{"id":53960,"date":"2020-08-23T00:01:07","date_gmt":"2020-08-22T21:01:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wingulamashahidi.org\/?p=53960"},"modified":"2025-07-30T14:25:11","modified_gmt":"2025-07-30T11:25:11","slug":"53960","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wingulamashahidi.org\/en\/2020\/08\/23\/53960\/","title":{"rendered":"THE LORD IS SLOW TO ANGER, YET ABUNDANT IN WRATH"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The nature of God is often misunderstood\u2014some imagine Him as too harsh, others as endlessly tolerant. But Scripture reveals that God is both patient and just.<\/strong> Nowhere is this duality seen more vividly than in His dealings with Nineveh<\/strong>, the capital of the Assyrian Empire.<\/p>\n

The Vision Concerning Nineveh<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The prophet Nahum received a solemn vision concerning Nineveh\u2014a city that once received God\u2019s mercy during Jonah\u2019s time, yet later returned to its evil ways. The prophecy begins:<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe prophecy concerning Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.<\/strong>
The Lord is a jealous and avenging God; the Lord takes vengeance and is filled with wrath.<\/strong>
The Lord takes vengeance on his foes and vents his wrath against his enemies.<\/strong>
The Lord is slow to anger but great in power; the Lord will not leave the guilty unpunished.\u201d<\/strong>
(Nahum 1:1\u20133, NIV)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

This is a sobering description: God\u2019s wrath is not impulsive but measured, just, and ultimately inescapable<\/strong> for the unrepentant.<\/p>\n

A History of Mercy<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Nineveh\u2019s story reminds us that God offers mercy before judgment.<\/strong> The prophet Jonah had previously delivered a warning of destruction, and to everyone’s surprise, the people of Nineveh repented.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWhen God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened.\u201d<\/strong>
(Jonah 3:10, NIV)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Even Jonah was disturbed by God\u2019s mercy, revealing God’s heart:<\/p>\n

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\u201cAnd should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left\u2014and also many animals?\u201d<\/strong>
(Jonah 4:11, NIV)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

God\u2019s compassion was clear\u2014but so was His expectation of lasting repentance<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The Return to Wickedness and Coming Judgment<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Unfortunately, Nineveh returned to cruelty, pride, and idolatry. Trusting in their military strength and prosperity, they dismissed the God who had once spared them. But Nahum prophesied their end:<\/p>\n

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\u201cNothing can heal you; your wound is fatal. All who hear the news about you clap their hands at your fall, for who has not felt your endless cruelty?\u201d<\/strong>
(Nahum 3:19, NIV)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

And indeed, in 612 B.C.<\/strong>, Nineveh fell to the Babylonians and Medes. The city was utterly destroyed, fulfilling God\u2019s word.<\/p>\n

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\u201cHe will stretch out his hand against the north and destroy Assyria, leaving Nineveh utterly desolate and dry as the desert…<\/strong>
This is the city of revelry that lived in safety. She said to herself, \u2018I am the one! And there is none besides me.\u2019<\/strong>
What a ruin she has become, a lair for wild beasts! All who pass by her scoff and shake their fists.\u201d<\/strong>
(Zephaniah 2:13, 15, NIV)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

This teaches us: God\u2019s patience is real, but it is not endless.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Modern Application: Misunderstood Judgment<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Today, many view God’s judgments, especially those in Revelation, as too harsh. But the Bible is clear\u2014God\u2019s wrath is just and holy.<\/strong> The final judgment is not a myth but a certainty.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThen death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death.<\/strong>
Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.\u201d<\/strong>
(Revelation 20:14\u201315, NIV)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

A Repeated Pattern of Warning Ignored<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Throughout history, God has sent messengers to call His people back\u2014but repeated rebellion leads to judgment.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe Lord, the God of their ancestors, sent word to them through his messengers again and again, because he had pity on his people and on his dwelling place.<\/strong>
But they mocked God\u2019s messengers, despised his words and scoffed at his prophets until the wrath of the Lord was aroused against his people and there was no remedy.\u201d<\/strong>
(2 Chronicles 36:15\u201316, NIV)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Even John the Baptist echoed this urgency:<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.\u201d<\/strong>
(Matthew 3:10, NIV)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

God\u2019s Mercy Calls Us to Repentance\u2014But Not Forever<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Scripture repeatedly warns us not to take God’s patience for granted:<\/p>\n

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\u201cToday, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.\u201d<\/strong>
(Hebrews 3:15, NIV)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The message is simple but serious: God desires to save, but if we persist in sin, we will face His holy wrath.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Conclusion: Come to Christ While Mercy Is Available<\/strong><\/h2>\n

If you have not yet surrendered your life to Jesus Christ, do not wait. The time of mercy is now\u2014but it will not last forever. God’s patience is meant to lead us to repentance (Romans 2:4), not to embolden us in sin.<\/p>\n

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The Lord bless you.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Maranatha\u2014Our Lord is coming.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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