The Lord is a jealous and avenging God; the Lord is avenging and wrathful; the Lord takes vengeance on his adversaries and keeps wrath for his enemies. –Nahum 1:2
This is definitely not the picture of God that we normally sing and preach about. This is not a cuddly teddy bear God; this is a God of terror. We know that God does not take pleasure in the death of the wicked (Ezekiel 33:11) but he punishes never-the-less. This is the God whom we should fear because he has the power to cast both body and soul into hell (Matthew 10:28). As pastors and preachers we have a responsibility to declare the whole counsel of God’s word and to show God to others in the fullness with which he has revealed himself.
When we shirk away from the wrath and terror of our holy God, we minimize his holiness and justice. If we do not preach the judgment of God, we make God out to be impotent and powerless against the forces of evil. God is jealous for his glory and for his children; God will take vengeance against his enemies (Revelation 20).
Because ours is a God of wrath, we should be encouraged all the more to live our lives in such a way that they bring glory to his name. We should also be encouraged to spread wide the invitation of the gospel because all of those outside of Christ will experience judgment from the Father. Are you heralding the wrath of God as a part of the gospel? The good news must be accompanied by an understanding of God’s wrath, after all, one aspect of the good news is that we will be saved from the wrath to come.
