Preaching Grace In the Midst of Judgment

The Sermon Jonah Wanted to Preach
Nahum 1-3
“The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble, and He knows those who take refuge in Him.”
The book of Jonah (written around 798 b.c.) ended with Nineveh repenting of their sins and Jonah frustrated that God would forgive even the worst of sinners. However, as is often the case, when the threat of judgment is abated, people quickly forget God and return to their sin. Such was the case with Nineveh. When Nahum came upon the scene in 662-627 b.c., Nineveh was again facing God's judgment for their wickedness, including their cruel treatment of the people they captured in war. As a result, God again pronounced the coming judgment upon the nation. However, this time there would be no repentance, and they would face complete destruction.

Nahum opens with a picture of God’s judgment that is both terrifying and unrelenting. God is a holy God who will bring judgment upon those who reject him. In vivid detail, we see the severity of God’s judgment and the complete devastation he brings. When God pours out his wrath, even the mountains quake and the hills are melted away. There is no hiding and no avoiding God’s terrible judgment. Such would be the judgment upon Nineveh. So complete would their judgment be that there would be no restoration, no rebuilding of the city or the nation (3:19). Jonathan Edwards, in his famous sermon that started the Great Awakening, warns, “What are we, that we should think to stand before him, at whose rebuke the earth trembles, and before whom the rocks are thrown down?” Yet in the folly of man, we believe that we can escape the judgment of God by our own devices. Edwards goes on to describe our folly, “Almost every natural man that hears of hell, flatters himself that he shall escape it; he depends upon himself for his own security; he flatters himself in what he has done, in what he is now doing, or what he intends to do. Every one lays out matters in his own mind how he shall avoid damnation, and flatters himself that he contrives well for himself, and that his schemes will not fail.” It is this folly that Nahum dispels with the warning of the impending judgment that no one will be able to withstand (1:6).

However, woven throughout the book are some of the most powerful descriptions of God’s grace. While God’s wrath will incite fear in those who reject him, his grace brings security, tranquility, and peace to those who seek him. Even though God pours out his wrath, he remains an unassailable stronghold for those who trust in him (1:7). God is not quick to anger and is willing to offer his grace. In words that point forward to the announcement of Christ’s coming, Nahum reminds us, “Behold, on the mountains the feet of him who brings good news, who announces peace.” Paul would refer back to these words to remind us of the hope of the gospel and the necessity of sharing it with others.  

As we look about us, we see a world hellbent on pursuing its own morality and way. People have turned their backs on God and rejected his moral law. Yet God calls us not to be silent but to proclaim the hope and salvation of the gospel. In Romans 10:12, Paul reminds us that all who call upon the name of the Lord will be saved. God is not indiscriminate in his judgment; rather, he offers salvation to those who seek him. He also entrusts us with the task of offering his salvation to others. Just as Nahum proclaimed the hope of salvation in the face of judgment in his day, so we are to proclaim that hope to people today (Romans 10:14-15). God will judge, but he will also save and protect those who trust in him.