At the End of Twelve Months-Glenn Conjurske

“At the End of Twelve Months”

God had given a very plain warning to Nebuchadnezzar, in a dream of the night, in the interpretation of the dream by the man of God, and in Daniel’s solemn admonition to him, to “break off thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by showing mercy to the poor, if it may be a lengthening of thy tranquillity.” (Dan. 4:27). He had been plainly told, “they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and they shall wet thee with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over thee, till thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.” (Verse 25).

Nebuchadnezzar was no doubt guilty of sins enough, being a heathen and an idolater, but it was his pride which God had determined to judge. The end of the judgement decreed was that Nebuchadnezzar should “know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.” The effect of the judgement when it was finished was that Nebuchadnezzar himself must say, “those that walk in pride he is able to abase.” (Verse 37). Yet he continued in his pride a full year, and still the judgement did not fall. He likely comforted himself that the stroke would never come at all (for sin blinds and hardens), though he well knew that Daniel was a man of God—-for God had spoken to him by Daniel before, and in such a way as left no room for doubt that Daniel was the messenger of God. Yet he hardened himself and set at nought Daniel’s message—-and apparently did so with impunity, for the threatened stroke did not fall. Only “at the end of twelve months” did he feel the rod of God (verse 29).

But in this we see only that the God who is “slow to anger” is slow also to smite, even after his anger is kindled. He bears long with the ways of man—-endures with much longsuffering even the vessels of wrath. Though the judgement of the old world by the flood was purposed and pronounced, yet would he strive with man a hundred and twenty years. Though the destruction of the Canaanite was determined, yet will God delay four hundred years, for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet full.

Daniel probably watched the king, and, seeing him as puffed up as ever, wondered that the promised judgement did not come. And so sometimes do we. We see a man turn away from the narrow path of rectitude, and go on month after month hardening himself in unrighteousness, and we wonder that the rod of God does not fall upon him. We see a woman turn from love and truth, and go on hardening herself in pride and malice and hypocrisy, and we wonder that the Lord does not smite. We even call upon God, that he would use the rod to arrest the beloved soul in its downward course—-and yet all things continue as they were. Why is this?

In the first place, God gives to every man, to every church, to every nation, “space to repent.” When men do not repent in the space which God gives to them, but harden themselves in their own way, the Lord often allows them to go on further and further, sinning as they please, concealing and covering all of their unrighteousness, securing everything just as they would have it, and apparently doing all of this with impunity—-and then, when they least expect it, the rod of God falls upon them. There is a great congruity in the judgements of God. He fits the stroke of the rod to the character of the sin. Nor is he careless of the time at which that stroke shall fall, though it may appear to us that he is neglecting to chasten at all. But he is neither negligent, nor tardy. He designs both the character and the timing of the stroke, so that it will be the most deeply felt by the delinquent character, and also that it may best manifest the righteous hand of God, to both the delinquent party himself, and also to others. Nebuchadnezzar could therefore go on for a full year apparently secure in his sin, for it was only “at the end of twelve months” that the time and circumstances were right for the stroke to fall. Only then, while he walked in his pride in his palace, saying, “Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house

of the kingdom, by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty?”—-only then did the stroke fall upon him, but it fell suddenly, “While the word was in the king’s mouth.” (Dan. 4:30-31). While we, therefore, may wonder that he does not take up the rod of correction, the Lord stands by and allows his delinquent child to go on month after month, mixing more and more of the bitter cup of which he must drink at the last. And the Lord may permit him to mix a full cup ere he pours it out, that he may be the more thoroughly corrected when the stroke at length falls.

So it happened to David. David committed a great sin, and sinned more in covering his sin than he had in committing it. And yet month after month passed away, and he who has said, “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten,” neither rebuked nor chastened him. God, it seemed, was oblivious to his devious way, and he was secure in his sin. Uriah was put out of the way, and Bath-sheba secured to his own bosom. Their ill-begotten child was born to grace their home, and David was no doubt hardened, puffed up, and infatuated, perhaps even supposing that the blessing of God rested upon his illicit way. “But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord,” and the stroke of his rod, though long delayed, was nevertheless sure, and neither David’s repentance, nor his fasting and crying to God, could prevent it. The child must die.

But there were yet heavier strokes than this in store for David, and these were not to fall until years afterwards. Many of the strokes of the rod of God are designed for other purposes than to turn the sinner from his evil way. Men may not sin with impunity. They may not sin today, repent tomorrow, and go scot free. Though they have turned indeed from their evil way, they must yet feel the rod of God—-and often years later. The prophet Nathan, sent to David to pronounce the judgement against him, said, “Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house.” “I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house.” “The child also that is born unto thee shall surely die.” The one stroke fell upon him immediately, but the other did not come until years afterwards—-evidently more than ten years.1 After all of David’s deep and true repentance, after all of his penitential tears, and after years of quiet and peaceable walking with God, then these heavy strokes must fall upon him. This was not to turn him from his sin. That was done long ago. And long ago also the prophet had assured him, “The Lord also hath put away thy sin: thou shalt not die.” (II Sam. 12:13). He was long turned from his sin, and his sin was long forgiven, and yet he must feel the rod for it, though he felt no strokes at all while he continued in the sin.

This may all seem strange—-as strange to us that the rod must fall upon him years after his repentance, as that it did not fall while he walked in the sin. Yet such is the actual way of God. As longsuffering as he is, as slow to anger and as reluctant to smite as he is, yet he will show himself righteous, and that openly and publicly, so that he says to David, “For thou didst it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun.” (II Sam. 12:12). And in the New Testament, “and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts. And I will give unto every one of you according to your works.” (Rev. 2:23). All of us must say one day or other, “As I have done, so God hath requited me” (Judges 1:7), though the stroke may be very long in coming. As I mete, so it will be measured back to me. God secures this, and brings it about. Long after all of David’s bitter tears and sincere and thorough repentance, God laid these heavy strokes upon his back. “He will prove to every spectator,” says C. H. Mackintosh, “that He has no fellowship with evil, by the judgment which He executes in the midst of His people. Nothing could avail to wipe off the stain which had been cast upon the truth of God but the public judgment of the transgressor.”2

Yet how little men think, when they wrong others, what a bitter brew they are stirring for themselves. As we have said before, there is congruity in the judgements of God. He fits the stroke of the rod to the character of the sin. But it is more than congruity. There is an awful equity in the strokes of the rod of God. Haman must hang on the gallows which he had built for Mordecai. “He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity. He that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword.” (Rev. 13:10). “Whoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein, and he that rolleth a stone, it will return upon him.” (Prov. 26:27). “He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.” (Job 5:13). “Whoso causeth the righteous to go astray in an evil way, he shall fall himself into his own pit.” (Prov. 28:10). He that judges his brother shall be judged himself. He that slanders his neighbor shall be slandered himself. He that has separated best friends shall have his own friendship destroyed, but God shall delay the stroke until he rests happy in the sweetness of that friendship. Those who have raised clamors and sowed discord shall have all the same return into their own bosom, but God shall wait till he finds them secure and comfortable ere he stirs their nest. Those who have destroyed the labors of others shall see their own labors destroyed, but the Lord shall allow them to labor on a while, so that they may the more deeply feel the stroke when it falls. The stroke of God may be long preparing. It may come only “at the end of twelve months.” Nay, it may not come till the end of twelve years. But though long delayed, it is sure, and it will be surely felt when it falls.

Glenn Conjurske