God’s justice and mercy intersect at the cross.

十字架展现了上帝的公义与怜悯。

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

耶和华不轻易发怒，大有能力。-那鸿书1章3节

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!”

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！”

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).

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）

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.

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。

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).

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）。

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

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

Nahum 1:1-7    NIV

1 A prophecy concerning Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite. 2 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 vents his wrath against his enemies. 3 The Lord is slow to anger but great in power; the Lord will not leave the guilty unpunished. His way is in the whirlwind and the storm, and clouds are the dust of his feet. 4 He rebukes the sea and dries it up; he makes all the rivers run dry. Bashan and Carmel wither and the blossoms of Lebanon fade. 5 The mountains quake before him and the hills melt away. The earth trembles at his presence, the world and all who live in it. 6 Who can withstand his indignation? Who can endure his fierce anger? His wrath is poured out like fire; the rocks are shattered before him. 7 The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him,

那鸿书 1:1-7 

1 论尼尼微的默示，就是伊勒歌斯人那鸿所得的默示。2 耶和华是忌邪施报的神，耶和华施报大有愤怒，向他的敌人施报，向他的仇敌怀怒。 3 耶和华不轻易发怒，大有能力，万不以有罪的为无罪。他乘旋风和暴风而来，云彩为他脚下的尘土。 4 他斥责海，使海干了，使一切江河干涸。巴珊和迦密的树林衰残，黎巴嫩的花草也衰残了。 5 大山因他震动，小山也都消化。大地在他面前突起，世界和住在其间的也都如此。 6 他发愤恨，谁能立得住呢？他发烈怒，谁能当得起呢？他的愤怒如火倾倒，磐石因他崩裂。 7 耶和华本为善，在患难的日子为人的保障，并且认得那些投靠他的人。

INSIGHT

灵粮透视

Along with Nahum 1:3, we find eight other instances in the Old Testament where we read that the Lord is “slow to anger” (for example, Psalm 86:15; 103:8). But these passages also describe other attributes of God: He is “abounding [or rich] in love” (Exodus 34:6; Numbers 14:18; Psalm 145:8); He is “gracious and compassionate” (Joel 2:13; Jonah 4:2); and He is a “forgiving God” (Nehemiah 9:17). If God were not both just and merciful, we would be without hope. Why? Because “everyone has turned away, all have become corrupt” (Psalm 53:3). “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). None of us deserve His love, compassion, or forgiveness. Apart from God’s love, through the incredible sacrifice of His Son who paid the price for our sins, we would have no opportunity to receive eternal life. But God loved us so very much He gave His only Son (John 3:16).

除了那鸿书1章3节，在旧约中还有另外8个例子，讲到耶和华“不轻易发怒”（例如诗篇86篇15节，103篇8节）。不过，圣经还描述了上帝其他的属性：祂有丰盛的慈爱（出埃及记34章6节；民数记14章18节；诗篇145篇8节）；祂有恩典，有怜悯（约珥书2章13节；约拿书4章2节）；祂“乐意饶恕人”（尼希米记9章17节）。如果上帝不是既公义又慈爱，我们就毫无盼望。为什么呢？因为“各人都偏离了正道，一同变成污秽”（诗篇53篇3节，新译本），又“因为世人都犯了罪，亏缺了上帝的荣耀”（罗马书3章23节），所以没有任何人配得上帝的爱、怜悯或饶恕。若非上帝的爱，让祂儿子做出令人难以置信的牺牲，为我们的罪付上赎价，我们根本没有机会获得永生。但上帝深爱我们，甚至将祂独生的儿子赐给了我们（约翰福音3章16节）。

How can you express your gratitude to God?

你如何表达对上帝的感恩？

整理：于姊妹