July 19, 2021 -- Proverbs 25:15 -- How long is your nose?

With patience a ruler may be persuaded,
and a soft tongue will break a bone.
Proverbs 25:15 English Standard Version

In the Hebrew language “long of nose” expresses our word patience. When you have a long nose, even simple daily task become complicated. Think of a cartoonish exaggeration, like Pinocchio, who after telling a lie tries pulling on a sweater. If he is not careful, his long nose would get all tangled up in it. Or think of Pinocchio in a big crowd of people if he turns his head sharply or quickly, he’d poke someone in the eye. To be long of nose requires someone to be patient at a task or activity.

We also read: “A brother offended is more unyielding than a strong city, and quarreling is like the bars of a castle” Proverbs 18:19 ESV. A ruler and an offended brother—both require great patience in order to pave the way for conversation and healing.

What can open the heart? The fruit of the Spirit is: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control—you can see how the Spirit of God prompts a Christian man to become long of nose. When an intractable ruler or an offended brother is before you, the correct response is not to dig in and perpetuate the quarrel, it is to answer with a soft tongue, healing words, finding opportunities for reconciliation and peace-making.

Notice that a soft tongue—one which carries kind words, humility and love—can break a bone. Literally it means can break strength. The strength of a quarrel and the barred castle of a man’s heart, these can be broken by the person who wields kind words. How is this even possible? It is Jesus Christ Who brings us from hard-heartedness to the foot of the cross, where our great sins are set alongside the great sins of those who have offended and wounded us. And there at the cross, upon the person of Jesus Christ, all our sins and all our shame and all our wickedness is punished. Jesus bore it all. The path of peace is found through the broken body of our Savior.

This is why His Name is forever blessed. This is why a brother can be firm and hardened against sin, while at the same time being long of nose with those who would oppose. It is interesting, God Himself is described as “long of nose” in Exodus 34:6. He is slow to anger—that is how He deals with us. Blessed be His Name—for where would we be if His anger burned in an instant? Blessed be God our Father—that His word and Spirit broke the strength of our stubborn rebellion against His Name and gave to us the blessedness of peace through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Who is a God like You, O LORD our God?! You pardon our iniquity and pass over our transgressions; You restrained Your anger until it was fully vented against our sins upon the Person of Jesus! Blessed Jesus, thank You for the wonderful reconciliation You brought about by Your sacrifice at the cross. Spirit of God, in view of the work of Jesus Christ, make each one of us long of nose and filled with the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Let the Word, the Living Word and the written word, take up residence in us and never leave. Amen.

https://youtu.be/QEF7IoQ3eUk

Copyright © 2021 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.