Nahum 1

Yesterday's sermon was shared from the book of Nahum, a book that, admittedly, I couldn't even find and had most likely never read. Since yesterday, I really haven't been able to get the images of Nahum out of my head. It's such a beautiful picture of God, but is blends seemingly opposite ideals (vengeance and refuge? jealous and loving? fierce anger and care?). Here it is in a nutshell...

Chapter 1, verse 2 starts out and says:
"The LORD is a jealous and avenging God;

the LORD takes vengeance and is filled with wrath.
The LORD takes vengeance on his foes
and maintains his wrath against his enemies."

Woah. That is serious business. This isn't the only place that notes God's jealousness. Exodus 34:14 says, "Do not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God." ...whose name is Jealous...? God offers up a nickname for Himself. But why is He so jealous? The answer is simply that He loves us. And this is reflected in how we operate as humans as well. Think about it. As a toddler, if you love a toy, and someone else plays with it, you want it back. As an adult, if you have a significant other and someone calls them or spends time with them, you want to keep them for yourself. Our human nature often lets this emotion go unchecked and get out of control, but God doesn't lose control. But He does want to keep us for Himself. He doesn't want us to choose evil over Him. So, He "takes veneance on his foes and...wrath against his enemies."

But He doesn't lose control. Verse 3 says,
"The LORD is slow to anger and great in power..."

Aren't we blessed that God is slow to anger? If He wasn't, we'd be dead. That would be it. Adam and Eve sinned, and life would have been over. And even if it would have continued, no one would make it too long before we were smited off the earth. Thank you, Lord, for being slow to anger.

Verse 3 and onward then starts to give us a visual image of God's power:
"His way is in the whirlwind and the storm,
and clouds are the dust of his feet.
He rebukes the sea and dries it up;
he makes all the rivers run dry...
The mountains quake before him
and the hills melt away.
The earth trembles at his presence,
the world and all who live in it...
His wrath is poured out like fire;
the rocks are shattered before him."

It's tricky to reconcile these ideas of power (tornadoes, storms, earthquakes, drought, fire) with love. But let's put this in some context. If you were Satan or any of his demon friends, and you heard this, you'd be a little shook up, right? Okay, you'd be running for your life. This is a message to evil - look out! God is this big, this powerful, and this mighty. When I was a little girl, this is how I thought of my dad. He could take on anyone that got in my way because he loved me. Where do you suppose kids get this idea? Our Father. That's how it relates to love. And thus, verse 7 reminds us:

"The LORD is good,
a refuge in times of trouble.
He cares for those who trust in him..."

Just take a minute and ponder how big God is...how much He loves us. He is jealous for me. He will fight for me. That's some big love.