Last week the house group that meets in West Seattle studied the book of Jonah where God spares the “great city” of Ninevah from his wrath. This week we looked at the book of Nahum where God pronounces certain judgement and fury. From Jonah 3:10-4:2
When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil ways, God changed his mind about the calamity that he had said he would bring upon them; and he did not do it. But this was very displeasing to Jonah, and he became angry. He prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord! Is not this what I said while I was still in my own country? That is why I fled to Tarshish at the beginning; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and ready to relent from punishing.
From Nahum 3:1-7
Ah! City of bloodshed, utterly deceitful, full of booty— no end to the plunder! The crack of whip and rumble of wheel, galloping horse and bounding chariot! Horsemen charging, flashing sword and glittering spear, piles of dead, heaps of corpses, dead bodies without end— they stumble over the bodies! Because of the countless debaucheries of the prostitute, gracefully alluring, mistress of sorcery, who enslaves nations through her debaucheries, and peoples through her sorcery, I am against you, says the Lord of hosts, and will lift up your skirts over your face; and I will let nations look on your nakedness and kingdoms on your shame. I will throw filth at you and treat you with contempt, and make you a spectacle. Then all who see you will shrink from you and say, “Nineveh is devastated; who will bemoan her?” Where shall I seek comforters for you?
It is so interesting to contrast God’s reactions to the city of Ninevah separated by what is estimated to be 150 years, if I recall correctly. In Jonah, we see God the mercy-giver who is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. In Nahum, God apparently reaches his boiling point and is ready to bring the thunder. I think we naturally tend to gravitate towards God the Merciful and away from God the Furious Avenger. But both, however paradoxical, are part of a biblical understanding of the Almighty.
