“The burden against Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite. God is jealous, and the LORD avenges; The LORD avenges and is furious. The LORD will take vengeance on His adversaries, and He reserves wrath for His enemies; The LORD is slow to anger and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked.” (vv.1-3)
A burden is a heavy message of weighty importance, heavy in the sense that it produces sorrow or grief. Here the prophet Nahum is called to the capital of the Assyrian Empire, the city that heard the preaching of Jonah a hundred years before and repented, to deliver a message of judgment. And this weighted heavy on his heart.
This was more than a message communicated to Nahum in words or phrases from God. Because this was a vision, in some way Nahum saw it. When we see the vivid, descriptive way Nahum writes, we then will understand that the book records what he saw in his vision. This would not be the first time a prophet communicated a message from a vision sent by God. Isaiah 2:1 says: “The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. Isaiah saw a word from the LORD, and in some sense Nahum did also.
Nahum now begins with a description of God’s character by saying that, God is jealous. Meaning He refuses to share the human heart with any rival, not because He is selfish and wants us all for Himself, but because He knows that upon that loyalty to Him, depends our very soul. Therefore, God is not jealous of us: He is jealous for us - to the point of taking vengeance on His adversaries. Man needs to understand that he can’t fight against a jealous God and hope to prevail. Everyone who sets them-selves up against God or His children will end up receiving His vengeance. Example: Of the thirty Roman Emperors and Governors who persecuted Christians, not one came to a peaceful end.
Finally Nahum states that, “The LORD is slow to anger and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked.” In the case of Nineveh He waited 100 years before acting. But His longsuffering is not a sign of weakness nor blindness. God is not like an unjust judge who simply lets the guilty go out of a false sense of compassion. Consequently one can’t just hope that God will say, “All is forgiven” when anyone passes from this world to the next. Sin must be accounted for, because He will not acquit the wicked. Every sin will be paid for – either in hell or at the cross – but God will not acquit the wicked. "The bill comes due!
Later, concerning God's great power, Nahum asks the question, “Who can withstand his indignation?” (v.6) No one of course. God’s wrath is like a consuming fire—it will destroy whatever He chooses. It made no difference that Assyria was a world superpower. This wicked nation would be utterly unable to stand against the righteous power of God. And while the message of God's judgment and destruction was bad news for Nineveh, it brought “good news” to the people of Judah, “Behold, on the mountains the feet of him who brings good tidings, Who proclaims peace!” (v.15). In this case the defeat of their enemies.
Today, many people want to ignore the idea of God’s wrath and judgment. They say, “That’s the God of the Old Testament. The God of the New Testament is all about love.” They believe that grace abounds, liberties are endless, and all will be forgiven without cost. The truth is, there is only one God and He’s the God of the whole Bible. He is merciful and loving in both testaments, and holy and righteous in both testaments as well.
However, because of His holiness, He cannot ignore or overlook sin. As Paul so clearly said in Romans, “The wages of sin is death.” In other words, there is judgment for unrepentant sin. But, as Paul goes on to say, “the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our LORD” (6:23).
While it was to late for Nineveh, it’s not to late for you. Repent and seek the LORD today. (See the prayer, "Connect with God" to the right of this page). God Bless.
The Truth: “Seek the LORD while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near.” (Isaiah 55:6)
