There are many people in the world today who think that God is only sweet and loving, and that He is always on our side, rooting for us. They believe Yahweh would never punish or inflict suffering on anyone. However, the second chapter of Nahum contains a statement where Yahweh said He was against Ninevah. This warns us that it is possible for Yahweh to be against humans.
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Transcript:
There are many people in the world today who think that God is only sweet and loving, and that He is always on our side, rooting for us. They believe Yahweh would never punish or inflict suffering on anyone. However, the second chapter of Nahum contains a statement where Yahweh said He was against Ninevah. This warns us that it is possible for Yahweh to be against humans.
Nahum is an oracle about Ninevah. The book starts out with a description of Yahweh as being both an avenger and a helper. Then there is a declaration that no human can overpower God. Next, Nahum wrote about a wicked counselor from Ninevah who plotted evil against Yahweh. As a result, Yahweh issued a command to cut off Ninevah.
Then we read the following in the third section of Nahum.
Major Break
Nah. 1:15 Behold, on the mountains the feet of him who brings good news,
Who announces peace!
Celebrate your feasts, O Judah;
Pay your vows.
For never again will the wicked one pass through you;
He is cut off completely.
The Israelites had been very sinful, so Yahweh used Ninevah and Assyria to punish Israel. However, there was good news. Yahweh was going to cut off Israel’s oppressor.
Nah. 2:1 The one who scatters has come up against you.
Man the fortress, watch the road;
Strengthen your back, summon all your strength.
2 For the LORD will restore the splendor of Jacob
Like the splendor of Israel,
Even though devastators have devastated them
And destroyed their vine branches.
The one who scatters is a reference to Ninevah. Yahweh told Jacob to summon their strength because Yahweh was going to restore the splendor of Jacob even though Jacob had been destroyed.
Nah. 2:3 The shields of his mighty men are colored red,
The warriors are dressed in scarlet,
The chariots are enveloped in flashing steel
When he is prepared to march,
And the cypress spears are brandished.
Sometimes, one of the biggest challenges in understanding the Bible is understanding the pronouns. It is not always clear who or what a pronoun refers to. This chapter is a good illustration of this. It is not clear if the warriors in verse three are the Assyrians, or the warriors who conquered the Assyrians.
4 The chariots race madly in the streets,
They rush wildly in the squares,
Their appearance is like torches,
They dash to and fro like lightning flashes.
It is not clear if verse four is a reference to Assyria racing in the streets of Jerusalem, or warriors racing in the streets of Ninevah, destroying Ninevah.
5 He remembers his nobles;
They stumble in their march,
They hurry to her wall,
And the mantelet is set up.
I believe this tells us Yahweh remembered the nobles of Jacob and caused the warriors of Assyria to stumble.
6 The gates of the rivers are opened
And the palace is dissolved.
7 It is fixed:
She is stripped, she is carried away,
And her handmaids are moaning like the sound of doves,
Beating on their breasts.
This appears to describe the destruction of Ninevah. It is clear that the following verses describe the downfall of Ninevah.
Nah. 2:8 Though Nineveh was like a pool of water throughout her days,
Now they are fleeing;
“Stop, stop,”
But no one turns back.
9 Plunder the silver!
Plunder the gold!
For there is no limit to the treasure —
Wealth from every kind of desirable object.
10 She is emptied! Yes, she is desolate and waste!
Hearts are melting and knees knocking!
Also anguish is in the whole body
And all their faces are grown pale!
11 Where is the den of the lions
And the feeding place of the young lions,
Where the lion, lioness and lion’s cub prowled,
With nothing to disturb them?
12 The lion tore enough for his cubs,
Killed enough for his lionesses,
And filled his lairs with prey
And his dens with torn flesh.
Nah. 2:13 “Behold, I am against you,” declares the LORD of hosts. “I will burn up her chariots in smoke, a sword will devour your young lions; I will cut off your prey from the land, and no longer will the voice of your messengers be heard.”
The pronoun you refers to Ninevah. The pronoun her refers to Ninevah. And the pronouns your also refer to Ninevah. Even though Yahweh used Ninevah as a tool to punish Israel, Yahweh was against Ninevah and destroyed them.
Many people in the world believe God is only sweet and kind and that He would never do anything bad to anyone. However, Nahum chapter two contradicts that belief. Yahweh was not sweet and kind to Ninevah. He was against Ninevah. He ruined them.
This is a warning to us. It is possible for Yahweh to be against humans. It is possible for Yahweh to punish people here on earth. It is possible for Yahweh to create and destroy empires. This is why the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. If we want to live wisely, we need to start with the reality that Yahweh is the most powerful force in the world. Yahweh wants obedience. He can, and does, intervene in human events according to how people serve and obey Him.
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