our daily bread

[Dexu Xia]

Hard Mysteries

The Lord is slow to anger but great in power. Nahum 1:3

As my friend and I went for a walk, we talked about our love for the Bible. She surprised me when she said, “Oh, but I don’t like the Old Testament much. All of that hard stuff and vengeance—give me Jesus!”

We might resonate with her words when we read a book like Nahum, perhaps recoiling at a statement such as, “The Lord takes vengeance and is filled with wrath” (Nahum 1:2). And yet the next verse fills us with hope: “The Lord is slow to anger but great in power” (v. 3).

When we dig more deeply into the subject of God’s anger, we understand that when He exercises it, He’s most often defending His people or His name. Because of His overflowing love, He seeks justice for wrongs committed and the redemption of those who have turned from Him. We see this not only in the Old Testament, as He calls His people back to Himself, but also in the New, when He sends His Son to be the sacrifice for our sins.

We may not understand the mysteries of the character of God, but we can trust that He not only exercises justice but is also the source of all love. We need not fear Him, for He is “good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him” (v. 7).

Father God, You are good. You are loving and You are merciful. Help me to understand more fully some of the mysteries of Your redeeming love today.

God’s justice and mercy intersect at the cross.

难解的奥秘

耶和华不轻易发怒，大有能力。-那鸿书1章3节

我和朋友散步的时候，谈到了我们都喜欢读的圣经。没想到，她突然冒出一句话：“但我不喜欢读旧约，因为太难明白，又常提到复仇。我喜欢读耶稣的事迹！”

或许当我们读到那鸿书的时候，也会同意她的说法。例如其中说道：“耶和华施报大有忿怒”（1章2节），这样的句子，会让我们心生抗拒。然而，下一节经文却又让我们充满盼望：“耶和华不轻易发怒，大有能力。”（3节）

当我们深入探讨上帝的愤怒这个主题时，便会发现上帝之所以发怒，通常是为要护卫祂的子民，或是为了要维护祂的圣名。因为祂满溢的爱，祂会对犯罪的施行公义，但也为悖逆祂的人预备救赎的恩典。上帝呼召祂的子民归向祂，这一点我们不只在旧约圣经里看到，在新约圣经里，也清楚看到上帝为了使我们归向祂，差遣祂的爱子，为我们的罪流血舍命。

我们难以理解上帝奥秘的特质，但我们可以确信祂不只施行公义，祂更是所有爱的源头。我们不需惧怕上帝，因祂“本为善，在患难的日子为人的保障，并且认得那些投靠祂的人”（7节）。

天父上帝，祢是美善的，
祢满有慈爱与怜悯。求祢帮助我，
今天能更加明白祢救赎之爱的奥秘。

十字架展现了上帝的公义与怜悯