VERSE 1 of Nahum tells us that the book of Nahum is an oracle against Nineveh. However before Nineveh is referred to the vision given to the prophet concentrates on a revelation of God. This revelation clearly was not appreciated by this heathen nation of Assyria and its chief city Nineveh, and so before God's wrath against Nineveh is addressed and explained, God tells the truth about himself. These opening six verses open up to Nineveh an aspect of the character of God they rejected and ignored. Perhaps they thought of the God of Israel, the one and only true creator and ruler of all he created, as rather like the gods of their imagination, whom they found weak when it came to dealing with their needs, and could be ignored unless they felt a need for their intervention.

This revelation of God was what was needed when God was speaking against the sin and idolatry of Nineveh so that they may be assured that God could carry out and execute all he says he will do in his judgement and wrath. It is not the whole revelation of the character, majesty, supremacy, goodness and power of God, but it was a revelation needed at the time so the Ninevites would not be tempted to shrug off the threatening of God and disregard them, or complain, when judgement was executed, that they were not told. As we go on in our study of this prophecy we shall see further revelation of God given which adds to the knowledge of God we are given in the Bible. For instance we have an example in verse 7 where God is revealed as good, and a refuge, and cares for those who trust him, when at the same time his wrath is poured out on those who put their trust in idols.

It is a reprehensible fact that this revelation of the character of God is despised and rejected so very much in the thinking and attitude of the visible church today. Such revelation is treated as part of the ignorance of the time, which now can be rejected as unworthy of God which is now understood because of superior wisdom and understanding which humanity has evolved to. Such an attitude is simply an expression and example of the idolatry which is present in the visible church today, which only approves of the revelation God has given of himself in the Bible, which suits modern sinful perception, and rejects the rest.

Let us now think deeply on this revelation of God given in these verses so that we may believe and receive it for the good of our souls. So we commence with the revelation given in verse 2.

We are told that 'The Lord is a jealous and avenging God; the Lord takes vengeance and is filled with wrath. The Lord takes vengeance on his foes and maintains his wrath against his enemies.' This is a revelation of God we do not like to hear. The emphasis in today's thinking majors on the love of God, and any thought of wrath and vengeance in God is appalling to modern thought and rejected out of hand, yet God revealed himself to Nahum in these words in the condition of Nineveh and Assyria. God is revealing here a side of his character and holy majesty which is so needed if we are to honour God truly in obedience and faith. We forget that God is holy as well as love.

But where is this truth of God coming from in the context of this prophecy; and where is this action of God executed and becomes relevant. How can God be jealous? Why does he say he is a jealous God? Why does God take vengeance and pour out wrath? The verse tells us that this action of God is poured out on his enemies and foes, so who are God's enemies and foes? These questions are the ones this verse raises before us, and we will not be able to understand this revelation of God unless we seriously address and answer these questions.

The trouble lies in the way we view jealousy and wrath in our human thinking. When human beings show jealousy and wrath we find it is a horrible thing. When people are jealous they act in a horrible way. Human wrath is an expression of uncontrollable rage, which only wants to do harm to the one such wrath is directed. Then in human thought the idea of vengeance is conceived of as a hateful vendetta against some person which seeks to pour reprisals on the object of vengeance. When we hear of God being jealous and filled with wrath, this human image is all we find we have to understand the revelation, and so we find ourselves appalled at such an image. But human understanding of these two words is conditioned by how wrath, vengeance and jealousy comes forth from human corruption and sinfulness. Humanity is born sinful and corrupt at heart, and so this effects all our actions and thinking, and therefore jealousy, wrath and vengeance in human action is also corrupted and sinful.

However God is holy and such evil as we see in human life expressed in human wrath, vengeance and jealousy is not found in God, and God's jealousy, wrath and vengeance is holy and right and pure. So how are we to understand and appreciate this action of God expressed in verse 2 of this first chapter of Nahum?

For this we need to seek out other places where God expresses first of all jealousy. For this, the first and most important expression of this word is found in the ten commandments, which we have recorded in Exodus chapter 20. We find the word jealous in verse 5. It is in the context of the second commandment. The first commandment commands that we must have no other gods but God, one and only and eternal. The second commandment amplifies this and tells us we must not make to ourselves any idol.

What is a idol? It is a representation of God that is not God and less than God, and conjured up by human action and thought, which is then worshipped instead of the one and only eternal self-existing one who created all things including man, and sustains all things, and is supreme over all things, rules all he created and by virtue of creation all things belong to him and are his possession. From this all human life, being created by God and sustained by God, owe God obedience, trust and love.

What is being spoken of here is idolatry in all its forms, and the first two commandments of God are the two most important commandments, which when obeyed give glory to God, and prevents the disobedience in all the other eight commandments. It is a fearful fact that when the ten commandments are thought of the focus is usually on the last six, and the first four, which is our duty to God are horribly neglected.

We have this expression of the horror of idolatry also expressed in Exodus 34: 14 and Deuteronomy 4: 24.

Let us now seek to appreciate the awfulness of the sin of idolatry which gives worship to another rather than God who created us.

This sin is the terrible sin which cast Satan and his satellite angels from heaven and imprisoned on earth. The origin of Satan and his evil spirits is a subject that is only revealed in a mist in Scripture, but what we are told is that Satan was one of the highest of angels created by God, who sought to set himself above or equal with God, and be a god, and in his rebellion he took a host of other angels with him. God cast him out of heaven, and now Satan's one overpowering purpose is to oppose God and get back at God. This was first expressed when he brought all the force of his malice against God in tempting our first parents Adam and Eve to rebel against God, tempting them to feel that God was repressive to them and preventing them being something greater than they were. They believed Satan's lies, and obeyed Satan rather than God, and so set up Satan in their allegiance above God. They did this by revolt against God in disobedience of His one prohibition and ate of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Because of this God cast them out of his presence and his paradise, and they became subjects of Satan, the prince of darkness. Being now subject to Satan all their progeny have been born under the same bondage.

This terrible condition is described in the New Testament as Satan being the god of this world, and all human beings are born initially under his thrall, and this is the reason for the terrible history of the world from Adam onwards. From the time of Adam God's purpose of mercy, grace and love has been expressed and made known in the promise of God sending his only begotten Son to be the Saviour of sinners and the victor over Satan.

From this we see that idolatry is the very sin committed by Satan who set himself up as god, and who seeks worship, that is idolatry, from all his subjects. Because of this God's jealousy, wrath and vengeance is not the horrible expression we sinners commit and express, but God, the and only self-existing one, creator and owner of all things, who created all things for his pleasure to give him honour, who created human kind as his special creation to love and for his pleasure to show his glory and love for all eternity, expressing his honour at all rebellion against his glorious supremacy over all he has created.

God created us for himself, according to his pleasure and for his glory, and to give him glory and praise and love, and abide thereby in his loving presence and give him glory forever. Man's chief duty is to give glory to God and enjoy him forever.

God is jealous of his honour and glory. He will renounce it to no one. He upholds his honour and glory by showing vengeance and holy wrath against all who set themselves up above him, and make gods for themselves by their thought or action. Giving honour and worship to any other than the one and only God is the greatest of sins. God's jealousy is not the expression of selfish action against another who we see as taking away from us what we feel we deserve, but the expression of one who created all things, and to whom all things belong, being jealous of his holy honour glory, and caring for those who would take away from his creation, mankind, the blessing of being fulfilled by fulfilling in their lives and living the purpose that God created them for.

God's holy wrath is thus an expression of the holy passionless reaction against those who would deprive him of the honour due to his Name, and who deprive people from finding in Him the blessing, love and joy for which God created us.

God expresses holy vengeance against all those who oppose his perfect holy will which is found in giving him the glory in all things by true obedience and worship.

So God shows vengeance against all who worship idols and so follow in obedience the prince of darkness, and expresses this in holy wrath which brings an annihilation of all such rebellion. However as the Bible so vividly and clearly reveals this action of God is a last resort, and comes after years of idolatry, and the worship of idols. God is patient and gives time for repentance, but as in the case of Nineveh, as it was with Sodom and Gomorrah, a time comes when God brings final judgement. The Bible makes clear that all such judgement is only the beginning, for God has made clear that there will be a final judgement of the world when Christ returns to judge the living and the dead.