By No Means

“The Lord is slow to anger and great in power,
    and the Lord will by no means clear the guilty.
His way is in whirlwind and storm,
    and the clouds are the dust of his feet.
He rebukes the sea and makes it dry;
    he dries up all the rivers;
Bashan and Carmel wither;
    the bloom of Lebanon withers.
The mountains quake before him;
    the hills melt;
the earth heaves before him,
    the world and all who dwell in it.

Who can stand before his indignation?
    Who can endure the heat of his anger?
His wrath is poured out like fire,
    and the rocks are broken into pieces by him.
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.
What do you plot against the Lord?
    He will make a complete end…

Behold, upon the mountains, the feet of him
    who brings good news,
    who publishes peace!” Nahum 1:3-9,15

Ninevah had repented and been spared God’s judgment under Jonah a century earlier, but once again had fallen to godlessness and brutality. They had destroyed the northern kingdom of Israel, and would soon fall themselves in judgment to Babylon. Nahum prophesies their impending destruction to a then-threatened, likely frightened Judah, asserting that by no means can the Lord God not be who He is nor betray His holy character. He saw and He knew all that transpired. He knew and pkept those who took refuge in Him. He is slow to anger and great in power- both to deliver and to destroy. His indignation and anger are unmatched forces, His rule of heaven and earth all-encompassing. His sovereign way in the whirlwind is terrifying, and majestic. This LORD is good, a Savior for the condemned, a stronghold for the saved.

Reminders of God’s perfect, measured, just judgment are meant to encourage those safe in Christ, and sober those who are not. By no means does the Lord clear the guilty, but in mercy He has made a way for them to be counted righteous. In grace, He redeems the believing and does not treat us as our sins deserve. By the measureless love of Christ, He removes them as far as the east is from the west. Our response, our filter for every decision, should be continual, humbled gratitude. (Exodus 34:7; Numbers 14:18; Psalm 103:6-14)

Do we make light of the Lord’s sure judgment? The world does, diminishing any perception of Christ’s supremacy through caustic media and immoral entertainment. Godless culture ignores the concept of divine accountability, intent on living for today and medicating regrets and shame.

In what ways do we succumb to pressures around us and try to evade the reality of facing God? How responsibly do we train those in our care to revere Him? What situations tempt us to put off repentance, and how will we change that landscape? (2 Corinthians 5:10; Hebrews 9:27; 1 John 3:2-3)

As surely as the Lord loves, He judges. His conviction is a gift to heed because He knows we flourish when growing in righteousness. By no means will He fail in faithfulness.

Lord, help me take You seriously in all You are and say.