The LORD is a jealous and avenging God; the LORD is avenging and wrathful; the LORD takes vengeance on his adversaries and keeps wrath for his enemies.
Nahum's prophecy speaks to Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, yet it does not open by listing that city's crimes. It opens with God Himself, and twice calls Him an avenger — which raises the question every reader feels: how can jealousy and vengeance belong to the God of love?
God's character first
Before any sentence falls on Nineveh, the prophet shows who is passing it. One writer sees a portrait of God, drawn against what He puts up with from human pride:
J. N. DarbyIt begins with a display of the character of God, in view of what He has to bear from the pride of man. God is jealous, and the LORD avenges. It is a solemn thought that, however great His patience, a day is coming which will prove that He does not put up with evil. Yet it is also a comforting thought. The vengeance of God is the deliverance of the world from the oppression and misery of the enemy's yoke and of lust. Then the world may flourish under the peaceful eye of its Deliverer.
What "jealous" means here
Where does this jealousy come from? One writer traces it to God's love for the people He chose, and His avenging flows straight out of it:
Arno Clemens GaebeleinIt is a sublime description. God is a jealous God. The jealousy of God has its source in the love of His elect people... "For you shall worship no other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God" (Exodus 34:14). He is jealous over His people, in case they serve other gods. And because He is a jealous God, a holy, sin-hating God, He must be an avenger of whatever is against His character. He will take vengeance on His adversaries and reserves wrath for His enemies... God is the God of Love as much as He is the God of Wrath. He must be that, or He would not be the God of Light and Holiness. He cannot afford to let evil go on forever.
Who the adversaries were
The adversaries here are not vague. God used Assyria as a rod on His own people, but Assyria wanted plunder and glory for itself, and its pride brought this sentence down:
J. G. BellettThe Lord, in that action, had used him as a rod upon His disobedient, rebellious Israel; but "he did not mean it so." He planned "to take spoil and seize plunder." Pride gives him his only language: "Are not my commanders all kings?" he says (Isaiah 10). The Lord God was angry. He pronounces a burden upon him, and Nahum delivers it. "The LORD is a jealous and avenging God."
Wrath without impatience
God's anger and God's patience look like opposites. One commentator says they belong together, and that anger itself belongs to moral perfection:
William KellyAre we not all apt to set these things against one another? But in truth it is not so. The stronger God's feeling against what destroys His own glory, the more worthy it is that He should be slow to act on His indignation... Usually, slowness to anger is the proof of moral greatness. In extreme cases, though, waiting would show a lack of right feeling.
The same writer points to Jesus Himself:
William KellyToday quite a few Christians shut holy anger out of what is morally perfect. There is no greater mistake. Our Lord Jesus on one occasion looked around with anger... The Christian who does not share such feelings is completely lacking in what is of God... But for this very reason He too was slow — not, of course, to form a judgment, but to carry it out on man.
Wrath "reserved" — never waived
To "keep wrath" means God stores sin rather than overlooking it. The reason lies in what He is:
The Bible TreasuryGod never treats the guilty as innocent. It is contrary to His nature, and it would not be the truth. He may put the sin away and receive the sinner cleansed; but He cannot act as if it did not exist when it does, nor be indifferent to it while He remains Himself... But He cannot leave sin anywhere as though it did not exist or did not matter.
Summary
- Character first. The prophecy opens by showing who God is, not what Nineveh did — the Judge Himself explains the sentence.
- Jealousy is love. His jealousy has its source in love for His people; He is jealous in case they serve other gods.
- Love must avenge. Because He is jealous and hates sin, He must avenge whatever is against His character. He cannot let evil run forever.
- Delay is not weakness. He is slow to act on His indignation, and that slowness is the mark of moral greatness, not of indifference.
- Vengeance delivers. He stores sin; He never waives it. When His vengeance falls, it frees the world from the enemy's yoke.