Sabbath: The Wrath of Divine Love
Daily Lesson for Sabbath 25th of January 2025
Image © Pacific Press
Read for This Week’s Study: Psalms 78:1-72; Jonah 4:1-4; Matthew 10:8; Matthew 21:12-13; Jeremiah 51:24-25; Romans 12:17-21.
Memory Text:
“But He, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and did not destroy them. Yes, many a time He turned His anger away, and did not stir up all His wrath” (Psalms 78:38, NKJV).
Though God’s compassion is often celebrated, many find the idea of His wrath disturbing. If God is love, they think He should never express wrath. That notion, however, is false. His wrath arises directly from His love.
Some claim that the Old Testament God is a God of wrath and that the New Testament God is a God of love. But there is only one God, and He is revealed as the same in both Testaments. The God who is love does become angry at evil—but precisely because He is love. Jesus Himself expressed profound anger against evil, and the New Testament teaches numerous times about the righteous and appropriate wrath of God.
God’s anger is always His righteous and loving response against evil and injustice. Divine wrath is righteous indignation motivated by perfect goodness and love, and it seeks the flourishing of all creation. God’s wrath is simply the appropriate response of love to evil and injustice. Accordingly, evil provokes God to passion in favor of the victims of evil and against its perpetrators. Divine wrath, then, is another expression of divine love.
*Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, February 1.
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One of our human characteristics is that we like to see the bad guys get their “comeuppance”. We were driving the inland highway between Brisbane and Newcastle on one of our trips when a P-plater (A person who had had his licence for less than 3 years) tailgated me though one of the narrower sections of road and flashed his lights to indicate that I was going too slow. When it was safe to do so, I pulled over to let him pass – which he did with a long blast on the horn and a rude sign with his fingers, then speeding off well above the speed limit. He must have stopped for fuel somewhere because a couple of hours later we had a repeat performance. And after he roared away from us, we said to one another, “I wish the cops would catch him!” Three minutes later we came around a sweeping bend in the road to see the red and blue flashing lights of the traffic constabulary lighting up the highway and parked neatly in front of the cop car was out errant P-plater.
The guy was in for a hefty fine and he was going to lose his licence – and his P-plate was going to be extended for 3 years. It felt so good – it was like eating chocolate when Carmel is not watching!
Now, how would I feel if it was my grandson? He has just received his drivers licence. I was there with him wehn he sat his test and collected his P-plates. I have a photograph of him with a cheeky grin standing in front of his car holding up his P-plates. What if it was him driving that car? Would I have the same feeling of elation and satisfaction at seeing him get his comeuppance? It is easy to have such feelings behind the shield of anonymity but when it is someone you love, that feeling is replaced with sorrow, and a desire to help.
Just a thought to think about as we study the wrath of divine love.