“He who scatters (destroys) has come up before your face. Man the fort! Watch the road! Strengthen your flanks! Fortify your power mightily. For the Lord will restore the excellence of Jacob like the excellence of Israel, for the emptiers have emptied them out and ruined their vine branches.
The shields of his mighty men are made red, the valiant men are in scarlet. The chariots come with flaming torches in the day of his preparation, and the spears are brandished.
The chariots rage in the streets, they jostle one another in the broad roads; they seem like torches, they run like lightning. He remembers his nobles; they stumble in their walk; they make haste to her walls, and the defense is prepared. The gates of the rivers are opened, and the palace is dissolved. It is decreed: She shall be led away captive, she shall be brought up; and her maidservants shall lead her as with the voice of doves, beating their breasts.
Though Nineveh of old was like a pool of water, now they flee away. “Halt! Halt!” they cry; but no one turns back.Take spoil of silver! Take spoil of gold! There is no end of treasure, or wealth of every desirable prize. She is empty, desolate, and waste! The heart melts, and the knees shake; much pain is in every side, and all their faces are drained of color.
Where is the dwelling of the lions, and the feeding place of the young lions, where the lion walked, the lioness and lion’s cub, and no one made them afraid? The lion tore in pieces enough for his cubs, killed for his lionesses, filled his caves with prey, and his dens with flesh.
“Behold, I am against you,” says the Lord of hosts, “I will burn your chariots in smoke, and the sword shall devour your young lions; I will cut off your prey from the earth, and the voice of your messengers shall be heard no more.”
Nahum is predicting the fall of Nineveh. What actually happens to Nineveh? Wikipedia tells us the following information:
“The Battle of Nineveh is conventionally dated between 613 and 611 BC, with 612 BC being the most supported date. Rebelling against the Assyrians, an allied army which combined the forces of Medes and the Babylonians besieged Nineveh and sacked 750 hectares of what was, at that time, one of the greatest cities in the world. The fall of Nineveh led to the destruction of the Neo-Assyrian Empire over the next three years as the dominant state in the Ancient Near East….In 612 BC, the Babylonians mustered their army again and joined with Median king Cyaxares encamping against Nineveh. They laid siege to the city for three months and, in August, finally broke through the defenses and began plundering and burning the city. The major factor in the city’s downfall was the Medes… According to tradition laid out in Diodorus, the Tigris river flooded the city. While his account is often suspect, this aspect has been given attention. The allied armies entered the area of the outer wall and fought to enter the palace. Temples were looted and the palace was burned, though this did not destroy the city, and may have aided the preservation of clay texts.”
In these few verses, Nahum accurately predicts everything that will eventually befall Nineveh. The combined armies will lay siege and gain entrance into the city, aided by flooding from the Tigris. Perhaps there are water gates that are opened, allowing the waters of the Tigris free entry, just as flooding from the Euphrates River helps to destroy Babylon in the time of Daniel.
Once more, we realize that the revival following Jonah’s preaching 100 years earlier has dissipated. For the Assyrians, it’s evil as usual. Does Nahum bring this message to the Assyrians? We don’t know. But 2 Peter 3:9 tells us, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” Up until the invaders enter the city, the citizens of Nineveh still have the opportunity to repent. But once the invasion takes place, those opportunities are gone forever.
We do know that Nahum brings this message to the citizens of Judah during the reign of King Manasseh, the most evil king ever to rule Judah. By that point, the Assyrians have captured the Northern Kingdom and the citizens of Judah are shaking in their sandals with fear. God is using Nahum to reassure the believers left in Judah of His watch care. Archaeological evidence strongly suggests that Nahum utters these prophecies between 663-654 B. C., well before the destruction of Nineveh takes place.
APPLICATION: 2 Corinthians 6:2 says, “ For He says: “In an acceptable time I have heard you, And in the day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” One generation of Ninevites repented, sparing themselves; however, they failed to teach their children and grandchildren the fear of God.
Generally, we like to identify with the prophet in this chapter- Go, God! Nail those Assyrians! Give them the punishment they so richly deserve! But wait. Are we any better than the Assyrians? One generation of Assyrians listened to Jonah and repented but failed to teach their children to fear God. When we fail to teach succeeding generations about God, His might, His power, and His love, we are dooming them to destruction unless they find God for themselves. As long as we mouth platitudes about allowing children to make their own choices when they grow up, we are leaving them open to Satanic attack.
Recently one political cartoon satirized a state governor who was trying to ensure that the children in his state learned the Ten Commandments. Considering the fact that the Ten Commandments have formed the basis for much of the law in both England and America, it only seems reasonable that children should learn these tenets as early as possible. What this cartoonist failed to consider is how the world would function or malfunction if nobody followed the Ten Commandments. But logic rarely enters into play when someone is trying to mock authority. May God help us, so that we will teach the children and young people around us to love and respect God!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to teach others the love of You and the fear and respect of You. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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