IN WRATH, REMEMBER MERCY! (1)

“O LORD, I have heard Your speech and was afraid; O LORD, revive Your work in the midst of the years! In the midst of the years make it known; In wrath remember mercy” (Hab 3:2). Habakkuk lives in a time of national corruption and looming judgment. He knows God must punish sin. He does not deny God’s justice. Yet, he appeals to God’s heart of compassion who has repeatedly saved His rebellious people. This short prayer for revival balances two divine attributes that never clash: God’s righteous wrath and His steadfast mercy. Habakkuk remembers God’s mighty acts in Israel’s history: the exodus from Egypt, the covenant at Sinai, the wilderness provision, and the conquest of Canaan. God’s past deliverances assured His people that He remained sovereign over nations and faithful to His covenant. These were not just memories; they revealed God’s unchanging character and gave hope in a time of national crisis. The prophet responds with holy fear before the Almighty God who judges evil and saves His people. With Babylonian judgment approaching, Habakkuk asks the Lord to display His saving power anew in his own generation. He pleads that God makes His righteousness, power, and faithfulness visible among His people and before all the nations. God’s judgment through Babylon would not cancel His promises. His mercy will be revealed by bringing back a remnant. Ultimately, God’s mercy would be displayed in the salvation He provides through Jesus Christ. Praise the Lord!

These are some important points about the character of God:

1-Holiness. God is holy, completely unique, set apart from all creation, morally perfect, free from any sin or evil. God must judge sin!

2-Justice. As Judge, God is perfectly righteous, fair in all His ways, never biased by men’s status. He treats every man according to Truth. He holds all creation accountable to His moral standard. God’s Wrath is not uncontrolled rage, but measured, deserved, and purposeful.

3-Love defines who God is at His deepest level. Every action He takes, even His justice flow perfectly from His loving character. God’s Love is Unconditional, Everlasting, does not depend on human performance or moral perfection. His commitment to men never fails, fade, or end.

4-Patience. God is longsuffering. His loving self-restraint and delay of judgment give people time to repent from sin and find salvation.

5-Covenant Faithfulness means God’s unshakeable, lifelong commitment to keep His promises, stands even when men fail.

6-Redemptive Intent is God’s overall active plan, from Genesis to Revelation, to rescue men from sin and restore them into fellowship with Him through Jesus Christ. His goal is not destruction for its own sake but restoration of His people.

GOD’S WRATH

“God is a righteous judge, a God who displays His wrath every day” (Ps 7:11). Wrath is defined as “the emotional response to perceived wrong and injustice”. It is often translated as anger. Both men and God express wrath. But there is vast difference between them. God’s wrath is holy and always justified; man’s wrath is never holy and rarely justified. God’s wrath is real, righteous and comes with His mercy. The doctrine of God’s Wrath is not often preached. Most preachers speak about God’s Love and mercy but forget that God is Holy and He manifests His wrath against sin and unrepentant sinners. God’s love is not weak or wayward as human love. It is intimately connected with His holiness and His justice. He must therefore manifest anger when confronted with sin and evil. The doctrine of God’s wrath separates God from His creation. Sin wants to close the gap, but it is not possible. God’s wrath is necessary for men to fear God, which is the beginning of wisdom. In the Old Testament, God’s wrath is His response to men’s sin. Idolatry and rebellion were most often the occasions for divine wrath. God’s wrath against sin is perfectly justified because His plan for mankind is holy and perfect, just as God Himself is holy and perfect. To reject that perfect plan is to reject God’s love, mercy, grace and favour and experience His righteous wrath. When men commit sin, God provided a way. Repentance is the only way that turns God’s wrath away from the sinner and releases mercy and love.

Why is God’s Wrath Necessary? To prove God’s moral order! Evil and sin are not ignored. It Protects the oppressed! God’s wrath answers injustice against the victims. It Magnifies Grace. Mercy has value only against the backdrop of deserved judgment.

THE REVELATION OF GOD’S WRATH IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

God’s wrath is fearful thing. Only those who have been covered by the blood of Christ, shed for sinners on the cross, can be assured that God’s wrath will never fall on them. “The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand. 36 He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him” (Jn 3:35,36). “Since we have now been justified by His blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through Him!” (Rom 5:9).

“For The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness” (Rom 1:18). God’s holy opposition to sin is not only in the future, at the last Judgment. It’s already evident in His righteous judgment against rebellion. The flood in Noah’s day, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah reveal that God does not overlook evil indefinitely. Judgment comes from heaven because God alone possesses perfect holiness, authority, and knowledge of every human heart. His wrath is never uncontrolled anger but His settled response against all that defies His character. Man’s sin includes both rejection of God and evil conduct toward men. Ungodliness is the refusal to worship, obey, and show gratitude to the Creator. Unrighteousness is wickedness towards men, displayed in thoughts, words or deeds. Since Adam’s fall, sin has corrupted the entire human race. No nation, culture, or individual stands exempt from God’s moral judgment. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:23). Selah!

God has revealed sufficient truth about Himself through His creation and through men’s consciences. Rather than receiving that truth with repentance and worship, sinful people resist, distort, and conceal it in order to continue in rebellion. Suppressing God’s truth does not remove accountability; it deepens guilt and prepares the way for the fuller judgment from which only the gospel of Christ can save. Sin is real. It is not just a personal failing but an offense against God’s order. Recognizing the seriousness of sin is crucial for understanding the need for salvation. Understanding the wrath of God should lead us to repentance and a desire to align our lives with His will. Sinful men “supress the Truth”. Paul is talking about a particular Truth: The reality of God’s existence, power, and divine nature; God’s moral law He has written on every heart and conscience (Rom 2:14-15), and the natural creation that points to His glory (Ps 19:1-4). In Greek, the word “Supress” means to press down, to restrain, to keep from being expressed; like a cover forced on a boiling pot: the contents insist on rising, but a determined hand pushes them back. Men don’t lack evidence; they actively resist it, supressing the truth by their “unrighteousness”.

How do sinners supress the truth?

*They re-interpret clear evidence. “For this they wilfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water” (2Pet 3:5)

*They change truth according to their liking. “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” (Isa 5:20)

*They choose sin knowing it is wrong. “And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed” (Jn 3:19,20).

*They silence conscience not to feel convicted. “Speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron” (1Tim 4:2)

“To suppress the truth” in Romans 1:18 means deliberately holding down the clear, God-given testimony to His existence, authority, and moral standards. This active resistance springs from unrighteous desires, leads to darkened minds and deeper sin, and ultimately invites God’s righteous wrath. The only escape is humble submission to the truth revealed in creation, conscience, and supremely in Christ.

A GENTILE WOMAN RECEIVES MERCY AND MIRACLE (Matthew 15:21-28)

This is the story of God’s judgment and covenant mercy shown to a woman of Canaan. She belongs to the peoples who had occupied the land before Israel entered it under Joshua. God commanded Isreal to kill the people of Canaan, because they serve idols and were terribly wicked. Her ancestors should have died. But Isreal disobeyed God’s order. This is how this woman and her family survived. The people of Isreal and the Canaanites had a long history of hatred and fighting with each other. As a woman, coming to ask help directly from Jesus, a Jewish teacher and Isreal’s Messiah, she crossed established social and religious boundaries. She had no claim upon Jesus, but her need drove her to Him, to persevere in faith for a miracle. Her public cries reveal her deep pain over her daughter’s suffering. She addressed Jesus with titles that recognized His royal Messianic authority. The Son of David was the promised King through whom God would fulfill His covenant purposes for Israel. This Gentile woman shows that she understands Jesus better than many Israelites.

Her request for mercy rested not on any personal merit or national privilege, but strictly on Jesus’ power and compassion. Her daughter’s condition involved real demonic oppression and severe torment. Jesus’ authority over demons shows that God’s mercy reaches beyond Israel to all who come to Him in humble, persistent faith. By approaching a Jewish rabbi, she risks insults. Genuine Faith transcends social boundaries because it focuses on the sufficiency of Christ, not on the approval of people. Faith begins with the right belief: she trusts the One who fulfills God’s covenant promises. This woman cried loudly for mercy. It was a disturbing urgent appeal. Mercy means being totally dependent on Jesus. She brings nothing but her need, only relying on Jesus’ compassion. Like the widow in Luke 18, this woman is persistent. Genuine faith does not quit when answers delay. In intercession, you need to identify with another’s pain. To make it personal. She cried: “Have mercy on me… My daughter is miserably possessed by a demon.” She connects her daughter’s suffering to her own heart. This is the same way the blind and the leprous people were healed. Together these accounts show that recognizing Jesus’ identity and depending on His compassion activate His healing power. She believes that Jesus’ power over demons extends to her child miles away.

Lessons: Jesus acknowledged that her faith was great! She is a teacher and mentor of faith in Jesus that receives her miracle!

*Faith confesses who Jesus truly is—both Lord and the promised Messiah. Nothing is impossible for Jesus!

*Faith looks beyond origin. Her national identity disqualified her from a miracle from Jesus. She broke loose from false identity.

*Faith discovers Jesus. Jesus was on a quiet mission. This woman “heard about Jesus came and fell at His feet” (Mk 7:25)

*Faith is humble. Instead of taking offense at harsh comparison, she humbly accepted her position and used it to prove her faith.

*Faith is bold, ready to break social, cultural, or spiritual barriers and even to receive rejection from men.

*Faith is Persistent, Resilient (able to bounce back). The woman refused to give up despite Jesus’ initial silence and pushback.

*Faith is wise. She refused to allow her emotions overpower her to make her foolish. She spoke the right words to Jesus!

*Faith Loves and intercedes for Others: Her entire mission was selfless intercession to heal her suffering daughter.

*Faith believes Jesus’ authority extends beyond time, space, and circumstance.

*Faith relies entirely on God’s mercy, not on personal merit!

Therefore, this woman’s faith shines bright as a confident, informed, humble, and persistent faith in the healing power of Jesus Christ. This story setts the stage for Jesus’ teaching on faith and inclusion of Jews and Gentiles for salvation. Worship the Lord!