Nahum 1:1–8

Explore the Bible 
Assistant Professor of Christian Ministries, University of Mobile

God Is

Nahum 1:1–8

The book of Nahum begins with a clear statement of God’s anger toward Nineveh. You will remember that Nineveh is the city to which Jonah was sent to tell the Assyrian people to repent. 

Nineveh was the capital of the Assyrians who were enemies of Israel. They defeated the northern tribes of Israel in 722 B.C. and were set to attack Jerusalem when divine intervention thwarted their advance (2 Kings 19:35). 

Once again the Assyrians were at odds with Israel and God spoke through Nahum to confront them. The Assyrians were puffed up with pride in their own abilities and God was going to lay them low.

Jealous (1–3a)

In the opening verses God reveals He is a jealous God and He is filled with wrath. In today’s society people often do not associate God with these attributes. American society thinks of God only as love and believes that He really wants everyone to be happy. 

However, this is not at all the biblical picture of God. Through both the Old and New Testaments we get the picture of God as being both loving and holy. Because God is holy He cannot stand to be in the presence of sin, and He must punish sin. 

When we turn toward other things to worship — our country’s power, our sports teams, our children, our job, etc. — God is jealous. Because God must judge sin He will pour out His wrath on sin. 

We see the ultimate display of this at the cross where God’s wrath is poured out on His Son who takes it on our behalf so that those who believe in Christ need not face eternal judgment. In the midst of God’s wrath we see His provision and His love in Christ.

Sovereign (3b–6)

God is able to judge sin because He is sovereign. While this is terrifying for those who oppose God, for those of us who love God and seek Him this is wonderfully comforting. 

Because we know God is sovereign we know He is able to fulfill His promises and we can be certain God is able to punish the wicked. God’s sovereignty gives us an assurance that His promise of salvation for us is true (John 6:37–40, Rom. 8:28–39).

Good (7)

In verse 7 we get a glimpse of God’s goodness and provision. In the midst of God’s declaration of justice and wrath we see a declaration of God’s goodness. 

This is a common theme throughout the whole Bible. God cares for those who trust in Him and He forgives them of their sin — even those who were once His enemies as we all were (Rom. 5:10).

Just (8)

Nahum 1:8 demonstrates God’s judgment on His enemies. God states clearly that He is going to punish Nineveh and all of His foes. This came true as Nineveh was eventually destroyed completely by a coalition of its enemies. 

Today the warning against God’s enemies is still in effect. The world has always been opposed to God’s people, as seen in the Old Testament, New Testament and modern times. We see this in our society and in other countries, especially in places like North Korea and the Middle East. But Christians can have hope because even in the midst of persecution we know God is just and He will bring justice. 

As Christians we will be judged and counted as righteous because Christ’s righteousness is ours (2 Cor. 5:21). Those who do not turn to Christ will be judged on their own merits, which means their sins will be counted against them. 

This should encourage us to live lives dedicated to God, and also to do our best to make God known so that others can come to experience the new life that is in Him.