Reflections on Nahum 1

Nahum 01 (Contemporary English Version)


1. I am Nahum from Elkosh. And this is the message that I wrote down about Nineveh.
   
2. The LORD God demands loyalty. In his anger, he takes revenge on his enemies.
   
3. The LORD is powerful, yet patient; he makes sure that the guilty are always punished. He can be seen in storms and in whirlwinds; clouds are the dust from his feet.
   
4. At the LORD's command, oceans and rivers dry up. Bashan, Mount Carmel, and Lebanon wither, and their flowers fade.
   
5. At the sight of the LORD, mountains and hills tremble and melt; the earth and its people shudder and shake.
   
6. Who can stand the heat of his furious anger? It flashes out like fire and shatters stones.
   
7. The LORD is good. He protects those who trust him in times of trouble.
   
8. But like a roaring flood, the LORD chases his enemies into dark places and destroys them.
   
9. So don't plot against the LORD! He wipes out his enemies, and they never revive.
   
10. They are like drunkards overcome by wine, or like dry thornbushes burning in a fire.
    
11. Assyria, one of your rulers has made evil plans against the LORD.
    
12. But the LORD says, "Assyria, no matter how strong you are, you are doomed! My people Judah, I have troubled you before, but I won't do it again.
    
13. I'll snap your chains and set you free from the Assyrians."
    
14. Assyria, this is what else the LORD says to you: "Your name will be forgotten. I will destroy every idol in your temple, and I will send you to the grave, because you are worthless."
    
15. Look toward the mountains, people of Judah! Here comes a messenger with good news of peace. Celebrate your festivals. Keep your promises to God. Your evil enemies are destroyed and will never again invade your country.
    

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Both Nahum and Jonah prophesied concerning the city of Nineveh. Both prophesied the destruction of the city, Jonah's coming about 100 years prior to Nahum's. But the two had very different outcomes. In the case of Jonah, the city repented and changed its ways and God relented of the destruction He planned. But Nahum's prophecy had a certainty about it. Nineveh had gone too far. These Assyrians had a long history of opposing God and His people, the Israelites. Their repentance in response to Jonah's preaching represented a short time in the history of this nation in which it responded favorably to God. As this repentance under Jonah's preaching indicates, the Ninevites were not ignorant of God. They knew Israel's history and how God had intervened on her behalf on many occasions. But they were a proud people, and despite this relatively short period in which they repented and turned from their evil ways, they, for the most part, thought themselves immune to God's actions against them and on behalf of Israel. God used Assyria to punish Israel through military victory. Though this should have given reason for Assyria to look favorably to God, it only caused her to be more prideful and to consider herself beyond God's reach. In the minds of these people, it was their superiority, not God's help, that brought their victory over Israel.

The first half of this first chapter establishes several things about God. First, He is jealous and avenging. He does not look kindly on those who try to take what belongs to Him. In this case it was Israel. They were His people and He was by this time furious with Assyria for trying to take them away from Him. Though I believe this to be the main point of this passage, it could also include taking what God had provided them and using it for their own purposes in opposition to God's purposes. Second, God is powerful, who can withstand Him. He can cause the sea to dry up and the mountains to quake, so who did Assyria think they were to oppose Him? Third, in spite of the first two characteristics, we should not overlook the fact that God is also good and is a stronghold for those who take refuge in Him. He reserves His wrath and exercises His power against only those who are His foes. He is not capricious about it, wielding His might against whomever He takes a notion to strike. It is only against His foes. But notice further, that God is slow to anger. He does not exercise His might against any except those who oppose Him and even then, it is not at the first sign of opposing Him. He is slow to exercise His might in anger.

We often become impatient with God thinking He should zap those whose opposition against Him causes us problems. But God provides ample time for His foes to repent and change their ways. He allowed centuries for Assyria to do so. Though it appeared with Jonah's preaching they had indeed done just that - repented and changed their ways - it was short lived and only delayed the inevitable end for Assyria. So God was saying through Nahum that whatever Assyria plots against the Lord will bring them to complete destruction from which they will never again rise. The nation is finished. It may be a strong and numerous nation (verse 12) but this will not keep it from being "mowed down." No offspring will survive this destruction to carry on the name of Assyria.

That was the bad news for Assyria, but it was good news for Judah. She would then be free from her enemy and able to again worship God and celebrate her festivals without fear of this "wicked one."