What Old Testament examples show God's timing differing from human expectations? The Immediate Puzzle in John 11:6 “When Jesus heard that Lazarus was sick, He stayed where He was for two more days.” Everyone around Jesus expected an urgent trip to Bethany. Instead, the Lord paused. That delay felt confusing on the human side of the story, yet it produced a greater revelation of His glory (John 11:4, 40, 43-44). This same heavenly pattern—God moving later than people think He should—runs like a clear thread through the Old Testament. Portraits of Divine Timing in the Old Testament • Abraham & Sarah – Promise Postponed – Genesis 12:2; 15:4-5: God pledges a nation through Abraham. – Twenty-five years pass. Bodies age, hope thins. – Genesis 21:1-2: “The LORD attended to Sarah as He had said… Sarah conceived and bore a son.” – Human clock: “Too late.” God’s clock: “Exactly right.” • Joseph – Dream Deferred – Genesis 37:5-11: Teenage Joseph receives royal dreams. – Thirteen years of pits, slavery, false accusation, and prison follow. – Genesis 41:46: “Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh.” – What looked like cruel delay positioned Joseph to save nations (Genesis 50:20). • Israel in Egypt – Centuries of Waiting – Genesis 15:13-14 foretells 400 years of affliction. – Exodus 12:40-41: “At the end of 430 years, to the very day, all the LORD’s divisions left Egypt.” – Four millennia have shown that “to the very day” is literal. Heaven keeps precise appointments. • Red Sea – Last-Second Rescue – Exodus 14:13-14: “Do not be afraid; stand firm… The LORD will fight for you.” – Only when the Egyptian army is within striking distance does the water split (Exodus 14:21-22). – Deliverance arrives when escape is humanly impossible, so all credit goes to God. • Wilderness Manna – Daily Timing Lesson – Exodus 16:4-5: Bread from heaven appears each dawn, melts by midday, and refuses to keep overnight (except before Sabbath). – The schedule itself teaches dependence: God’s provision comes on His timetable, not ours. • Jericho – Seven-Day Silence – Joshua 6:15-16: Only after six silent days of circling does the final shout bring the walls down. – Impatient logic would storm the city on day one; faith walks until God says, “Now.” • Gideon – Strategic Delay & Reduction – Judges 7:2-7, 19-22: Troop numbers shrink from 32,000 to 300. Attack waits until the middle watch of the night. – The deliberately late, unlikely hour magnifies the miracle. • Hannah – Longing Turned to Laughter – 1 Samuel 1:7-10: Years of unanswered prayer. – 1 Samuel 1:19-20: “The LORD remembered her… she gave birth to a son.” – Timing protects a bigger plan: Samuel’s birth aligns with Israel’s need for a prophet-judge. • David – Crowned but Not Yet Seated – 1 Samuel 16:13: Anointed as a youth. – Roughly fifteen years of exile, injustice, and cave-dwelling intervene. – 2 Samuel 5:4-5: David finally ascends the throne at thirty. Delay shapes the king. • Elijah – Rain Reserved – 1 Kings 18:41-45: Seven prayerful repetitions before the first cloud appears. – God ends drought in the “seventh time,” emphasizing perseverance when the sky is still empty. • Habakkuk – The Divine Calendar Stated Plainly – Habakkuk 2:3: “For the vision awaits an appointed time… Though it lingers, wait for it; it will surely come and will not delay.” – God defines “delay” differently from us; what lingers still arrives “surely.” Threads That Tie These Stories to John 11 • Delays serve revelation. Lazarus walks out of a tomb; Pharaoh sees Red Sea walls; Jericho’s collapse echoes heaven’s power. • Delays build faith. Abraham, Joseph, and David each emerge sturdier, ready for the weight of promise. • Delays preserve alignment. Samuel is born when Israel needs a voice, not merely when Hannah desires a baby. • Delays exalt God alone. Smaller armies, parted seas, fourth-day resurrections leave no room for human boasting. Truths to Hold When God Seems Late 1. His character never changes—Numbers 23:19; James 1:17. 2. His plans are higher—Isaiah 55:8-9. 3. His clock is flawless—Ecclesiastes 3:11; Galatians 4:4 (“when the fullness of time had come”). 4. His delays are often set-ups for greater glory—John 11:4. Living Between Promise and Fulfillment • Stay anchored in what God said, not in how long it’s taking. • View waiting seasons as classrooms: faith matures, motives refine, dependence deepens. • Remember past delays turned deliverances; yesterday’s testimonies fuel today’s trust. • Speak truth to impatience: “The LORD will fulfill His purpose for me” (Psalm 138:8). The Old Testament chorus is clear: God’s timing consistently trumps human expectation, and every apparent setback prepares the stage for a greater unveiling of His faithfulness—just as in Bethany when Jesus lingered two extra days before calling Lazarus out. |
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