In this vein, the Israelites mistook God's silence for His approval, and as a result, the Day they thought would bring them glory instead delivered shame and defeat. This pattern is evident in Israel's history, and we can also see it happening in the Israelitish nations of today. David C. Grabbe Do You Desire the Day of the Lord? Related Topics: Delay in Judgment | Delay of Vengeance | Desiring Day of the Lord | Do You Desire the Day of the LORD? | God's Longsuffering | God's Longsuffering Leads us to Repentance | Patience | Sin will find you out | Your Sin will Find You Out

Luke 13:8 The owner's waiting signifies the delay of vengeance, to give Israel an opportunity to repent. Knowing that the vineyard's owner had every reason to be disappointed with the barren tree, the keeper intercedes for the tree's life, asking for another year. He does not plead for its indefinite existence, but for an opportunity to stimulate it into fruitfulness by imposing more dramatic measures. If it bears fruit after further treatment, then the keeper knows that the owner will be pleased to allow the tree to remain in the vineyard. The keeper asks only for the owner to postpone judgment. In the intercessory plea of the keeper, we have an illustration of Jesus' reluctance to let Israel go. During His life, Jesus prayed for fruitless Israel to repent (Matthew 23:27; Mark 1:15; Luke 23:34). In answer, God sent the apostles to provide Israel another opportunity to repent, as they fertilized Israel with God's truth (Matthew 10:6; Luke 24:46-47; II Timothy 2:25-26). Martin G. Collins Parable of the Barren Fig Tree Related Topics: Bearing Fruit | Delay in Judgment | Delay of Vengeance | Fruit, Bearing | Intercessory Prayer | Opportunity to Repent | Parable of the Barren Fig Tree | Repentance, Opportunity for

Luke 13:9 That the owner wants to destroy the tree but the keeper prays for its continued life for another year is not a case of the owner being full of wrath and the keeper defying him. The owner and the keeper have the same goal: to help the tree to produce fruit, if possible. Similarly, both the Father and the Son are angered by sin. Any thoughts Christ had toward Israel were also the thoughts of the Father (John 5:19; 10:30). Even though He is longsuffering, Jesus agrees with the owner of the vineyard in cutting down the tree if it refuses the offer of help (Hebrews 6:4-6; Proverbs 29:1). The Son never denies the right of the Father to destroy, and both agree in offering grace to the sinner at the best time. Since the vineyard and the tree planted in it belong to the owner, he has a right to expect it to bear fruit—or to destroy anything barren or useless on his land. Some people falsely believe this delay means judgment will not come against them. However, the owner clearly says to cut the tree down if it ultimately does not produce fruit—a righteous decision since it would be given every opportunity to bear fruit. If a tree does not produce fruit, it wastes valuable resources and occupies needed space where a fruit-producing tree could stand (John 15:2-6). Within this parable stands a warning for anyone to whom God has revealed His truth: Do not delay producing good fruit (I Peter 4:17-19; II Peter 3:3-10)! Martin G. Collins Parable of the Barren Fig Tree Related Topics: Bearing Fruit | Delay in Judgment | Fruit, Bearing | Fruit, Producing | Judgment Delayed | Longsuffering | Parable of the Barren Fig Tree | Producing Fruit

 

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