Although it weighs in at only three chapters and punches well above its weight, Nahum ranks as one of the least preached books of the Bible. As a citizen of the southern kingdom of Judah, the prophet Nahum felt the force of the Assyrian Empire. But God had Nahum deliver a message concerning the greatest city of the time, Nineveh. This city, the capital of Assyria, represented raw, brutal power – “endless cruelty” as Nahum 3:19 states. Though Nineveh was hundreds of miles away, to the northeast of Judah, Assyrian power dominated the Middle East. By contrast, Judah was a small, fragile state barely clinging to independence.
Judah’s sister to the north, Israel, had already been defeated by Assyria and carried into exile. Only God’s miraculous intervention had saved Judah on that occasion (Isaiah 37:36; 2 Chronicles 32:21; 2 Kings 19:35). Now, in Nahum’s time, the Assyrians had returned. They dragged off Judah’s wicked king, Manasseh, with a hook in his nose: 2 Chronicles 33:11 So the Lord brought against them the army commanders of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh prisoner, put a hook in his nose, bound him with bronze shackles and took him to Babylon.
Few people can stare into the face of such raw power and come away unimpressed. Nahum did so only because he had seen a far greater power – the power of the Almighty God whose wrath could shatter rocks (Nahum 1:6 His wrath is poured out like fire; the rocks are shattered before him.). If God was angry, how could Nineveh stand? Nahum’s absolute confidence in God is underlined throughout this short book.
It took absolute confidence to stand up and deliver God’s message of the downfall of the most powerful nation in the world at that time. Yet, in these three chapters, Nahum is not intimidated. He speaks with confidence because he knows God’s character: Nahum 1:3 The Lord is slow to anger but great in power; the Lord will not leave the guilty unpunished.
Within a few years, Nahum’s God inspired words proved true. Nineveh did fall, never to rise again. The greatest city in the world became a pile of rubble overgrown with grass. Both Alexander the Great and napoleon camped near it but had no idea a city had ever been there. The site became known as “the mound of many sheep.”
The name Nahum means “comfort”. Though Nahum describes God’s anger, his message offers comfort to those who live with injustice and evil. Nahum 1:7-8 The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him,8 but with an overwhelming flood he will make an end of Nineveh; he will pursue his foes into the realm of darkness. Nineveh is long since gone, but the enduring word of God recorded in these three short chapters live on, reminding us that though God’s justice may seem slow, nothing can ultimately escape it.
This Sunday’s sermon will focus on the short but very powerful book of Nahum.
Praying everyone has a blessed week.
In Christ,
Gary T.