This week we start what's probably a three week series on the book of Nahum. Let's read the book's title, 1:1, to start:
(1) An oracle concerning Ninevah. The book/scroll of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.
There's a lot that verse 1 doesn't tell us. We don't know when exactly the book was written-- although we can get a pretty good idea, when we read the book as a whole. We don't learn anything, really, about who Nahum was. But we learn that this is a book about Ninevah. And that tells us a lot.
Ninevah was the capital city of Assyria. And Assyria, at this time, was the world's superpower. Actually, Assyria was the first global superpower of the world. Her armies were spread out across the known world. She conquered every city and nation she desired. Assyria was a lot like the U.S.-- soldiers everywhere, and no one could stand against her.
At this time, Israel had long since split into two different kingdoms. The northern kingdom, called "Israel," was conquered by Assyria and had ceased to exist. The southern kingdom, called "Judah," had been entirely captured, and looted, with the exception of the capital, Jerusalem. And even though Judah hadn't been officially, completely, conquered, Judah became a vassal-- a servant, basically-- to Assyria.
Judah was forced to pay tribute every year. They had to supply materials for Assyria's building projects. They had to supply young men to serve as soldiers.
All of this isn't quite slavery, but it's close. And, at the time Nahum prophesied, it had been this way for over a hundred years. If this was you, you've never known anything else in life. You've woken up, every day, in servitude to the superpower. And you've resigned yourself to this being your fate, and the fate of your children, and their children.
If you were a Judean, what emotions would you feel? How would you go through life?
Despair? Frustration? Hopelessness? Doubt about God's goodness and power?
It's into this despair, and hopelessness, that Nahum enters. Yahweh sent Nahum as a prophet to Judah, to encourage the people that He was going to put an end to all of this. Yahweh is angry with Ninevah. He's holding a grudge against her. He will not forgive her. He will bring a complete end to her.
Now, if Yahweh decides he's going to just make an end to some nation-- Assyria, or Rome, or the U.S., He can just do it, right? He doesn't need to involve a prophet. He doesn't need to give anyone the heads up about what He's about to do. He can just pick up his sword, or open his mouth, and end someone. Or, more commonly, He raises up some other nation, and that nation just crushes them.
So why does Yahweh send Nahum to Judah? Why does He tell them, ahead of time, that He's about to free them from Assyria?
Yahweh wants them to understand that what they are about to see, is happening (1) through Yahweh, (2) for them. What they are about to see is not a happy coincidence. It's not lucky. What they are about to see, if they have eyes of faith, is God fighting for them, and rescuing them.
Nahum is a book that lots of Christians struggle with. They don't find it very inviting. They wonder how, exactly, they are supposed to read it as Christian Scripture. But go into this understanding that this is a book of encouragement. This is a book that should inspire faith and confidence in our God. And I will do my best to make sure that Nahum's encouragement, works to strengthen and encourage you.
The most important thing you can do, as we start this series, is try to put yourself in an Israelite's sandals. If you don't try to enter in this world, and read these words sympathetically, and as for you, this series just isn't going to work for you the way it should. Imagine that you live under Assyrian domination-- under an Assyrian king who is ruthless. All he cares about, is squeezing you for as much as you're worth. When you look at Assyria, you see the world's superpower. You see an all-powerful nation, ruled by an all-powerful king. You know that your life is going to be difficult, as long as you live. You know that this is hopeless.
And into this, steps God.
Nahum 1:2-5
(2) A God jealous and avenging, Yahweh is.
Seeking vengeance, Yahweh is,
while an owner/possessor of wrath.
Seeking vengeance, Yahweh is, against his adversaries.
while holding a grudge, He is, against his enemies.
(3) Yahweh is slow to anger,
and great in power/strength,
and He shall surely not forgive/consider innocent/leave unpunished.
Yahweh, in the whirlwind and in the storm, his road is,
while clouds are the dust of his feet.
(4) He rebukes the sea,
and He makes it dry,
while all the rivers He withers.
He has shriveled Bashan and Carmel,
while the bloom of Lebanon He has shriveled.
(5) Mountains have quaked before him,
while the heights have melted/dissolved,
and the earth has heaved before him,
and the world,
and all the ones dwelling in it.
Imagine that you write movie scripts for a living. You have your superhero, of course. Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman. Your hero is set. But what you need to figure out, is the villain.
As you sit at your desk, you try to imagine, what would make someone the perfect counter to your hero? What would make someone the perfect enemy-- the enemy that strikes terror into people's hearts?
Or we could make this real life. Think about the person in your life who has been your biggest, most difficult enemy. The one who opposes you, and makes life hard for you. What is it about them, that makes life so difficult?
I think we could make a list. Your worst possible enemy:
(1) is someone whose loved one you harmed. Lots of people are willing to tolerate a certain amount of abuse, or criticism, from someone. But ask any mom in this room, what happens if someone messes with their kid-- the mama bear comes out. Ask any husband in this room what happens if you mess with his wife.
(2) is someone who is capable of great rage. Some people are naturally easy going, and don't really get riled up. But others, when they get going, are explosive. And people walk around them on tiptoes, not wanting to set them off. And when they sense the rage coming, they run the other direction. People capable of great rage are scary.
(3) knows how to hold a grudge. Some people, when you offend them, or wrong them, can sit on that, and stew on that, forever. Whenever they see you, for the rest of their life, they'll remember that one time that you said or did something to them that bothered them, or harmed them.
(4) is super powerful. It's one thing to have a coworker determined to destroy you-- but a boss? Or, it's one thing to have a neighbor messing with you-- but the neighborhood gang? the IRS? Some enemies can mess you up, worse than others.
(5) is determined to seek vengeance. He will not stop, until he's gotten payback. The only thing he's maybe waiting for, is perfect timing.
If you have an enemy like this, you're doomed. A struggle like this, doesn't end until one of you is dead. And probably, it's you.
The book of Nahum begins by describing Yahweh as Ninevah's worst possible enemy. Yahweh, above all else, is seeking vengeance. He's holding a grudge against Ninevah, and He will absolutely not show leniency. He won't forgive; He won't forget.
And how powerful is Yahweh? How scary is He, when He chooses to be? Yahweh is the One Who Walks Around in the Heavens. When He takes a step, the dust he kicks up is the clouds. His road, is the whirlwind and the storms. He has total mastery over all of creation-- even the chaotic sea.
And when He comes in judgment, the earth melts before Him. You know that God is coming, because you can see the total destruction that precedes him-- trees drying up, mountains withering, earthquakes.
This is who Yahweh truly is, when He reveals his power. Yahweh is the More Powerful One. Yahweh is his enemies' worst possible Nightmare.
Verse 6:
(6) Before his wrath/curse, who can stand?,
and who can stand before the heat/anger of his nose?
His anger has been poured out like fire,
while the mountains are shattered before him.
Here, Nahum raises a question for you to think about. When Yahweh comes against someone, as their Worst Possible Enemy, who can stand and fight? Who can raise a sword, and challenge him? Who can overpower a God whose anger is poured out like fire, and who shatters mountains?
Can Ninevah?
Can you?
In verses 7-8, we see how Yahweh's anger works-- Yahweh is angry on your behalf, against his enemies:
(7) Good, Yahweh is, as a stronghold on the day of distress,
and He knows the ones taking refuge in Him,
(8) while in a flood passing through, a complete end He shall make of her place,
while his enemies He pursues into darkness.
I started by asking, what would make someone your worst possible enemy? But we can also ask, what would make someone your best possible friend and ally?
If you are getting beat up at school, your best possible friend is the one who will take vengeance for you. He will stand up for you, and protect you. When he comes to your side, everyone backs off-- they know their party is over.
If your boss is trying to get you fired, or making you miserable, your best possible friend would be the one who has power over your boss. The one who can pull your boss into a quiet room, and tell them, "This is how it is-- you leave her alone from now on."
Your best possible friend is like a castle, or stronghold. Someone comes to fight you, and your friend holds out their hand, and they say, "No. I know this one. This one is under my protection. You can't have her. You can't touch her."
And then, in verse 8, your best possible friend, is the one who isn't just good on defense. When someone messes with you, your best possible friend goes against them like a flood, and destroys their place, and chases them into the darkness.
GOOD, Yahweh is, as a stronghold on the day of distress. Yahweh is your best possible friend, and ally.
This brings us to verses 9-10. Let me just read it, and then we'll try to figure it out:
(9) What/why do you (plural) consider/(plot) against Yahweh?
A complete end He is making.
A second time of distress shall not rise.
(10) For although they have become like entangled thorns,
like the wine of drunkards, they shall be consumed as fully dry stubble.
If you look at English translations, you'll see that verse 9 is ambiguous. Who is the "you" the prophet addresses?
The Living Bible and NLT think Ninevah is being addressed. Most modern translations seem to agree-- they translate the key verb here "plot." (which is a perfectly defensible translation, in isolation).
But let's read the KJV:
9 What do ye imagine against the LORD? he will make an utter end: affliction shall not rise up the second time.
I think Nahum here is challenging Israel, not Ninevah (following J.J.M. Roberts, mostly because of the next line, where it's reassurance that Yahweh will do this). If everything I've said about Yahweh is true, why do you doubt him so much? Why would you think Assyria can stand before Yahweh, and defeat Him? Yahweh, truly, IS angry; He IS seeking vengeance; He IS making a complete end to them.
Assyria may seem invincible-- like a perfect, thick, hedge of thorns you can't get through. But God is going to burn them all up. Thorns are no protection for a plant from fire.
So don't think that God can't, or won't, help you.
This brings us to verse 11. This is THE hard verse of the chapter, and it's really important for understanding the chapter as a whole:
(11) From you (feminine singular), he has gone out-- a plotter against Yahweh of evil,
a planner of wickedness/worthlessness.
What we are going to see in these verses, is there is a feminine character, and a masculine. The female, is Judah.
The male, is Assyria.
No one is completely sure what specific event verse 11 describes. But Assyria recently suffered some kind of a setback against Israel. He had to leave; He wasn't strong enough to do what he wanted to do. My guess is that this refers to Assyria's failure to capture Jerusalem in 701 B.C. And their failure to capture the capital should be a sign to you, that Assyria is weaker than you think. It's also a sign that Yahweh is actively opposing her, and fighting for you.
Verse 12-13 ("have" verbs are mostly prophetic perfects here, expressed as a done deal, except for "I have oppressed you"):
(12) Thus Yahweh has said,
"Although they are at full strength, and thus/likewise many,
thus/likewise they shall be cut off and they shall pass away,
and I have oppressed/afflicted you (fem. sing).
I shall no longer oppress/afflict you (fem. sing),
(13) and so then, I shall break his yoke from you (fem. sing),
while your bonds I shall snap,
Who has been oppressing Judah for over a hundred years? The people would probably say, "Assyria." But there's a deeper truth here-- Yahweh is the one who has been oppressing them because of their sin. But those days are over-- Yahweh promises to break their yoke, and snap their bonds. He will give them freedom. And this is a sure thing-- God...will...do this.
In verse 14, Nahum now switches to addressing the masculine person-- Assyria::
(14) and Yahweh has commanded concerning you (masculine singular),
"It shall not be sown from your name any longer.
From the house of your gods/Elohim I shall cut off the idol and the molten image.
I shall make your grave,
because you are worthless.
The days of Assyrian expansion are over. God is going to remove all traces of Assyria's name, and cut off his idols. God will get out his shovel, and dig Assyria's grave, because Assyria is worthless.
Our oracle closes, probably, with 1:15 (because of the verbal link "cut off" with verse 12):
(15) LOOK! On the mountains, the feet of the ones bringing good news,
the ones proclaiming peace.
Celebrate, O Judah, your festivals.
Fulfill/complete your vows,
because the wicked/worthless one will never again pass over through you.
Entirely, he has been cut off.
Nahum closes his oracle by encouraging the people to look to the mountains. What they will see, when they do this, is someone bringing good news-- news of peace. Your enemy will never again pass over your land, treating it like it's his. Entirely, he has been cut off.
So, celebrate! Rejoice in your God. Fulfill the promises you made to Him (probably, that if He'd help, you'd do X).
----------------------------------------------------
If you are part of God's people, and He knows you, understand that you have the best possible Friend and Ally. God is the one who walks around in the heavens, who has total mastery over creation. God is the One Who Fights for You.
Maybe you find yourself doubting God, "considering against him." Maybe, when you look at your life, you wonder if God really loves you, and if He really is that powerful. Your life is hard; you have people who fight you, and oppress you. And you look at your life, and you wonder, "Where is God?"
All of you know that God is slow to anger, and patient, and rich in mercy (Nahum 1:3). You've all experienced that. And your enemies also experience that. God doesn't want any of them to perish; He gives them time to repent. (And your job is to make sure to let them know that, as well.)
But the day eventually comes, when God gets angry. People who are determined to fight God, and his people, will eventually get theirs. God will come against them, and terrify them, and destroy them.
And this shouldn't bother you. This should be a comfort to you. There can be no lasting peace for you, until God rises up, and exercises his authority, and comes in judgment against all who oppose him, and who oppose you.
Now, Nahum's word of hope is not our word of hope, exactly. We aren't vassals of Assyria. We haven't been forced to serve in his army, or cut down forests to build his cities. God has already killed and buried Assyria.
We, though, have our own words of hope and comfort for when life is hard, and we are mistreated, and oppressed. Lots of them, actually. But let's turn to one-- Rev. 21:
21 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place[a] of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people,[b] and God himself will be with them as their God.[c] 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
5 And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” 6 And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. 7 The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. 8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”
God has promised us that someday-- if we overcome/conquer (evil desires, sin, and fear)-- we will live in peace, on a new earth, with God. God will wipe away every tear, and kill everyone who opposes Him, and us. No more pain, or suffering, or oppression, or death. God will defeat all of his, and our, enemies.
So if, or when, you find yourself doubting God's love and his power, what should you do? You turn to passages like Nahum 1, or Rev. 21, and use them as a reminder of who God truly is. Leave today, encouraged, and confident in your God-- the One Who Walks Around In the Clouds. The One Who Takes Vengeance on His Enemies. The One Who no one can stand against.
In God, you have the very best possible Friend and Ally. Give Him glory, and honor, and praise. And trust Him.
Translation:
(1) An oracle concerning Ninevah. The book/scroll of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.
(2) A God jealous and avenging, Yahweh is.
Seeking vengeance, Yahweh is,
while an owner/possessor of wrath.
Seeking vengeance, Yahweh is, against his adversaries.
while holding a grudge, He is, against his enemies.
(3) Yahweh is slow to anger,
and great in power/strength,
and He shall surely not forgive/consider innocent/leave unpunished.
Yahweh is in the whirlwind,
while in the storm, his road is,
while clouds are the dust of his feet.
(4) He rebukes the sea,
and He makes it dry,
while all the rivers He withers.
He has shriveled Bashan and Carmel,
while the bloom of Lebanon He has shriveled.
(5) Mountains have quaked before him,
while the heights have melted/dissolved,
and the earth has heaved before him,
and the world,
and all the ones dwelling in it.
(6) Before his wrath/curse, who can stand?,
and who can stand before the heat/anger of his nose?
His anger has been poured out like fire,
while the mountains are shattered before him.
(7) Good, Yahweh is, as a stronghold in the day of distress,
and He knows the ones taking refuge in Him,
(8) while in a flood passing through, a complete end He shall make of her place,
while his enemies He pursues into darkness.
(9) Why do you (plural) consider/(plot) against Yahweh?
A complete end He is making.
A second time of distress shall not rise.
(10) For although they have become like entangled thorns,
like the wine of drunkards, they shall be consumed as fully dry stubble.
(11) From you (feminine singular), he has gone out-- a plotter against Yahweh of evil,
a planner of wickedness/worthlessness.
(12) Thus Yahweh has said,
Although they are at full strength, and thus/likewise many,
thus/likewise they shall be cut off and they shall pass away,
and I have oppressed/afflicted you (fem. sing).
I shall no longer oppress/afflict you (fem. sing),
(13) and so then, I shall break his yoke from you (fem. sing),
while your bonds I shall snap,
(14) and Yahweh has commanded concerning you (masculine singular),
"It shall not be sown from your name any longer.
From the house of your gods/Elohim I shall cut off the idol and the molten image.
I shall make your grave,
because you are worthless.
(15) LOOK! On the mountains, the feet of the ones bringing good news,
the ones proclaiming peace.
Celebrate, O Judah, your festivals.
Fulfill/complete your vows,
because the wicked/worthless one will never again pass over through you.
Entirely, he shall be cut off.
