Nahum 1
Today's Passage: Nahum 1
Nahum was a prophet of God who proclaimed the fall of the capital city of Assyria - the city of Nineveh. It’s no coincidence that the name Nahum means ‘comfort’ because his message to the people of Judah would have been received as a source of hope for their future. To both the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah, the nation of Assyria was a constant dark cloud looming over them for much of their history. Nahum’s message of judgment on Assyria would have been a source of comfort, hope, and encouragement to God’s people who found themselves under the evil Assyrian yoke.
I want to focus our attention on three words found within Nahum 1:2-8: jealousy, vengeance, and anger. Biblical Scholar Warren Wiersbe speaks to the importance of Nahum’s emphasis on these three words because they reveal to us aspects of the very character of God.
Jealousy: God is in a covenant relationship with His people, and this requires that He cherish and protect them. In the giving of the ten commandments, God requires of His covenant people that they have no other gods before Him. We, as His children, are called to worship God alone. Years prior to Nahum’s prophetic judgment over Nineveh, the prophet Jonah had called them to repent of their evil ways. The Ninevites initially responded to the message that Jonah brought but over the years retreated back to their evil ways. God, a just and jealous God, righteously demands that Nineveh be punished for the sin that they committed against Him. This is where Nahum’s prophecy of the coming judgment of God against the Ninevites comes into play.
Vengeance: Throughout Scripture, God’s people are found praying that He would avenge them for the wrong deeds committed against them. Note that vengeance belongs to God alone. Why is this? This is because God’s vengeance is perfectly and sinlessly carried out against His enemies - “He is a holy God and is jealous (zealous) for His holy law” - (Warren Wiersbe).
Anger: Nahum writes that God is ‘filled with wrath’ (v2). God possesses a holy anger that He perfectly exemplifies towards those who defy His authority and disobey His law. God’s anger is rooted in His beautiful hatred of sin - sin being the very thing that separates His creation from Him... the very thing that He sent His son to die for.
The reality of these three aspects of God’s character should uplift the spirit of the believer. The new life that believers walk in allows for the words of Nahum to ring true in the darkest of times: “The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him, but with an overwhelming flood he will make an end of Nineveh; he will pursue his foes into the realm of darkness” (NIV, Nah. 1:7-8). In the same way, the believer finds victory over the evils of this world through the reality of Christ’s victory over death and sin on the cross.
——
Works Referenced
Wiersbe, Warren W. The Bible Exposition Commentary: Old Testament Prophets. David C Cook, 2002.
Written By: Steven Thompson
Nahum was a prophet of God who proclaimed the fall of the capital city of Assyria - the city of Nineveh. It’s no coincidence that the name Nahum means ‘comfort’ because his message to the people of Judah would have been received as a source of hope for their future. To both the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah, the nation of Assyria was a constant dark cloud looming over them for much of their history. Nahum’s message of judgment on Assyria would have been a source of comfort, hope, and encouragement to God’s people who found themselves under the evil Assyrian yoke.
I want to focus our attention on three words found within Nahum 1:2-8: jealousy, vengeance, and anger. Biblical Scholar Warren Wiersbe speaks to the importance of Nahum’s emphasis on these three words because they reveal to us aspects of the very character of God.
Jealousy: God is in a covenant relationship with His people, and this requires that He cherish and protect them. In the giving of the ten commandments, God requires of His covenant people that they have no other gods before Him. We, as His children, are called to worship God alone. Years prior to Nahum’s prophetic judgment over Nineveh, the prophet Jonah had called them to repent of their evil ways. The Ninevites initially responded to the message that Jonah brought but over the years retreated back to their evil ways. God, a just and jealous God, righteously demands that Nineveh be punished for the sin that they committed against Him. This is where Nahum’s prophecy of the coming judgment of God against the Ninevites comes into play.
Vengeance: Throughout Scripture, God’s people are found praying that He would avenge them for the wrong deeds committed against them. Note that vengeance belongs to God alone. Why is this? This is because God’s vengeance is perfectly and sinlessly carried out against His enemies - “He is a holy God and is jealous (zealous) for His holy law” - (Warren Wiersbe).
Anger: Nahum writes that God is ‘filled with wrath’ (v2). God possesses a holy anger that He perfectly exemplifies towards those who defy His authority and disobey His law. God’s anger is rooted in His beautiful hatred of sin - sin being the very thing that separates His creation from Him... the very thing that He sent His son to die for.
The reality of these three aspects of God’s character should uplift the spirit of the believer. The new life that believers walk in allows for the words of Nahum to ring true in the darkest of times: “The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him, but with an overwhelming flood he will make an end of Nineveh; he will pursue his foes into the realm of darkness” (NIV, Nah. 1:7-8). In the same way, the believer finds victory over the evils of this world through the reality of Christ’s victory over death and sin on the cross.
——
Works Referenced
Wiersbe, Warren W. The Bible Exposition Commentary: Old Testament Prophets. David C Cook, 2002.
Written By: Steven Thompson
2 Comments
Awesome commentary, Steven. Thank you!
Thanks Steven, those 3 words stood out to me as well and I appreciate you sharing the insights on those