Sunday 31 December 2017

Slow to anger

The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the LORD hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet. – Nahum 1.3

Nahum writes to the people of Ninevah. About 100 years before Jonah had reluctantly preached to Ninevah and the city had turned to God. Now, just a century later they had returned to their sin. They did not carry on with the reforms that came about. Now the delayed judgement would come.

At the very beginning of Nahum’s message he addresses the issue.

The Lord is slow to anger, He is great in power, but He will judge sin. I can’t imagine a world when evil never got judged. While man’s justice is not always right, God’s is.

But as He showed to Ninevah He is slow to anger and slow to judge. It is not His will that any should perish for their sin. He wants everyone to be saved.

Ninevah though had ignored God for too long. Their short loved revival sputtered and died, but God gave them 100 years to get back on track and they just got worse and worse. Judgement was coming.

But God had been patient. He is slow to wrath. He doesn’t act on impulse. His love and His justice balance.

We live in a world where we ought to be thankful that God is slow to anger. A world rejects Him but He waits and gives the world every chance to turn to Him. But He is great in power, and sin must be dealt with. Today is indeed the day of salvation.

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