“The oracle of Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.” Nahum 1:1
As I read through Nahum this morning, I was struck by the contrast. It depicts a God of Judgement: “The Lord is avenging and wrathful”, “Who can stand before His indignation? Who can endure the burning of His anger?”, “But with an overflowing flood He will make a complete end of its site, and will pursue His enemies into darkness.” It also depicts a God of Love: “The Lord is slow to anger”, “The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble, and He knows those who take refuge in Him”, and “Behold, on the mountains the feet of him who brings good news, who announces peace!”.
For many, this is not the same God. They cannot reconcile the two. They think this God of the Old Testament, the Wrathful and Angry God, is not the same as the God of the New Testament. That somehow He has changed. Nope! Not True!!! Malachi reminds us “For I, the Lord, do not change”.
What we see here in Nahum is a God who is Angry with Sinners and will bring Judgement upon them. And,…we see a God who has a People that He has forgiven and loves. In the Old Testament, those People were the Jews. In the New, they are those who have repented and believed in Christ. That, and that only, is the reason for the contrast; and One Day, ALL PEOPLE will discover its reality!