Slow to Anger, Great in Power: Part Two

Those who presume on the God’s love, in order to justify their sin, are like a cruel child poking a leashed Rottweiler with a long stick. They assume that since the dog is tethered, that it cannot actually do anything about the child’s irritating and cruel behavior. Perhaps the dog, is merely irritated at first, and slowly wakes from his afternoon sleep. The child is merely prodding at first; but in a desire to provoke some sort of reaction the child continues to poke, harder and harder. He assumes that while the angry dog might make growl and bark, that that is all he can do. He assumes wrongly.

Nahum’s warning is this: God is not tethered. Yes, he does not desire to punish; but do not assume he cannot or will not. Do not poke and prod God, assuming that he can only make a harmless fuss.

Sin is a poking and prodding of God. It is an offense to his perfect goodness. Then, the frightening fact is, we have poked and prodded God with our sin. Romans 3:10-18 provides us with our own indictment:

as it is written: "'None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.' 'Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.' 'The venom of asps is under their lips.' 'Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.' 'Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known.' 'There is no fear of God before their eyes.'"    

We are a people who have either denied or defied God’s wrath; but praise be to God that he chose to pour out his wrath, not on us, deserving sinners, but onto his Son, Jesus Christ. It was Jesus who paid the penalty that was due for our sins. He bore the wrath we deserved.

“In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:10).

Therefore, for those who are in Christ, there is no fear of the Lord who is “great in power” (Nahum 1:3); rather, we rejoice! For his great power became the means of our redemption, our forgiveness. By his power, we are saved.