Nahum makes a very important point as to the nature of God in 1:2-3, saying, “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.” God is not jealous of us; He is jealous for us, and as such, His jealousy will come forth even though He is “slow to anger and great in power.” He will not acquit the wicked. People really struggle with this concept of God’s jealousy, as Oprah said during one of her shows years ago: “I was raised a Baptist, and we were too hung up on traditional ways. I was sitting in church and heard that God is a jealous God. I asked, ‘Why?’ Come on—let’s get over it!” It’s apparent that she related God’s “jealousy” in human terms, making God insecure. Think of it in terms of a doctor who is jealous of cancer in a patient. He isn’t jealous of the cancer; he doesn’t wish he had it himself! No, his jealousy brings him to action against the cancer as he realizes its potential to destroy the person so prescribes actions that, though may be painful, are designed to eradicate the cancer from the person he cares about. How unfortunate it is that some folks misunderstand God’s patience as indifference and seize that as an opportunity to continue in self-destructive ways. Nahum says in 1:7-8, “The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble, and He knows those who trust in Him. But with an overflowing flood, He will make an utter end of its place, and darkness will pursue His enemies.” Oh, how we love the truth of the first part of this verse but seem to think that the second part contradicts the first.
