The Revelation of Jesus Christ: Chapter 28 - How Long?
By Horatius Bonar
"And they cried with a loud voice, saying--How long, O Lord, holy and true, do You not judge and avenge our blood on those who sell on the earth?"--Revelation 6:10.
The words 'How long?' occur frequently in Scripture, and are spoken in various ways--
(1) As from man to man;
(2) as from man to God;
(3) as from God to man.
I. The passages in which the words are between man and man may be briefly noticed. They are such as, Job 8:2, 'How long will you speak these words?' 19:2, "How long will you vex my soul?' Psalm 4:2, 'How long will you turn my glory to shame?' 63:3, 'How long will you imagine mischief against a man?' They are the complaint of the troubled against his troublers, and of the righteous against the wicked. Strange interchange of words between man and man! But we do not dwell on this. We come to the other two, in their order.
II. The words as from man to God. Looking up to God, man breathes the deep-drawn sigh, 'How long?' Let me note the chief passages--Psalm 6:3, 'My soul is sore vexed--but You, O Lord, how long?' Psalm 13:1, 'How long will You forget me, and hide Your face? How long shall I take counsel in my soul, and sorrow in my heart? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?' Psalm 35:17, 'How long will you look on?' Psalm 64:10, 'How long shall the adversary reproach?' Psalm 79:5, 'How long will You be angry?' Psalm 89:46, 'How long will You hide Yourself?' Psalm 90:13, 'Return, O Lord, how long?' Psalm 94:3-4, 'How long shall the wicked triumph?' Habakkuk 1:2, 'How long shall I cry?' Revelation 6:10, 'How long, O Lord, do You not judge and avenge our blood?' These are the chief passages in which the expression occurs. Instead of dwelling on each of these in succession, let me thus sum up and classify their different meanings. It is the language of--
