“The LORD is slow to anger, yet great in power, and the LORD never leaves the guilty unpunished.”
(Nahum 1:3, NAB)
Few people have read from the Old Testament book of Nahum. For some, it reads too much like deep prophetic literature. For others, it is too dry an account of the sayings of the prophet. However, this book contains some valuable snippets of wisdom that God gave to Judah long ago. Those words of wisdom will even speak to you today!
At the time of the prophet Nahum, Assyria was a world power. The leaders of Assyria controlled neighboring nations, manipulated others, and threatened even more. Their armies were ferocious in battle and seldom defeated. When the Assyrian leaders dealt with Judah, they treated the country as if it were a slave state. They demanded compensations that were more like extortion. They expected Judah to side with them in battle, especially against the likes of Egypt. They made other demands as well. At one point under the prophet Jonah, the Ninevites of Assyria were slated by God for great punishment. Wisely, they repented of their evil deeds. However, a little over a century later when Nahum was a leading prophet of Judah, the Assyrian leaders in Nineveh were back to their evil intentions. The people of Judah were getting tired of being pillaged and plundered by the likes of Assyria. They cried out to God for help and retribution against Assyria. God heard their cries. Through the prophet Nahum, God told the people how “the Lord is slow to anger” but “never leaves the guilty go unpunished…” (Nahum 1:3). Punishment was coming for Assyria. God was going to accomplish it.
There are people and groups and nations that think that they can badger and steal and lie and trample upon the lives of others. Many are under the impression that there is no God who can strike back at them for their evil deeds. How wrong they are. They may run under the radar, hide behind dirty business deals, or manipulate the truth… but God knows. And God will be coming for them. Because, as the scripture for today states outright, “The Lord NEVER leaves the guilty unpunished”.
In the meditational book, Embracing Eternity, the authors looked at Nahum 1:3 and had this to convey:
“LIFE DOESN’T ALWAYS seem fair. There are times when it seems like some people get away with anything and everything. They’ve learned how to work the system, so they cheat and steal and lie and never seem to get caught.
Our family lost a great deal of money to such a person just a few years ago. We invested in a man’s company only to find out a short time later that his entire business was a scam. Without warning, his doors closed, and the money suddenly disappeared. Along with hundreds of other investors, we were left in shock, wondering how it could have happened. The man was brought under investigation, and within weeks his fraud became apparent, yet there was little we could do. Even the courts seemed helpless against his evasive tactics. Throughout the whole legal process, he lived like a king, though his lawyers claimed he had no income and no net worth. He bought new cars, threw parties for his friends in his million-dollar home, and took his family on cruises. All the while we saw decent people, who had lost much of their retirement to his sham, struggle daily just to pay their bills. Nothing about it seemed fair.
At times like these we wonder, Why doesn’t God do something about it? We know he could, yet he lets it go on.
And what was Nahum’s message? That God may be slow to anger, but he always settles accounts. The wicked may have their day, but God will have the final word. And when he does, his judgment will be decisive and severe.
That’s a comforting thought to those who try hard to stay in God’s will and do the right thing. To those of us who daily try to please God by having an obedient spirit and a contrite heart but who seem to get trampled on by the evil Assyrians of the world. But to those who cheat and steal and lie—those who live like they can’t get caught—it’s a sobering bit of truth to assimilate.” (Tim LaHaye, p. 219)
If you are one who has done wrong, know that God’s judgment is coming for you. If you have truly repented of any evil deed and are forgiven, you are greatly blessed. God’s wrath has been averted. You can count of God being fair in HIS dealings. You can be sure that God will balance all accounts in one way or another. The innocent will be blessed. The guilty will be punished. The righteous will see heaven. The evil will see hell. Your job is not to play God in determining what should be done. God will make it right if you know what I mean!
At the time of the prophet Nahum, Assyria was a world power. The leaders of Assyria controlled neighboring nations, manipulated others, and threatened even more. Their armies were ferocious in battle and seldom defeated. When the Assyrian leaders dealt with Judah, they treated the country as if it were a slave state. They demanded compensations that were more like extortion. They expected Judah to side with them in battle, especially against the likes of Egypt. They made other demands as well. At one point under the prophet Jonah, the Ninevites of Assyria were slated by God for great punishment. Wisely, they repented of their evil deeds. However, a little over a century later when Nahum was a leading prophet of Judah, the Assyrian leaders in Nineveh were back to their evil intentions. The people of Judah were getting tired of being pillaged and plundered by the likes of Assyria. They cried out to God for help and retribution against Assyria. God heard their cries. Through the prophet Nahum, God told the people how “the Lord is slow to anger” but “never leaves the guilty go unpunished…” (Nahum 1:3). Punishment was coming for Assyria. God was going to accomplish it.
There are people and groups and nations that think that they can badger and steal and lie and trample upon the lives of others. Many are under the impression that there is no God who can strike back at them for their evil deeds. How wrong they are. They may run under the radar, hide behind dirty business deals, or manipulate the truth… but God knows. And God will be coming for them. Because, as the scripture for today states outright, “The Lord NEVER leaves the guilty unpunished”.
In the meditational book, Embracing Eternity, the authors looked at Nahum 1:3 and had this to convey:
“LIFE DOESN’T ALWAYS seem fair. There are times when it seems like some people get away with anything and everything. They’ve learned how to work the system, so they cheat and steal and lie and never seem to get caught.
Our family lost a great deal of money to such a person just a few years ago. We invested in a man’s company only to find out a short time later that his entire business was a scam. Without warning, his doors closed, and the money suddenly disappeared. Along with hundreds of other investors, we were left in shock, wondering how it could have happened. The man was brought under investigation, and within weeks his fraud became apparent, yet there was little we could do. Even the courts seemed helpless against his evasive tactics. Throughout the whole legal process, he lived like a king, though his lawyers claimed he had no income and no net worth. He bought new cars, threw parties for his friends in his million-dollar home, and took his family on cruises. All the while we saw decent people, who had lost much of their retirement to his sham, struggle daily just to pay their bills. Nothing about it seemed fair.
At times like these we wonder, Why doesn’t God do something about it? We know he could, yet he lets it go on.
And what was Nahum’s message? That God may be slow to anger, but he always settles accounts. The wicked may have their day, but God will have the final word. And when he does, his judgment will be decisive and severe.
That’s a comforting thought to those who try hard to stay in God’s will and do the right thing. To those of us who daily try to please God by having an obedient spirit and a contrite heart but who seem to get trampled on by the evil Assyrians of the world. But to those who cheat and steal and lie—those who live like they can’t get caught—it’s a sobering bit of truth to assimilate.” (Tim LaHaye, p. 219)
If you are one who has done wrong, know that God’s judgment is coming for you. If you have truly repented of any evil deed and are forgiven, you are greatly blessed. God’s wrath has been averted. You can count of God being fair in HIS dealings. You can be sure that God will balance all accounts in one way or another. The innocent will be blessed. The guilty will be punished. The righteous will see heaven. The evil will see hell. Your job is not to play God in determining what should be done. God will make it right if you know what I mean!