"The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, and the Lord will by no means leave the guilty unpunished" (Nahum 1:3). In this verse, we see the profound truth that God is both just and merciful.
God's justice is an essential aspect of His character. He is holy and righteous, and He cannot allow sin to go unpunished. The people of Nineveh had engaged in wickedness and oppression, and God's justice demanded accountability for their actions. Yet, alongside His justice, God also extended them His mercy.
We saw this last week, in the book of Jonah, where the entire city of Nineveh responded to his message of coming judgment with humble repentance. As a result God forgave them and spared the city. 100 years later though Nahum is once again declaring God's righteous judgment upon the city of Nineveh. They had backslidden since the days of Jonah and now were once again in the crosshairs of divine judgment.
Once again God demonstrates patience and offers them an opportunity to repent. In His mercy, He extends a warning through Nahum, giving them a chance to turn back to Him and escape judgment. But God's mercy is always just. This time Nineveh refused to repent and was completely destroyed within 50 years, never to rise again.
Jesus is the ultimate expression of God's justice and mercy. Through His death on the cross, Jesus took the punishment of all our sins, thereby satisfying God's justice. In His mercy, He offers forgiveness and salvation to all who believe in Him. The cross is the intersection where justice and mercy perfectly meet.
But we must never forget that God’s mercy is always just. If we refuse to repent of our sin and change our ways, we will forfeit God’s forgiveness.
May we never take God's mercy for granted, but rather, let’s respond with repentance, gratitude, and walk in humble obedience today.
God's justice is an essential aspect of His character. He is holy and righteous, and He cannot allow sin to go unpunished. The people of Nineveh had engaged in wickedness and oppression, and God's justice demanded accountability for their actions. Yet, alongside His justice, God also extended them His mercy.
We saw this last week, in the book of Jonah, where the entire city of Nineveh responded to his message of coming judgment with humble repentance. As a result God forgave them and spared the city. 100 years later though Nahum is once again declaring God's righteous judgment upon the city of Nineveh. They had backslidden since the days of Jonah and now were once again in the crosshairs of divine judgment.
Once again God demonstrates patience and offers them an opportunity to repent. In His mercy, He extends a warning through Nahum, giving them a chance to turn back to Him and escape judgment. But God's mercy is always just. This time Nineveh refused to repent and was completely destroyed within 50 years, never to rise again.
Jesus is the ultimate expression of God's justice and mercy. Through His death on the cross, Jesus took the punishment of all our sins, thereby satisfying God's justice. In His mercy, He offers forgiveness and salvation to all who believe in Him. The cross is the intersection where justice and mercy perfectly meet.
But we must never forget that God’s mercy is always just. If we refuse to repent of our sin and change our ways, we will forfeit God’s forgiveness.
May we never take God's mercy for granted, but rather, let’s respond with repentance, gratitude, and walk in humble obedience today.
Posted in devo