Term Limits
The LORD is slow to anger and great in power, and the LORD will by no means leave the guilty unpunished. Nahum 1:3
Unpunished – What does compassion have to do with punishment? What does mercy have to do with judgment? Nahum tells us that these are related. With God, one comes with the other. There is no compassion without the possibility of punishment. There is no mercy without the potential for judgment. But God takes His time.
Time is the problem. We know that God is merciful, and we know He is just. We want to believe that He will not let the wicked prosper forever, that He will not let them get away with their crimes, that He will not set them free. But time goes on and nothing happens. God doesn’t seem to pay attention to the right to a speedy trial. He waits . . and waits . . . and waits some more. The righteous cry for justice. What they often get is “slow to anger,” the long-nostrils (literally) of God. He waits. He draws breath s-l-o-w-l-y.
Nahum comes with a reassuring word. YHWH will not (lo – the strongest Hebrew negative) acquit the wicked. The word is naqah – to be free, to be clean, to be pure, to be released from obligation and judgment. Nahum tells the righteous what they must hear. God will not forebear forever. There are term limits. He promises to bring justice. But not yet.
This is good news. Those who cry out for justice must know that God will deliver. Of course, it is bad news that God may not deliver while the righteous are alive. But He will deliver! At the same time, this is wonderful news for the wicked. God waits. He waits for the wicked to realize the inevitability of punishment and change their ways before the term limit arrives. In fact, this is the world’s best news – for me! You see, I know that I am not righteous. I know that if God upheld the right to a speedy trial, I would have been punished long ago. I would not have survived. The best news I have ever heard is that God has a very long nose. He breathes slowly. What wonderful words! It’s not over yet. I still have time. But then it is also bad news. That I yet have time may seduce me to delay, and my delay ignores the end of the term limit.
Nahum provides good news and bad news to both the righteous and the wicked. It’s entirely up to me whether I take the news as good or bad. Yeshua comments on Nahum in his parables about the return of the Son of Man. The end may come at any moment, unexpectedly, without warning. When it does, those who routinely do Kingdom works will find refreshing relief. But those who have delayed, believing that there is still time for realignment, will discover it’s too late. In some of the strongest language of the New Testament, Yeshua proclaims that these recalcitrant, presumptive ones will be cast out with gnashing of teeth. To delay is a serious mistake. God promises to make things right. Today mercy outweighs wrath. But maybe not tomorrow.
Topical Index: lo naqah, not go unpunished, Nahum 1:3, Matthew 25:30, 46
Thank you for this ‘wake up call’ Skip! I need to hear (and do) it!
Thanks Skip – very timely!
This morning, while trying to resolve a few bothersome issues as couples sometimes do, my husband came to the conclusion that concerning confrontation, ( one of) my biggest problem in life is the timing one – he does not have a problem with “what” I say ( as his ezer that is mostly : remember Who your God is) , but he takes big issue with “when ” I say what I have to say! My timing is totally off !! – I am too much in a hurry with words, thoughts and God. Now it seems to me that God’s timing is : “Hurry up, and wait!!
TERM LIMITS IS GOD’S PERFECT JUSTICE… ♥
MS. JAN
This dissertation seems to be speaking directly to those who have “confessed” their relationship to the Kingdom as a betrothed bride and servant. Yet, Messiah is forewarning with the cost of this relationship with a seriousness that is oftentimes overlooked or taken for granted.
Father forgive us for making up our own terms of THE most precious and valuable relationship we could ever have; our relationship with You. We are slow to hear and understand. Please help us! Before it’s too late. Help us to tell others of this privilege to know You and serve You, in the “tongues” they can understand and not speak churchese that we think might impress them with teaching that leads them away from your Torah. May we stand on the solid ground of your everlasting and eternal Word rather than those of men. Forgive us of upholding the teachings of those we have labeled as church fathers who hated your people. May we stand on the Word rather than idolatrous traditions that perpetuate man made traditions built on false facts and rewritten history.
Teach us how to live each and every day with grateful hearts full of love for You and others, counting ourselves unworthy of Your grace and yet standing firmly in Your favor as Your obedient children.
Nobody anywhere ‘gets away with’ nothing- ever. Be sure (very sure) your sins will find you out. We (all) will reap what we sow. If we sow the wind – we will reap the whirlwind. This the the Law of the Harvest.
We (as in no one) cannot sow our wild oats and then pray for crop failure. The (very false) idea “because we are save we may live as we wish” is a lie straight out of hell. We are saved in order to “live as we ought.” Liberty is not license.
Grace is not a “get out hell free card”. The soul that sinneth- it shall die- applies across the board- to the saved as well as the unsaved. You sin- you loose. Play with matches -you will get burned whether we belong to Him or not.
And as far as the heathen who prosper – in the big picture- what does it matter? For every one of us- (saved or not) will stand before the judgment seat of Christ to receive for the things that have been done (while in) our bodies. Every idle (non-productive) word that men shall speak shall be judged. Therefore our (daily) prayer needs to be “may the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in Your sight- O LORD (ADONAI) my Strength and my Redeemer.
Pharoah “prospered”. He would be considered prosperous by today’s standards. Solomon also prospered (according to today’s standards). What was the end of Pharoah? not pretty. What was Solomon’s end? not a happy ending either.. – what about us and what about today? Are we doing (now) the things that are pleasing in the sight of our ABBA? Do we know what pleases Him and how do we know these things? .. “It is written.” The will of G-d (what He wants) is clearly revealed to “whosoever will” in the word of G-d. And in case we have trouble understanding the written word, the Living Word – G-d incarnated into human flesh- came to demonstrate (in the flesh) the how-to of daily living. Humility, compassion, joy, laughter, service – all centered in our Savior. We must live a Christ-centered, Christ-focused life- bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.
Fear not.. – no sin will go unpunished for G-d is the Righteous Judge. And a cup of cold water in the name of Yeshua will not go unrewarded either.
Just found your site. I am working on Nahum now on my blog and I really like the idea of term limits. It’s as if we have one puzzle piece to go off of, to figure out what the entire picture will look like. We don’t have all the pieces to the puzzle so we are unable to see the entire view. We try to figure it out anyway and get frustrated when we don’t see the big picture. God has all the pieces and will put them together in His time, not ours. That is where faith comes in, we have to give up the puzzle business and have faith that God can do it without our help! Thank you