A GOD WHO IS GOOD AND ANGRY – Nahum 1:1-8

Posted by Pastor Greg Allen on October 31, 2012 under AM Bible Study |

AM Bible Study Group; October 31, 2012

Nahum 1:1-8

Theme: God is good to those who trust Him; but dreadful toward those who are His enemies.

(Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are taken from The Holy Bible, New King James Version; copyright 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc.)

The people of Judah seemed helpless against an overwhelming oppressor. It had been only a decade or so before that the mighty, fearsome, prideful, brutal, seemingly-unstoppable Assyrian empire had conquered the ten tribes of the northern kingdom of Israel and carried its people away. God had justly punished the northern tribes because—with stiff neck—they persistently refused God’s repeated call for repentance from their wickedness (2 Kings 17:7-18). But what a wicked and cruel ‘instrument’ of punishment it was that He sent upon them!

The southern kingdom of Judah, too, had behaved wickedly. It had adopted the ways of the northern tribes (2 Kings 17:19). In fact, at one time, sinful King Ahaz of Judah sought to buy the aid of the cruel Assyrians in his campaign against the Edomites. But they wouldn’t help him; “for the LORD brought Judah low because of Ahaz king of Israel, for he had encouraged moral decline in Judah and had been continually unfaithful to the LORD” (2 Chronicles 27:19).

And now, as we come to our study of Nahum, it’s around 713 B.C. Ahaz’ godly son Hezekiah was reigning over Judah; and the times were very distressful. All around poor, helpless Judah, one nation after another was being swept away by the mighty Assyrian empire. Soon, they would come up to the very doorstep of Judah itself. But it was at this time that God raised up the prophet Nahum to give His message to the people of Judah against Nineveh—the capital city of Assyria.

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Note how this prophecy begins: “The burden against Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite (Nahum 1:1). Two important titles are here given to this book. First, it is called a “burden” (or an “oracle” as it is translated in some versions). This means it is a “heavy” or “weighty” word from God. And second, it is called a “vision”. This lets us know that it tells us of something that is going to happen in the future. The dreadfully “heavy” events that are foretold in this book occurred with remarkable accuracy a century or so later.

It is a message that is both a terrifying promise of judgment on the wicked capital city of Nineveh, and an assuring promise of deliverance for God’s chosen people. And in order to set the tone for both aspects of this prophetic message, God begins by describing Himself.

I. GOD’S NATURE (vv. 2-3a).

A. Note how in verse 2 we’re told that “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 . . .” Some people have been offended by the idea that God would present Himself as having the seemingly base emotion of jealousy. But really, the idea is that God is zealous for that which is rightfully His. When His name is blasphemed by the proud, He is justly zealous for His honor. When His people turn from Him and worship idols, He is justly jealous for their devotion. When wicked men strike those who are His people, He is justly zealous for them and rises to their defense. His ‘jealousy’ is understood by the fact that it is associated with his fury and wrath against his “enemies”. And note too that, three times in this passage, God is said to be an avenger—He “avenges”; He “avenges and is furious”; and He will “take vengeance on His adversaries”. “’Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord” (Romans 12:19; see also Deuteronomy 32:35). “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31).

B. Note how the dreadful jealousy of our God is never out-of-control passion. As we’re told in verse 3, “The LORD is slow to anger . . .” “The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin . . .” (Exodus 34:6-7a). That’s how He presented Himself to Moses. But in that same passage, He went on to say that He “by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation” (v. 7b). And so, though God is slow to anger, He goes on in Nahum 1:3 to add, “and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked.” Let all repentant sinner flee to Him and they will find Him to be abundantly merciful. But let those who would oppose Him beware, because He is dreadfully powerful in His anger!

II. GOD’S POWER (vv. 3b-6).

A. As if to give a ready illustration of the potential of His wrath against His enemies, He points to the display of His works in nature. “The Lord has His way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of His feet” (v. 3b). Nor is His power displayed in the wind alone—”He rebukes the sea and makes it dry, and dries up all the rivers” (v. 4a). What man can make a river full that God makes dry? “Bashan and Carmel wither, and the flower of Lebanon wilts” (v. 4b). These were lush, green places of the earth—known and loved for their beauty. But if God rebukes them, they become a parched wasteland. “The mountains quake before Him, the hills melt, and the earth heaves at His presence . . .” (v. 5a). Those who have experienced an earthquake, or who have seen the devastation that is brought about by a volcano, know something of the awesome power of God. “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse” (Romans 1:20).

B. These examples are not necessarily meant to say that every natural disaster that occurs should be viewed as an act of judgment. Rather, they are meant to say that no one can can look at the dreadful destructiveness of the hurricane or the tornado, or the drought or the earthquake or the volcano, and not tremble! And if God’s power is displayed in this way in creation, then what a terror He will prove to be to the wicked! All earth heaves before Him; “Yes, the world and all who dwell in it. Who can stand before His indignation? And who can endure the fierceness of His anger? His fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by Him” (vv. 5b-6). As the psalmist puts it, “Come, behold the works of the Lord, who has made desolations in the earth” (Psalm 46:8). Come and behold!—and tremble!—and worship Him in reverence and repentance!

III. GOD’S DISCERNMENT (vv. 7-8).

A. And this is where the two aspects of Nahum’s message become evident and applicable. To the godly, this fearsome God is a source of comfort. “The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and He knows those who trust in Him” (v. 7). He doesn’t pour His wrath out on those who trust Him and look to Him for mercy. Far from it—He knows full well who it is that look to Him in trust (see 2 Timothy 2:19), and is their Protector and Defender. The oppressed people of Judah could look to Him and know that He would keep them in His care. So may we!

B. But not so wicked, rebellious Nineveh! This same God who is good to those who trust Him says, “But with an overflowing flood He will make an utter end of its place, and darkness will pursue His enemies” (v. 8)—or, as it is in the New International Version, “he will pursue his foes into darkness” (that is, into permanent judgment). These words came to pass literally! It was because of a flooding of the Euphrates River that the defensive wall of Nineveh became broken down—allowing the Medes and the Babylonians to break through and conquer the city!

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We should respond to all this in at least two ways. First we should humbly search our hearts before God and ask Him to show us if there is any wicked way in us. God is a holy God—a jealous God!—who will not tolerate arrogant rebellion in His people. Praise Him!—He is slow to anger, and ready to forgive.

And second, we should humbly trust Him when we are under the oppressive hand of the wicked. We don’t need to fear—nor do we need to take vengeance in our own hand. The same God who is slow to anger toward those who humble themselves before Him is also terrible in anger toward those who shake their fist at Him. As so much of this amazing prophecy will show us, God is good to those who trust Him; but dreadful toward those who are His enemies.