Nahum 1:3

The Lord is slow to anger, and great in power, and win not at all acquit the wicked.

Mercy, omnipotence, and justice

Works of art require some education in the beholder before they can be thoroughly appreciated. There must be something in the man himself before he can understand the wonders either of nature or of art. Certainly this is true of character. By reason of failures in our character, and faults in our life, we are not capable of understanding all the separate beauties and the united perfection of the character of Christ, or of God His Father. Men, through the alienation of their natures, are constantly misrepresenting God, because they cannot appreciate His perfection. This is especially true with regard to certain lights and shadows in the character of God, which He has so marvellously blended in the perfection of His nature, that, although we cannot see the exact point of meeting, yet we are struck with wonder at the sacred harmony. How can God be “slow to anger,” and yet unwilling to “acquit the wicked? Our character is so imperfect that we cannot see the congruity of these two attributes. It is because His character is perfect that we do not see where these two things melt into each other.

I. The first characteristic of God. “Slow to anger.”

1. Because He never smites without first threatening.

2. But He is very slow to threaten. God’s lips move swiftly when He promises, but slowly when He threatens.

3. When He threatens, how slow He is to sentence the criminal.

4. Even when the sentence against a sinner is signed and sealed, how slow God is to carry it out. Illustrate from case of Sodom. Trace this attribute of God to its source. He is “slow to anger” because He is infinitely good. And because He is great.

II. The link between the first sentence of the text and the last. He is “great in power.” He that is great in power has power over Himself. When God’s power doth restrain Himself, then it is power indeed.

III. The last attribute is this--“He will not at all acquit the wicked.” Never once has God pardoned an unpunished sin. Trace this attribute to its source, and you find it in this, because He is good.” (C. H. Spurgeon.)

The patience of God

I. Implies great power. Note--

1. This exquisite sensitiveness. He is sensibility itself.

2. His abhorrence of sin. It is the “abominable thing,” which He emphatically hates. His whole nature revolts from it. He feels that it is antagonism to His will, and to the order and well-being of the universe.

3. His provocation by the world.

4. His right to do whatever He pleases. He could show His anger, if He pleased, any when, anywhere, or anyhow.

II. His patience precludes not the punishment of the impenitent. “And will not at all acquit the wicked.”

1. To “acquit” the impenitent, would be an infraction of His law. He has bound suffering to sin by a law as strong and as inviolable as that which binds the planets to the sun. “The wages of sin is death.”

2. To “acquit” the impenitent, would be a violation of His Word.

3. To “acquit” the impenitent, would be to break the harmony of His universe. If inveterate rebels were acquitted, what an impulse there would be given in God’s moral empire to anarchy. Abuse not the patience of God; nay, avail yourselves of it. (Homilist.)

A discourse upon God’s patience

Slowness to anger, or admirable patience, is the property of the Divine nature. This patience is seen in His providential works in the world. Consider--

I. The nature of this patience.

1. It is a part of the Divine goodness and mercy, yet differs from both. It differs from mercy in the formal consideration of the object. Mercy respects the creature as miserable, patience respects the creature as criminal. Mercy is one end of patience. It differs in regard of the object. The object of goodness is every creature. The object of patience is primarily man.

2. Since it is a part of goodness and mercy, it is not an insensible patience.

3. It is not a constrained or half-hearted patience.

4. Since it is not for want of power over the creature, it is from a fulness of power over Himself.

5. The exercise of this patience is founded in the death of Christ. The natural ness of God’s veracity and holiness, and the strictness of His justice, are no bars to the exercise of His patience.

II. How this patience, or slowness to anger, is manifested.

1. To our first parents.

2. To the Gentiles.

3. To the Israelites. In particular, this patience is manifest--

(1) In His giving warning of judgments before He orders them to go forth. He speaks before He strikes, and speaks that He may not strike.

(2)In long delaying His threatened judgments, though He finds no repentance in the rebels.

(3) In His unwillingness to execute His judgments, when He can delay no longer.

(4) In moderating His judgments, even when He sends them.

(5) In giving great mercies after provocations.

(6) All this is more manifest if we consider the provocations He hath.

III. Why doth God exercise so much patience?

1. To show Himself appeasable.

2. To wait for men’s repentance.

3. For the propagation of mankind.

4. For the continuance of the Church.

5. To manifest the equity of His future justice on righteous and wicked.

For instruction--

1. How do men abuse this patience?

2. The second use is for comfort.

3. For exhortation. Meditate often on the patience of God, (C. Charnocke.)

The God of providence a forbearing God

I. The admirable patience of the divine being. The prophet adds a reference to the power of God, and His punishment of the wicked, in order to guard men against presuming on His forbearance. We need not stay to prove that slowness to anger is a property of God. Divine patience could not be displayed unless there were sin. There was abundant evidence of the Divine goodness before man transgressed; but none of the Divine patience. When our race rebelled, Divine patience displayed itself. There could be no forbearance, no long-suffering, in the sense in which we now use the word, unless there were the possibility of ultimate pardon. When the Almighty spares a sinner, He is even more wonderful than when He builds a universe. But the Divine patience is in no degree opposed to the justice and faithfulness of God. It leaves room for the exercise of every other attribute.

II. The mysterious and awful character of divine providential operations. God has everything at His disposal; and He accomplishes His purposes, and works out the counsel of His own will, through a varied instrumentality. Our text, with its sublime and magnificent imagery, is full of consolation to the afflicted as well as terror to the impenitent. (H. Melvill, B. D.)

And will not at all acquit the wicked.--

God both forgiving and unforgiving

Calvin’s translation is, “Jehovah is slow to wrath, and great in power, and by clearing He will not clear.” God is irreconcilable to the impenitent. He deals strictly with sinners, so as to remit no punishment. He will not clear by clearing, but will rigidly execute His judgment. There seems to be some inconsistency in saying that God is reconcilable and ready to pardon, and yet that by clearing He will not clear. But the aspect of things is different. The ungodly ever promise impunity to themselves, and in this confidence petulantly deride God Himself. The prophet answers them, and declares that there was no reason why they thus abused God’s forbearance, for he says, By clearing He will not clear, that is, the reprobate: for our salvation consists in a free remission of sins; and whence comes our righteousness but from the imputation of God, and from this--that our sins are buried in oblivion? Yea, our whole clearing depends on the mercy of God. But God then exercises also His judgment, and by clearing He clears, when He remits to the faithful their sins; for the faithful, by repentance, anticipate His judgment; and He searches their hearts, that He may clear them. As then God absolves none but the condemned, our prophet here rightly declares, that “by clearing He will not clear,” that is, He will not remit their sins, except He tries them, and discharges the office of a judge; in short, that no sin is remitted by God which He does not first condemn. But with regard to the reprobate, who are wholly obstinate in their wickedness, the prophet justly declares this to them,--that they have no hope of pardon, as they perversely adhere to their own devices, and think that they can escape the hand of God: the prophet tells them that they are deceived, for God passes by nothing, and will not blot out one sin, until all be brought to mind. (John Calvin.)

The Lord hath His way in the whirlwind, and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of His feet.--

The way of the Lord in the whirlwind and in the storm

Philosophers contemplate hurricanes as natural evils, and investigate the material causes of these elementary commotions. But Scripture raises us up to a higher sphere of contemplation, and presents to our minds the terrible operations of nature, under consideration of the works and judgments of the God of nature. He commands the storm, whirls the wind, rules the sea, and superintends the destructions of death. The literal sense of the text appears to have a foundation in fact, and may be traced to the terrible hurricane in which the God of Israel came down, and by a mighty angel destroyed the Assyrian camp before Jerusalem.

1. The way of the Lord in these elementary and violent commotions which have been described.

(1) They are awaked and roused by the Word of the Lord.

(2) They are directed by the will of God.

(3) They are ruled by the providence of God.

(4) They are restrained and moderated by the power of God.

(5) They are calmed by the goodness and mercy of God.

Application--

1. The way of the Lord in whirlwinds and storms, and the illustrations of it, are proofs and demonstrations to the world of His existence and providence.

2. Exhibitions to our senses of the glory and terror of His majesty.

3. Declarations to the world that it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

4. Admonitions to the nations, to consider the miseries of war, and to settle among themselves those differences for which they have taken up arms against one another.

5. Calls to the inhabitants of the world, to turn from ungodliness and unrighteousness, and to serve the Lord with reverence and godly fear. Knowing the terrors, and knowing that they are coming upon all who know not God, and obey not the end unbelief, to foresee the great day of His wrath, to believe your guilt and danger, and to hide yourselves under His righteousness. (A. Shanks.)

The clouds are the dust of His feet.--

What are the clouds

I. The way of God is generally a hidden one. When God works His wonders, He always conceals Himself. Even the motion of His feet causes clouds to arise.

II. Great things with us are little things with God. What great things clouds are to us! Great things are they? Nay, they are only the dust of God’s feet.

III. The most terrible things in nature have no terror to the child of God. Sometimes clouds are fearful things to mariners. But them is nothing terrible now, because it is only the dust of my Father’s feet.

IV. All things in nature are calculated to terrify the ungodly man. Sinner, hast thou ever seen the clouds as they roll along the sky! Those clouds are the dust of the feet of Jehovah. If these clouds are but the dust, what is He Himself? (C. H. Spurgeon.)