Slow to Anger, but Great in Power
One thing that we see as we read the Bible and especially as we read the prophets in the Old Testament is that God is slow to get angry. He gave His people years and years to get right with Him before He sent His judgment upon them. The fall of Judah was over 100 years after the Assyrians took Israel into exile. For that entire time God was sending prophets to call them to repentance, but they did not listen, so He had to punish them severely. He will do the same for us today, if we don't listen to Him.
Nahum prophesied against Nineveh. It was such an evil city, and its people brought much pain to other countries. This is what Nahum told them about the Lord. (Nahum 1:3) "The Lord is slow to get angry, but His power is great, and He never lets the guilty go unpunished. He displays His power in the whirlwind and storm. The billowing clouds are the dust beneath His feet." We all need to know this, and we need to let this sink in. Let's take it apart.
God's anger is righteous anger. When He gets angry, it is always the right time and expressed in the best way, too. Still, He doesn't want to get angry. He loves us, and He wants to bless us instead of punishing us. That is why He gives us time. We must not take the fact that He is slow to anger to make us think He is not going to respond to our sins. No, He is very powerful, and He will never let the guilty go unpunished. Even if God doesn't punish the guilty in this life, He will do it in the final judgment, and it will be just the right amount of punishment.
As for us, as believers, we are commanded to be "slow to anger" also. We are to be like God in every way. Therefore, we need to put away anger and be kind, tender hearted and forgiving towards others. Then, if others need to be punished, we leave that to the Lord. We must not let our flesh take over, so that we do not allow the Spirit to guide us and empower us to do the right thing, when it comes to being angry and punishing others. God is our example; He is our Lord, and He will show us what to do every time, as we look to Him.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Habakkuk 1-3.