Scripture Text: Nahum 1:7-11
The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him. But with an overflowing flood he will make a complete end of the adversaries, and will pursue his enemies into darkness.
Nahum 1:7-8 (ESV)
When Elena Desserich was just five years old, doctors diagnosed her with pediatric brain cancer. Her parents didn’t tell her the news, but somehow she must have come to understand what was happening in the nine months before she died. After her passing in 2007, her parents and little sister found hundreds of her notes written on scraps of paper tucked in random corners all over the house. Elena loved to draw, and many of her notes featured purple hearts and the words, “I love you.” She had hidden them everywhere for her family to find.
Such incredible love in the heart of a dying child inspires awe. God’s love, the source and fountain of all human love, is awe–inspiring as well. In today’s reading, Nahum’s description of God’s character continues, this time focusing on His lovingkindness. He is good, a caring refuge for those who trust in Him (v. 7). This doesn’t mean He’s a pushover. He is just in His condemnation of Nineveh’s sin (vv. 8–10). And He is powerful—there is no escape from His judgment. To be enemies of the Lord is to be doomed. They will be burned up like stubble in a dry field. There is no way to resist His will. No plot can possibly succeed against His sovereign decree. Those who try will be caught in their own traps or made drunk by their own wine—that is, people will reap what they sow.
To be God’s enemy is synonymous with being wicked, leading to the opposite implication and conclusion that to be God’s friend is to pursue love and righteousness.
The identity of the “one” in verse 11 is uncertain. Some commentators think it was Sennacherib (1 Kings 19), while others speculate it might have been Ashurbanipal, the last great emperor of Assyria. In any case, Assyria had chosen the wrong “refuge” or stronghold, trusting in its military power above all. The city of Nineveh was well–known for its strong walls. These, however, were nothing compared to the strength and power of God. No refuge is perfectly secure except Him.
Many people know only one side of God’s dealings with the human race but not the other. They think that He is holy and wants only to punish us, or that He is merciful and wants only to show kindness. In truth, He is judge and refuge. Peter writes that Jesus “committed Himself to Him who judges righteously.” As a result, He “bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness.”
Reflect
1. How well do you know who God is and what He is?
2. Does it bring comfort or fear when we know that God is Holy and patiently kind?
3. Does it lead you to loving Him more, or fearing Him more, or both?
Remember
Reaping what one sows is a general moral principle God has built into the structure of the universe. This principle is not absolute, or we would all reap the penalty of death for our sins. God’s grace and mercy rescue and redeem us from normal processes of cause and effect, and getting what we deserve. Even so, we are not to presume upon His grace but rather we are to live as those who have been freed from slavery to sin.
Dear readers, let this be a source of joy and confidence in you that the whole truth about God is good news!
Read
Job 4:8; Psalms 9:9, 46:1, 59:16; 1 Peter 2:23-24; Romans 6:1-6, 23
Pray
Dear LORD, never let me underestimate You by seeing only one side of Your role in my life. Help me to enjoy Your love and kindness while recognizing how much You hate sin. This I pray in Your Son’s name, the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
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