Nahum 1:2
The Lord is a jealous and avenging God;
the Lord is avenging and wrathful;
the Lord takes vengeance on his adversaries
and keeps wrath for his enemies.
Truth: God's wrath is a holy part of His Character
When the world speaks of "God" they often speak that He is the "God of love" and "mercy." God, they say, would never allow anything bad to happen to man and that when bad happens it either proves there is no God, or God is weak and can't stop the evil from happening. Or, they think and scream that God is "unfair." However, the above verse states an opposite view of God that the world does not want to confess. God, who indeed is a God of love (1 John 4:16), is also the God of wrath and is jealous for the worship due Him. When mankind (as witnessed by the city of Nineveh in this book) rejects God's grace and mercy and does not honor God with their heartfelt worship, God WILL avenge that lack of worship and WILL bring His holy wrath on mankind. Nineveh had heard the message of God's mercy and grace 100 years earlier through the prophet Jonah. They repented and worshipped God. But, years later they rejected the grace of God and exchanged it for worship of self and idols, representing creation rather than the Creator. God is the God of Love and the God of Justice and Wrath. His mercy flows along the same river as His wrath. When we worship God we ought to sing praises to His love as much as His wrath and vengeance on those who reject His character and His plans. God is the God of wrath ... in complete harmony with His love and mercy.
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