God is all mercy and love. By
Charles Simeon. The Lord is a jealous and avenging
God. The Lord takes vengeance and
is filled with wrath. The Lord takes vengeance on his
foes and maintains his wrath against his enemies. Nahum 1,
verse 2. Who can withstand His indignation?
Who can endure His fierce anger? His wrath is poured out like
fire. The rocks are shattered before Him. Nahum 1.6 Most unbelievers depend on the
foolish notion that God is all mercy and love. They imagine
that He will allow their iniquities to pass unpunished. They simply
do not believe that He will ever execute the judgment, which He
Himself has threatened on impenitent transgressors. In their pride,
they mock and defy all of the threats and warnings that the
holy and just God has made in His Word. In his pride the wicked
does not seek him. In all his thoughts there is
no room for God. He says to himself, Nothing will
shake me. I will always be happy and never
have trouble. His mouth is full of curses and
lies and threats. Trouble and evil are under his
tongue. In fact, it is the hope of God's
mercy which encourages men to go on in their sins. For if once
they believed that they shall soon become monuments of God's
righteous indignation, they would consider their ways and labor
by all possible means to avert God's righteous wrath. Many other
unbelievers console themselves with the thought that they shall
do as well as others when in hell. But if they could for one
moment descend to hell and see the agonies and hear the cries
of a damned soul, it would be little consolation to think that
they shall do as well as others. The proud may not stand in your
presence, for you hate all who do evil. Psalm chapter 5 verse
5. Truly, it will be a fearful thing
to fall into the hands of the living God. God is indeed a consuming
fire. Hebrews chapter 12 verse 29,
Hebrews chapter 10 verse 31. The wrath of an offended God
must be endured to all eternity. Let the wicked forsake his way
and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the Lord, and
he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely
pardon. Isaiah chapter 55, verse 7.