Cease Fire
The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked. Nahum 1:3 KJV
Not at all acquit – The KJV choses to translate doubled verb wenāqqeh yenāqqeh in the legal negative sense (“acquit”) but the verb is usually translated in the positive “leave unpunished.” In addition, as you can see in the Hebrew, the phrase uses the same verb twice, first as an infinitive and secondly as a yiqtol imperfect (indicating present on-going action into the future). The “not” is inserted between the two verbal forms. So, literally it reads, “to leave unpunished not leaving unpunished.” Obviously, the phrase is emphatic. It definitively asserts that God will bring about justice. The actual object of God’s justice isn’t even named, that is, there is no noun in the sentence for “wicked.” The focus is entirely on God’s action, so much so that the verse assumes the hearer knows what God’s justice means.
Of course, the opening phrase is the key to understanding how God’s justice works. Despite absolute sovereign power, God acts slowly. Deliberately so. He is anything but quick to render this fatal judgment for the simple reason that once executed there is no possible recovery. Slow is the synonym of compassion. Grace is the mother of both.
And it’s a very good thing. We might wish for a speedy trial and a quick verdict. God doesn’t. He knows our frame. We might think justice is served best by immediate consequences. God has a different view. He knows that the walk of faith is long, treacherous, and filled with disappointments. We make lots of mistakes. We flounder. We repent and return. If consequences were immediate, who could survive? Slow is the watchword of the divine character.
When God acts, all other options have been considered and are off the table. When God acts it is decisive and swift. But, most fortunately, the timing is ʾerek ʾappayim (literally, “long breath”). We are saved because of ʾerek ʾappayim. This is perhaps the most comforting idiom in the Tanakh. We may not understand how God’s justice is accomplished in a world that appears to be so rampant with evil. We may believe that a good God should not allow such atrocities to besmirch His name. We may even pray for swift retribution. But ʾerek ʾappayim must be constantly held in mind. Praise God He is slow. Otherwise we are all lost.
Yes, justice will arrive—in God’s time. That is guaranteed. In the meanwhile, remember that you and I are not in charge.
Topical Index: ʾerek ʾappayim, slow to anger, wenāqqeh yenāqqeh, leave unpunished, Nahum 1:3
