The fact that God serves us this meal after all that we have done to Him is a testimony to His patience with us. Exodus 34:6 calls Him “long-suffering.” And this is a translation of a Hebrew idiom, “The Long Nose of God.” When man or beast gets irritated, the nostrils often flare making the nose appear shortened. So God’s long nose means He bares patiently with all of our shenanigans. There we were fooling around, acting in a manner worthy of being cast into the outer darkness. And here He is welcoming us to life’s banquet.

As you eat and drink at the table of the Long-nosed God, follow Him. Ask Him to grow your short fuse. He will. And He will do this by sending you people to test the length of that fuse. When those people come knocking at your door, do as your Lord has done. That is, do not merely attempt to endure their presence. But feed them. Pour them a glass of wine. Raise a glass with them to the bond of peace, the one sealed in the blood of the Lamb. So come in faith and welcome to Jesus Christ.