Yahweh's Wrath

December 16

Nahum 1

Psalm 142

Proverbs 29:26-27

Revelation 10

Yahweh’s Wrath

“Yahweh is slow to anger and great in power, and Yahweh will by no means leave the guilty unpunished.  In whirlwind and storm is His way, and clouds are the dust beneath His feet.…Mountains quake because of Him, and the hills melt; indeed the Earth is upheaved by His presence, the world and all the inhabitants in it.  Who can stand before His indignation?  Who can endure the burning of His anger?  His wrath is poured out like fire, and the rocks are torn down by Him.  Yahweh is good, a strong defense in the day of distress, and He knows those who take refuge in Him.”  Nahum 1:3, 5-7 LSB

It is fitting that we read this passage in Nahum as we are reading Revelation.  It is not popular to talk about God’s wrath in churches today. It is much more common to hear about God’s love, mercy, grace and acceptance.  During the Great Awakening in the 1700’s preachers like Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield preached hellfire and brimstone messages filled with dramatic images of the torment of Hell to emphasize the consequences of sin.  They gave very clear descriptions of the wrath of God and explained vividly the fate of those who rejected God. They did not, however, do a good job of pointing out God’s love and mercy.  Unfortunately, both approaches are incomplete.   Ignoring God’s wrath does not provide an accurate explanation for our need for a Savior.  If we do not understand God’s righteousness and holiness that cannot tolerate sin and evil, we won’t be able to accurately evaluate our depravity and the reality of our situation.  Likewise, ignoring God’s love and mercy does not provide an accurate explanation for why He willingly offered to sacrifice Himself on our behalf.  God is holy, righteous and just.  He cannot let sin go unpunished.  If He ignored or tolerated sin, He would cease to be holy and pure.  God is also love and His mercy and grace compelled Him to provide the solution for us.  Sin must be punished, so He provided His one and only, perfect, unblemished Son to take the punishment in our place.  Jesus paid the debt once for all who would believe and accept Him. 

There is coming a time when God will unleash His wrath on the Earth.  Those who believe in Him and accept Him as Lord and Savior will be taken to Heaven before that happens. 1 Thessalonians 5:9 clearly explains, “For God has not appointed us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.” LSB  Romans 5:9 says, “Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.” LSB   This passage in Nahum describes His wrath and makes it clear that “no one can stand before His indignation” or “endure the burning of His anger.”  “Mountains quake because of Him and hills melt.”  “His wrath is poured out like fire and the rocks are torn down by Him.”  But Nahum went on to explain that God is a strong defense to those who take refuge in Him.  Those who believe in Him and trust Him do not have to fear His wrath because He will protect us in that day.  We will not experience His wrath because we are covered by the righteousness of Jesus.