“The LORD is slow to anger.” Indeed, our God is not a God with a short fuse. Psalm 103:8 says, “The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.” 2 Peter 3:9 says, “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”
God does not take a delight in the destruction of the wicked. He is not trigger happy to condemn sinners to eternal damnation. In fact, He is a very patient God. Although sinners deserve their just condemnation, God desires their repentance. So God waits and waits. He keeps on waiting for sinners to confess their sins to Him and repent of their ways. When a sinner repents, God is very ready and quick to forgive. Ezekiel 33:11 tells us, “As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live.” 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
The Prophet Jonah who was Nahum’s predecessor knew this very well, how the Lord God of Israel was slow to anger. Jonah was a reluctant prophet to the Ninevites for we read in his book, in chapter 4, verse 2, “And he prayed unto the LORD, and said, I pray thee, O LORD, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil.” A hundred and fifty years earlier, Jonah had preached judgement against Nineveh, and the people repented. God forgave the Ninevites. The same word was preached to them by Nahum. God “is slow to anger.” He was ready to forgive them if they would only repent of their pride and confess Him as the only living and true God to whom they should accord all glory and honour. The Ninevites knew how merciful and forgiving God could be. This should have moved them to repentance.
Did the Ninevites repent? Not this time. God had to take punitive action for He the God of justice “will not at all acquit the wicked.” God finally judged and destroyed the Ninevites, but consider how patient He was. He only took action in about 600 BC, a hundred years after Nahum’s word to them.
God will wait for sinners to repent, but He will not wait forever. One day God will judge this world again. He did so once before by a worldwide Flood, and waited for 120 years for the people to repent but they refused, the souls “Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing” (1 Pet 3:20). Noah preached while he built the ark but none repented. The Flood came and all were swept away, save Noah and his family.
Are you still outside of God’s Ark of salvation? Are you still unrepentant of your sins, still unbelieving, refusing to trust in Jesus Christ and accept Him as Lord and Saviour? God is still waiting for you, but He will not wait for long for judgement is coming soon. The signs of the times tell us that Jesus Christ is coming back soon. Take heed to this warning, “Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless. And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation” (2 Pet 3:3-15).
Do not delay, salvation is today!
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