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Our Refuge in Times of Trouble
December 26th, 2020
Nahum 1:1-8
It was a study in contrasts. On one side were the people of Israel; opposite them were the chariots of Egypt. Between the two was the presence of God, manifest as a pillar of cloud and fire. One side of the divide was darkness and gloom. The other side blazed with light, lit by the radiance of God’s glory. Egypt was blinded; Israel could clearly see. Two very different experiences.
Centuries later, the prophet Nahum prophesied concerning Nineveh. He opens with a quote intended to remind his hearers of the Exodus and the covenant established at Sinai. Quoting from the Torah, he begins, “The Lord is a jealous . . . God” (v. 1). He begins to describe what it is like to be on the wrong side of an avenging God who is slow to anger but great in power (Exodus 34:6).
Yet this same God whose way is whirlwind and storm, whose wrath is poured out like fire, is also a good God Nahum tells us. He is a refuge in troubled times. The deciding difference? Which side one is on.
Author: Brad Buhro
