Tim Maas Supporter Retired Quality Assurance Specialist with the U.S. Army

I view this verse as being the Old Testament counterpart to the thought expressed in 2 Peter 3:9.

God is a God of justice and holiness, but He is also a God of love and mercy. He would have been perfectly justified in condemning every member of universally-sinful humanity to eternal separation from Him. Instead, He applied that penalty for sin to His own Son, whose atoning death and subsequent resurrection made eternal life in His presence possible for humans through faith in Him.

However, God will not force that salvation on anyone, or override human free will to save them. Each individual must appropriate salvation for himself or herself through faith in Christ. It is the willful human refusal to do so (because of the influence of sin, and despite the working of the Holy Spirit) that causes the poignant reaction from God expressed in the verse cited in the question above. He would prefer (as Peter said) that everyone (no matter how sinful or wicked they may be in their unsaved state) should come to a knowledge of the truth and be saved. The fact that many humans reject that opportunity is not God's fault, but theirs. God has done everything (short of overriding their free will) to save them.

August 23 2019 • 1 response • Vote Up • Share • Report

Jack Gutknecht Supporter Arizona Bible College graduate and Dallas Seminary graduate

God can't let sin go. If He did, sin would finally destroy all people and all creation. 

So for the person who perseveres in his sin, judgment is inevitable. But the opposite is equally true: the penitent one who truly repents of his sinful lifestyle, that is, forsakes it, he can escape judgment (Hebrews 2:3).

God tells us in Ezekiel 33:11 that He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked but wants them to turn from their ways and live. This reveals His heart. Judgment is real and necessary because of sin, but it is never what brings Him joy. What pleases Him is when sinners repent and return to Him, finding the life and freedom only He can give.

Jeremiah 3:22 shows His loving invitation: “Return, O faithless sons; I will heal your faithlessness.” God does not simply want to forgive but to restore and heal. Acts 3:19 calls us to “repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out.” Repentance is not a burden but the doorway to cleansing and peace with God.

Paul explains in 1 Timothy 2:4 that God “desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” That is why Peter writes that God is patient, “not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). His patience is proof of His mercy and love, giving everyone time to turn to Him.

The reason God is not pleased when the wicked die is because it means a soul is lost forever, cut off from the life He freely offers through Christ. His heart is for redemption, not ruin. That is why He still calls today, “Turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die” (Ezekiel 33:11).

If you want to turn to Christ today, you can pray simply from your heart like this:

Lord Jesus, I confess that I am a sinner. I repent of my sins and turn from them. I believe You died for me and rose again to give me life. Please forgive me, come into my life, and help me follow You all my days. Thank You for saving me. Amen.

August 24 2019 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report