The King’s Wrath, Part 2 | A Gospel Study

For part one, click here.

In the quiet of her cell, the bride began to think differently about the king’s wrath. She realized that in order to love something, you must stand against everything that would try to harm or destroy it.

Harm and destruction were clearly the goals of these men. They brought her no food. They gave her no water. But even that wasn’t as bad as when one of the guards came in and beat her until she begged for him to stop.

“Why are you doing this to me?” she cried out in aching confusion.

“It’s the closest I can get to doing it to the king,” the man replied.

Then they both heard it. Shouts. Swords. The tormentor rushed from the cell as men locked in combat either stumbled or advanced into the room. The red dragon of the enemy and bold lion of the king clashed as the helmeted knights bearing those emblems fought over the bride’s fate.

The fury was awful. Bodies were destroyed and souls sent to their final judgment. The tormentor, unprotected by any kind of armor, fell quickly. After moments that felt like hours, the rest of the dragons lay slain by the lion’s swords.

When the last of the enemy fell, one of the lion-emblemed men rushed to her side. His sword was sheathed, but she was very aware after the battle she had just witnessed that this man was more than capable of destroying her.

But instead of fear, she found comfort in that knowledge. His desire was her safety, not her harm; her deliverance, not her destruction. She was safe.

She welcomed the way he rushed to her side. She was ready to go home. Ready to be in the king’s arms.

And as he removed his helmet while coming her way, she realized she would be in the king’s arms sooner than she thought. The king himself had lead the way to her rescue. She hardly heard him call her name as she took in his eyes.

The eyes which terrified her with their wrath when they were turned toward his enemies. The eyes which now were full only of love and zeal when turned toward her.

The arms that slayed her captors wrapped around her, and she felt that she was in the safest place in the world.

That day of the wrath of the king had descended on that place. She was overcome with joy and gratitude. The king’s wrath was her salvation.

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Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand end the story. Here are some extra thoughts. XD

God’s wrath is very real. And it can make us very uncomfortable. But as I studied it in Scripture, I saw so clearly that His wrath is a very, very good thing. This story I wrote was primarily inspired by Nahum 1. Verse two made me squirm when I read it about a month ago:

A jealous and avenging God is the LORD; the LORD is avenging and wrathful. The LORD takes vengeance on His adversaries, and He reserves wrath for His enemies.

(Emphasis mine.)

Um. Whoa.

The first chapter of Nahum goes on to describe the power and judgment of the Lord. Verse 14 is particularly intense:

The LORD has issued a command concerning you: “Your name will no longer be perpetuated. I will cut off idol and image from the house of your gods. I will prepare your grave, for you are contemptible.”

Um. Whoa.

But what really struck me was the verse immediately after this one. God declares that He’s going to destroy Nineveh, and then this is said:

Behold, on the mountains the feet of him who brings good news, who announces peace! Celebrate your feasts, O Judah; pay your vows. For never again will the wicked one pass through you; he is cut off completely.

Behold, the good news of God’s wrath! The enemy destroyed, the oppressors torn down! God’s wrath is coming; rejoice!

I began to realize, God’s wrath against sin is part of why I’m saved from it. The wrath of God remains on those who reject the Son (John 3:36), but for those who have believed, God’s wrath is truly good news.

If you have believed, never be afraid of any aspect of who God is. To paraphrase C. S. Lewis, He is not safe, but He is good. Coming to know Him more will cause you to trust Him more and love Him more. Even if it’s His wrath that you’re studying. Rejoice in His wrath; it is our hope!

If you haven’t believed, you do have every reason to fear. God’s wrath is very real. He is loving; He has provided for us salvation from His wrath! Will you humble yourself to believe Him and escape the wrath to come? If the god you want to follow is a god without wrath, he isn’t the God of the Bible and he will never come to your rescue.

Wherever you stand with Jesus Christ, may you be brought nearer to Him today than you’ve ever been before.

With love in Christ,
Olivia Brooke

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This is part three of a study of the Gospel I’m doing with Grace over at Following Him Beside Still Waters! The theme this time was “The Fall – Sin and the Wrath of God.” Check out what Grace did for part three here: Craving – A Poem