“Who can stand before his indignation? and who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? his fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by him”(Nahum 1:6).
TEXT — Nahum 1:1-6
Message
Sir Richard Baker (1568–1645), a renowned English historian and religious writer, was correct when he stated that “God’s anger, like the house that Samson pulled upon his own head, does not fall upon us unless we bring it upon ourselves through sin.”
The Ninevites of Prophet Nahum’s day demonstrated the truth in Sir Baker ’s observation. They brought the wrath of God upon themselves by provoking Him again with their egregious sins, especially their affliction of God’s people. About a hundred years earlier, Prophet Jonah was in this capital of the Assyrian empire to proclaim their imminent overthrow. They responded to Jonah’s preaching with sincere repentance, thereby averting divine wrath. With time, the Ninevites relapsed into wickedness and pride. The new generation of Ninevites distanced themselves from the contrition of their forebears. Their cup of iniquity was filled, and Prophet Nahum was saddled with the burden of announcing God’s justice and wrath against them in the most terrifying terms.
In this startling prophecy, we have a glimpse of the terrific power of God to deliver judgment, “upon every soul of man that doeth evil” as well as “glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good” (Romans 2:9,10). The Lord is jealous for His glory, “furious” and unsparing in the execution of His justice. Who can stand before the indignation or abide in the fierceness of the anger of God who has “his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet”? The sea, rivers, mountains, hills, indeed, the world and its contents, yield to His command!
Following these prophecies, Nineveh and the Assyrian Empire were conquered by the Medes and the Babylonians, vanishing away like vapour. The ruins of Nineveh stand as a monument of warning to every proud and rebellious person who nurses the vain notion that he can evade or resist the fierceness of God’s punishment. God is slow to anger because He gives every sinner a chance to repent. The Lord is ever patient but not forever.
Thought for the day
Taking God’s grace for granted is the riskiest venture
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
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