SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 12/17/2025 10:30
AM
My
Worship
Time Focus: PT-3 “The God of Inevitable
Vengeance”
Bible
Reading & Meditation Reference: Nahum 1:2-3a
Message
of the verses:
Aleph
A
jealous and avenging God is Yahweh
Yahweh
is avenging and wrathful.
Yahweh
is avenging against His adversaries,
And He
keeps His anger For His enemies.
Yahweh
is slow to anger and great in power,
And
Yahweh will by no means leave the guilty unpunished.
“2
God is jealous, and the LORD revengeth; the LORD revengeth
and is furious; the LORD will take vengeance on his
adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies.
3 The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power,
and will not at all acquit the wicked:” (KJV)
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This
morning I begin with John MacArthur 2nd point from his commentary
on the verses from above. “Second, the
Lord’s vengeance would be inescapable as Yahweh is avenging against His
adversaries. Though in the days of
Jonah God had declared that Nineveh was a great city to Him and had shown the
people mercy (cf. Jonah 3:2, 10) in the days of Nahum the city had become God’s
enemy.” “2 Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and
preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee.” “10 And God saw their works, that they turned from
their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would
do unto them; and he did it not.”
“The Ninevites, by attacking and oppressing the people of God,
proved to be His adversaries. In
declaring them as such, the Lord pronounced that He was determined to unleash
His wrath against them. He would not
relent against those who refused to submit to Him and who persisted in their
wickedness (cf. Exodus 23:22; Numbers 24:8; Luke 19:27). “22 But if thou shalt indeed obey his voice, and
do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an
adversary unto thine adversaries.” “8 God brought him forth out of Egypt; he hath
as it were the strength of an unicorn: he shall eat up the nations his
enemies, and shall break their bones, and pierce them through with his
arrows.” “27 But those mine enemies,
which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them
before me.” Third,
Yahweh’s vengeance would be inevitable as He keeps His anger for
His enemies. To keep something is
to watch over and guard it (cf. Song 1:6; Lev. 19:18).” “6 Look not upon me, because I am black,
because the sun hath looked upon me: my mother’s children were angry with me;
they made me the keeper of the vineyards; but mine own vineyard have I
not kept.” “18 Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge
against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbor as
thyself: I am the LORD.” “In such a manner, God maintained and
upheld His displeasure against His foes.
The people of God recognized this, often asking whether He would keep
His anger forever (cf. Psalm 79:5; 85:5; 103:9; Jer. 2:5, 12). “5 How long, LORD? wilt thou be angry for ever?
shall thy jealousy burn like fire?” “5
¶ And the heavens shall praise thy wonders, O LORD: thy faithfulness also in
the congregation of the saints.” “9 He will not always chide: neither will he
keep his anger forever.” “5 Will he reserve his anger forever?
will he keep it to the end? Behold, thou hast spoken and done evil
things as thou couldest.” “12 Go and
proclaim these words toward the north, and say, Return, thou backsliding
Israel, saith the LORD; and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon
you: for I am merciful, saith the LORD, and I will not keep anger
forever.” “In the case of Nineveh,
Nahum proclaimed that God would not allow His intense wrath to rest until His
vengeance was satisfied.” “Having
expounded on divine vengeance, Nahum also asserted that Yahweh is slow to
anger and great in power. Israel
knew that Yahweh, their loving and covenant-keeping God, is slow to anger. They had experienced His patience and
forbearance many times throughout their history. In spite of their idolatry and rebellion in
the wilderness (e. g. Exodus 32:34:6-8; Num. 16:21:25) and their numerous
sins in the Promised Land (e.g. Judges 3:15; 4:23; 1 Kings 11:11-13),
the Lord had shown Israel mercy and
longsuffering. The city of Nineveh had
also experienced the patience of God when Yahweh previously spared its
inhabitants. Jonah himself recognized
the reality, saying ‘I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God,
slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness’ (Jonah 4:2). Yet in contrast to what Nineveh saw in
Jonah’s day, Nahum pointed out that God is not only great in patience but
that He is also great in power. When
the Lord does bring the wicked to justice, He wields infinite power, with
which He subjugates every form of resistance.
Therefore, being both righteous and omnipotent, Yahweh will by no
means leave the guilty unpunished.
He never turns a blind eye to sin (cf. Ps. 7:11; Isa. 59:12-15). Rather, as Nahum proclaimed to both Israel
and Nineveh, the Lord will certainly judge every form of rebellion and
wickedness (cf. Rom.
2:5; Rev. 21:8).” Now what I am now going to do is just quote
those verses that I have highlighted in yellow above. “11 God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with
the wicked every day.” “12 For our transgressions are multiplied before
thee, and our sins testify against us: for our transgressions are with
us; and as for our iniquities, we know them; 13 In transgressing and lying against the LORD,
and departing away from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving
and uttering from the heart words of falsehood. 14 And judgment is turned away backward, and
justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity
cannot enter. 15 Yea, truth failed;
and he that departed from evil maketh himself a prey: and the LORD saw
it, and it displeased him that there was no judgment.” “5 But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasures
up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the
righteous judgment of God;” “8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the
abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters,
and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and
brimstone: which is the second death.” Spiritual
Meaning for my Life Today: The Lord wants all of His
children to follow what He has stated in His Word, even when it is difficult
at times. My
Steps of Faith for Today: I want to ask and allow the
Spirit of God to lead me surely in the difficult times that are facing me,
especially my wife in this season of our lives. 12/17/2025
11:15 AM |
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