Nahum 1:2-3, “God is jealous, and the Lord revengeth; the Lord revengeth, and is furious; the Lord will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies. The Lord is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the Lord hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.
When discussing scripture with people, it quickly becomes evident that opinions about God, and Who He is, miss the mark of the truth of scripture. Most individuals have been taught that God is love and is so gentle that He would never judge anyone. God, according to most, sounds like an old unable man who has lost his vision and is just happy someone will pay attention to him. This opinion is very foreign to scripture. The God of the Bible is strong, powerful and sees all things (Proverbs 15:3). He is the God Who sits on the highest throne of the universe and will judge sin, disobedience and will never sweep sin under a rug (acquit). Deuteronomy 32:4 teaches this very fact, “He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.”
In our study verse we read about the prophet Nahum writing to people of Nineveh. Nineveh had sinned against God and Nahum declares the judgment that they would face in their future. By turning back a few pages in your Bible, you will find a time in this people’s past when God declared that they would be judged. In the Book of Jonah, it was the prophet Jonah who warned the people of Nineveh of the coming judgment of God. According to Jonah 3:7-9, the king of Nineveh proclaimed and published through Nineveh by decree that there would be repentance, fasting, and a mourning for sin in hopes of the Lord showing mercy towards them. A verse of scripture that comes to mind when I read Jonah chapter 3 is Proverbs 28:13, “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.” The Lord, Who is a very merciful Father in heaven, showed mercy to this people, but Nahum reveals unto us that the turning from sin was temporary at best. When Nahum penned the words of our study verses, it is abundantly clear that Nineveh had completely fallen back into the sin and was now facing a coming judgment from the Eternal God of this universe. When reading our study verses I’m reminded of an old preacher who said, “God is long suffering, but long suffering is not forever suffering.”
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, God is the same today. The Lord is a righteous judge and He gets it right every time. He knows the wrongs that are committed, even those in secret. Psalm 139:1-12 is a portion of scripture I often cite when proving this truth to other Bible students. But God is merciful to those who fall at His feet in repentance and confession of sin. Let us not be as the people of Nineveh, who turned only for a moment it seems, but let us be found turning from sin unto the Lord and laboring to continue in a faithful life of obedience. For it is in this walk that we will enjoy the fellowship of God and His rich temporal blessings.