Nah 1:3 | KingComments | STEP | The fact that the LORD is an Avenger does not mean that He is quick to wrath, for He is “slow to anger” (cf. ). He admonishes us in His Word that we must be “slow to anger” ( ; cf. ). Would He then be quick to anger? He demonstrated that He is patient over a century ago, when He sent His prophet Jonah to this city of Nineveh to judge the city ( ). He gives people time to repent. In the days of Jonah this was a period of forty days. If the next generations of Nineveh forget God and become more and more wicked, God will have patience for more than a century. His patience is not a weak indulgence, but results from the power of His love and mercy ( ). He never loses His patience. That is a happy knowledge for those who know Him. But His patience does come to an end. That is a serious thought for those who mock Him. His reluctance to wrath does not mean that He lacks strength and therefore He must let the guilty one go unpunished. He is powerful in His goodness. He is also of great power in judgment. He always uses His power at the right time, in the right way and in the right form ( ). In His power He will not let the guilty party go unpunished, but will judge him. We see a revelation of His power “in whirlwind and storm”. In it we see not only His power but also the suddenness of His action. In His performance He is accompanied by whirlwind and storm. They serve Him in the exercise of His judgment (cf. ). “He bruises … with a tempest” ( ; ; ). Nahum adds another aspect to His majesty and that is that the clouds are “the dust beneath His feet”. Just as man walks on the dust and the dust blows up where he walks, so the LORD walks on the clouds that guide Him where He goes. Thus God’s majesty and exaltation are drawn here. This happens in a way that we are reminded of the revelation of God at Sinai when He gave the law. At the same time, this illustration of God’s majesty and exaltation offers consolation to anyone in whose life clouds cover the sun. God is above the clouds of sorrow. He walks on them, He moves on them to accomplish His work, although the clouds sometimes hide how His way is and that it is His way. His footsteps are sometimes not perceivable or discernable by man. Nevertheless, faith may trust that His footsteps go in the direction of blessing. When we see clouds in our lives, He is not far away. A cloud is great and elevated for us, but to God it is nothing more than a dusty substance. Our difficulties and fears are not great for Him. With a movement of the hand He could remove them. We can trust in Him that He controls them, even if He doesn’t immediately wipe them away.

‏ Nahum 1:3

The Guilty Is Punished

The fact that the LORD is an Avenger does not mean that He is quick to wrath, for He is “slow to anger” (cf. Num 14:18). He admonishes us in His Word that we must be “slow to anger” (Jam 1:19; cf. Ecc 7:9). Would He then be quick to anger? He demonstrated that He is patient over a century ago, when He sent His prophet Jonah to this city of Nineveh to judge the city (Jn 3:10 ; Jn 4:2). He gives people time to repent. In the days of Jonah this was a period of forty days. If the next generations of Nineveh forget God and become more and more wicked, God will have patience for more than a century.

His patience is not a weak indulgence, but results from the power of His love and mercy (2Pet 3:9). He never loses His patience. That is a happy knowledge for those who know Him. But His patience does come to an end. That is a serious thought for those who mock Him. His reluctance to wrath does not mean that He lacks strength and therefore He must let the guilty one go unpunished. He is powerful in His goodness. He is also of great power in judgment. He always uses His power at the right time, in the right way and in the right form (Num 14:17).

In His power He will not let the guilty party go unpunished, but will judge him. We see a revelation of His power “in whirlwind and storm”. In it we see not only His power but also the suddenness of His action. In His performance He is accompanied by whirlwind and storm. They serve Him in the exercise of His judgment (cf. Isa 29:6). “He bruises … with a tempest” (Job 9:17a; Isa 29:6; Psa 83:15).

Nahum adds another aspect to His majesty and that is that the clouds are “the dust beneath His feet”. Just as man walks on the dust and the dust blows up where he walks, so the LORD walks on the clouds that guide Him where He goes. Thus God’s majesty and exaltation are drawn here. This happens in a way that we are reminded of the revelation of God at Sinai when He gave the law.

At the same time, this illustration of God’s majesty and exaltation offers consolation to anyone in whose life clouds cover the sun. God is above the clouds of sorrow. He walks on them, He moves on them to accomplish His work, although the clouds sometimes hide how His way is and that it is His way. His footsteps are sometimes not perceivable or discernable by man. Nevertheless, faith may trust that His footsteps go in the direction of blessing.

When we see clouds in our lives, He is not far away. A cloud is great and elevated for us, but to God it is nothing more than a dusty substance. Our difficulties and fears are not great for Him. With a movement of the hand He could remove them. We can trust in Him that He controls them, even if He doesn’t immediately wipe them away.