God of Justice
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Intro: To protect and serve. That is a common description of the mission of a police department. I have heard it said that if you are not doing anything wrong, you don’t have anything to fear from the police. I suppose, that if police are honest and true that is generally the truth. Yet, the opposite is true, if you are doing wrong, you have reason to fear the police. In fact, most of the time protecting means that the police are working to keep the law-abiding citizen safe from those who are breaking the law. Whether that means pulling over and ticketing speeders on the roadways, or finding those who are stealing, committing domestic abuse and even the perpetrators of violent crimes. There are also times when the police do acts of service. Rescuing people from dangerous situations. Looking for needs in communities where they serve, and finding ways to meet those needs; from ride-alongs for at risk youth in communities known for problems, or shop with a cop for under privileged children.
The prophet Nahum is writing a message of warning to the nation of Assyria, and its capital, Nineveh. And he doesn’t worry about that the readers of his prophecy might be offended by the violent nature of the message. Before he gets to the warning, he offers a description of who God is. It is to this description of God, who in many ways sounds like a cosmic policeman, that we turn our attention this morning. We are going to read from Nahum chapter 1. (Nahum 1:1 - 11)
The oracle of Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.
A jealous and avenging God is the Lord; The Lord is avenging and wrathful. The Lord takes vengeance on His adversaries, And He reserves wrath for His enemies.
The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, And the Lord will by no means leave the guilty unpunished. In whirlwind and storm is His way, And clouds are the dust beneath His feet.
He rebukes the sea and makes it dry; He dries up all the rivers. Bashan and Carmel wither; The blossoms of Lebanon wither.
Mountains quake because of Him And the hills dissolve; Indeed the earth is upheaved by His presence, The world and all the inhabitants in it.
Who can stand before His indignation? Who can endure the burning of His anger? His wrath is poured out like fire And the rocks are broken up by Him.
The Lord is good, A stronghold in the day of trouble, And He knows those who take refuge in Him.
But with an overflowing flood He will make a complete end of its site, And will pursue His enemies into darkness.
Whatever you devise against the Lord, He will make a complete end of it. Distress will not rise up twice.
Like tangled thorns, And like those who are drunken with their drink, They are consumed As stubble completely withered.
From you has gone forth One who plotted evil against the Lord, A wicked counselor.
T. Longman observes that only later in the book is Nahum’s message of Yahweh as Warrior applied explicitly to Assyria and Judah. “The psalm that occurs at the beginning of the book presents a picture of God applicable for all times—he is the Warrior who judges evil.” Kenneth L. Barker, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, vol. 20, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), 152. It is the portrait of God in the Psalm that we will see three areas of God’s being this morning.
I. Attributes of God
I. Attributes of God
A. God is Jealous, Avenging and Wrathful
1. This trio has led many people to want to reject God. In fact, Christian Philosopher Paul Copan wrote a book entitled “Is God A Moral Monster,” based upon questions about God’s behavior that seem to be the negative sides of these three attributes of God.
2. Jealous
a. not that someone has something He wants but does not have or deserve.
b. but because of our misplaced hopes, desires and adoration
c. for our good
3. Avenging – we’ll look more at this in a few minutes, but it is God requiring justice for ill done to other people or Himself or His character.
4. Wrathful
a. Anger expressed towards other people.
b. Anger expressed towards injustice.
B. God is Slow to Anger and Powerful
1. God allows people to play out, hoping they will repent and turn to Him.
2. 2 Peter 3:8 – 9
But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day.
The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.
3. God is not waiting because He cannot act He is strong enough to do whatever He plans.
Thus in the first verses of Nahum we encounter God. God is revealed not in a one-sided way, as either the God of vengeance or the God of endless patience. Rather, God is both the jealous and avenging God, and the God who is slow to anger and great in power. S. D. Snyman, Nahum, Habakkuk and Zephaniah: An Introduction and Commentary, ed. David G. Firth, vol. 27, Tyndale Commentaries (London; Downers Grove, IL: IVP; IVP Academic: An Imprint of InterVarsity Press, 2020), 22.
C. God Cannot Leave the Guilty Unpunished
1. We might not always see God’s hand
2. What God is going to bring on Nineveh and Assyria is not unjust, it is deserved.
“Nineveh will be judged not because it is Judah’s enemy but because it is God’s enemy. Anyone who flaunts self in proud rebellion against God—Judah as well as Nineveh—will eventually face divine judgment.” Waylon Bailey in Kenneth L. Barker, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, vol. 20, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), 152.
3. Vengeance without proper motivation is abuse, failure to uphold a standard is also abuse!
II. Power of God
II. Power of God
A. God is the God of Storms
1. Clouds
2. Drought
3. Hurricanes and Blizzards
B. God of Creation
1. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
2. And God Said let there be light, and there was light
3. 1Corinthians 8:6
yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him.
4. Colossians 1:16
For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him.
III. The Actions of God
III. The Actions of God
A. God is a Protector of Those Who Seek Him
As M. Luther wrote: “[Nahum] teaches us to trust God and to believe, especially when we despair of all human help, human powers, and counsel, that the Lord stands by those who are His, shields His own against all attacks of the enemy, be they ever so powerful.” Kenneth L. Barker, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, vol. 20, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), 153.
1. A Mighty Fortress Is Our God
2. Jesus the Savior of the world
B. God is an Overwhelming Force to Those Who Oppose Him
1. When YHWH exercises his vengeance, it is not vengeance for the sake of vengeance, but it is vengeance for the sake of bringing an end to injustices. S. D. Snyman, Nahum, Habakkuk and Zephaniah: An Introduction and Commentary, ed. David G. Firth, vol. 27, Tyndale Commentaries (London; Downers Grove, IL: IVP; IVP Academic: An Imprint of InterVarsity Press, 2020), 21.
Conclusion: Assyria seemed to be a fearsome overlord. They moved swiftly to carry out battle and were ruthless once they were victorious. Nahum states that Assyria is not invincible, and in fact, will soon fall, and that God (YHWH, the Covenant God of Israel) is invincible and moves with justice not desire to increase wealth and power. Thus, He was also saying that YHWA was (is) God and the gods of Assyria were not.
We might live in a culture that is more and more like the Assyrians and less and less like what God desires. We might live in a time when we will see greater and greater resistance to the message of the Church. We unfortunately might look more and more like the culture around than the call to Holiness of the Church. The message of Nahum is that you can only spurn God for so long, then judgment will come. The psalm at the beginning of the book is to remind us that God, like a good policeman, is there to protect those who He is called to serve and to care for them in their times of desperation. While at the same time, and because of His care for His own, He must carry out acts of judgment against those who spurn His offer of salvation.