Justice and Mercy Met on the Cross
I am going to be straight up with you friends…the minor prophets have not been high on my reading list. I admit it – I have not even read most of them, much less studied them.
But this is where our Sunday School lessons are going for the next couple of months…so I am diving into the likes of Nahum, Zephaniah, Haggai, etc…I am definitely using my Bible’s table contents to find them too. 🙂
Minor because of their length, not because of their importance, these short books found at the end of the Old Testament provide some eye-opening insight into God’s character.
The oracle of Nahum reveals some marvelous things about God’s mercy, but it also reveals that God was about to whip up on the wicked city of Ninevah and bring severe judgment…so severe that their hearts were melting and knees were knocking in fear. Here are some things I learned about God in just the first chapter.
He is Jealous (for us, not of us)
Avenging and wrathful on His enemies
Slow to anger and great in power
Does not leave the guilty unpunished
He is good
He is a stronghold in the day of trouble
Examining the list may lead us to think God has a split personality. I mean how can God be good and wrathful? As humans we tend to take one of two extremes in our opinions of Him.
Some people see only the vengeful, wrathful side of God…like He is just waiting to whack us with a hammer when we get out of line – kind of like the whack-a-mole game at Chuckie Cheese. Some people see only the loving, merciful side of God and choose to ignore any of His just qualities.
But God is the Great I AM. Regardless of our opinion of Him, He has a perfect balance of justice and mercy. Our problem is we view God through human eyes and assign Him human characteristics. But God is God, regardless of our opinion of Him.
I personally take comfort in knowing God is perfectly just and perfectly full of grace. Look at who He is vengeful and wrathful toward…His enemies, not His children. Romans 12:19 says, “Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord.”
[ctt tweet=”Just when you think evil has gone unpunished, God swoops in and makes things right. http://ctt.ec/Gx0a2+” coverup=”Gx0a2″]
Maybe someone hurt you or one of your children, and they never suffered any consequence from their actions…God is Your avenger. You may never see it happen, but rest assured “the LORD takes vengeance on His adversaries”. Nahum 1:2.
Imagine God’s justice and mercy on a set of scales. If there is no justice to balance His mercy, then the horrible things done by horrible people will go unpunished. On the other hand, if there is no mercy to balance His justice, we would live in fear of God always. That is not the relationship He wants to have with His children.
In the same short book of Nahum where God was breathing out swift and sure justice for the wicked city of Ninevah, He was also speaking encouragement and hope to His own children who were oppressed by Ninevah.
“Behold on the mountains the feet of him who brings good news, who announces PEACE!…For never again will the wicked one pass through you; He is cut off completely.” Nahum 1:15
Don’t fret because you do not completely understand this dual nature of God. Take comfort in the fact that God cannot and will not overlook sin because of His justice, but in His mercy, He provided a way of escape!
“For the wages of sin is death [justice], but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus [mercy]. Romans 6:23
[ctt tweet=”Justice and mercy met on the cross. http://ctt.ec/gaeYd+” coverup=”gaeYd”]
