Too Far Gone To Save

Nahum 3:1-19

“Woe to the bloody city! it is all full of lies and robbery; the prey departeth not; The noise of a whip, and the noise of the rattling of the wheels, and of the prancing horses, and of the jumping chariots.  The horseman lifteth up both the bright sword and the glittering spear: and there is a multitude of slain, and a great number of carcases; and there is none end of their corpses; they stumble upon their corpses: Because of the multitude of the whoredoms of the wellfavoured harlot, the mistress of witchcrafts, that selleth nations through her whoredoms, and families through her witchcrafts.” (Nahum 3:1-4)

In Nahum’s day, Nineveh was one of the largest cities in the world.  We are told that the roads coming into the city were marked with the skulls of people who had been murdered by the Assyrian government.  When they conquered a city they murdered all those who opposed them as well as their families and survivors were relocated to prevent future uprisings.  For centuries, they had dominated the entire region.   There were constant reminders of the military power. 

The Assyrians adopted and assimilated the religions of the various peoples they conquered, including the Jewish religion when they conquered Israel.  They then used those their victories over those groups, and their worship of their gods to undermine and intimidate other groups. 

“Behold, I am against thee, saith the LORD of hosts; and I will discover thy skirts upon thy face, and I will show the nations thy nakedness, and the kingdoms thy shame.  And I will cast abominable filth upon thee, and make thee vile, and will set thee as a gazingstock.  And it shall come to pass, that all they that look upon thee shall flee from thee, and say, Nineveh is laid waste: who will bemoan her? whence shall I seek comforters for thee?” (Nahum 3:5-7)

Because of their wickedness, God was going to reveal the reality that they were inot really any different than the countries they had conquered.    All the fear and respect would be turned against them in hatred and loathing.  The inhabitants will be forced to flee, and the world will have no pity on them. 

“Art thou better than populous No, that was situate among the rivers, that had the waters round about it, whose rampart was the sea, and her wall was from the sea?  Ethiopia and Egypt were her strength, and it was infinite; Put and Lubim were thy helpers.   Yet was she carried away, she went into captivity: her young children also were dashed in pieces at the top of all the streets: and they cast lots for her honourable men, and all her great men were bound in chains.” (Nahum 3:8-10)

At one time the ancient Egyptian capital of Thebes was known as No-Amon or simply No.   They controlled Egypt and Ethiopia, as well as Libya and the Sinai Peninsula.   At times their influence extended far beyond the, even conquering Assyria for a brief time.   Later the city of Thebes was completely destroyed, about 666 BC.  Nahum warns that Nineveh will face the same judgment No did. 

“Thou also shalt be drunken: thou shalt be hid, thou also shalt seek strength because of the enemy.  All thy strong holds shall be like fig trees with the firstripe figs: if they be shaken, they shall even fall into the mouth of the eater.  Behold, thy people in the midst of thee are women: the gates of thy land shall be set wide open unto thine enemies: the fire shall devour thy bars.” (Nahum 3:11-13)

Nineveh will be like a drunk when trouble strikes, trying unsuccessfully to hide from their enemies or looking for someone to help them.  The forts they counted on for protection will be taken like overripe figs falling from the trees.   The people have gotten so used to having control they will be unprepared to defend themselves, and over confidence will prevent their closing the gates in time for protection. 

“Draw thee waters for the siege, fortify thy strong holds: go into clay, and tread the mortar, make strong the brickkiln.  There shall the fire devour thee; the sword shall cut thee off, it shall eat thee up like the cankerworm: make thyself many as the cankerworm, make thyself many as the locusts.” (Nahum 3:14-15)

If Nineveh is to survive they need to take action immediately, storing up water for the time when they are surrounded, They need to reinforce their military forces and build additional , and build additional walls and bunkers.  The attack will be like a fire in the grass, killing the insects that lurk there.  They will need to be as thick as canker worms or locusts to survive. 

“Thou hast multiplied thy merchants above the stars of heaven: the cankerworm spoileth, and fleeth away.  Thy crowned are as the locusts, and thy captains as the great grasshoppers, which camp in the hedges in the cold day, but when the sun ariseth they flee away, and their place is not known where they are.” (Nahum 3:16-17)

Instead of concentrating on protecting what they had, the Assyrians in Nineveh had become complacent, with everyone concentrating on making money in business.  Politicians and leaders were as thick as grasshoppers, crouching in the bushes and eating everything in sight when it was cold but when things were good scattering to the four winds. 

“Thy shepherds slumber, O king of Assyria: thy nobles shall dwell in the dust: thy people is scattered upon the mountains, and no man gathereth them.  There is no healing of thy bruise; thy wound is grievous: all that hear the bruit of thee shall clap the hands over thee: for upon whom hath not thy wickedness passed continually?” (Nahum 3:18-19)

The people who should have been taking care of the country’s business were sleeping, and the political leaders were living in the moral wickedness of the world.  The people had scattered, looking for something better, and nobody was working to unite them.  The harm to Assyria and Nineveh would be fatal, and there was no cure.  The rest of the world would rejoice at her fall because they had been hurt by her power.  

Judah Would Not Be Conquered By Assyria

Nahum 2:1-13

“He that dasheth in pieces is come up before thy face: keep the munition, watch the way, make thy loins strong, fortify thy power mightily.  For the LORD hath turned away the excellency of Jacob, as the excellency of Israel: for the emptiers have emptied them out, and marred their vine branches. “ (Nahum 2:1-2)

The Assyrians were attempting to invade Judah, after having conquered Israel.  Because of the ongoing sin, Judah would eventually be defeated just as Israel had been, despite their efforts to build their defenses.    The land will be deserted and the orchards and vineyards left untended.

“The shield of his mighty men is made red, the valiant men are in scarlet: the chariots shall be with flaming torches in the day of his preparation, and the fir trees shall be terribly shaken.  The chariots shall rage in the streets, they shall justle one against another in the broad ways: they shall seem like torches, they shall run like the lightnings.   He shall recount his worthies: they shall stumble in their walk; they shall make haste to the wall thereof, and the defence shall be prepared. ” (Nahum 2:3-5)

Judah will polish their weapons and make patriotic displays of the military might.  There will be parades and great speeches about the skills of their old generals who  shuffle to the front.  .  They will go to the walls to demonstrate their preparedness. 

“The gates of the rivers shall be opened, and the palace shall be dissolved.  And Huzzab shall be led away captive, she shall be brought up, and her maids shall lead her as with the voice of doves, tabering upon their breasts.” (Nahum 2:6-7)

The various gates giving access to the rivers will be breached, and the fortress razed.  The king and appointed rulers will be taken captive, joined by their supporters, weeping and trying to comfort them. 

“But Nineveh is of old like a pool of water: yet they shall flee away. Stand, stand, shall they cry; but none shall look back.  Take ye the spoil of silver, take the spoil of gold: for there is none end of the store and glory out of all the pleasant furniture.  She is empty, and void, and waste: and the heart melteth, and the knees smite together, and much pain is in all loins, and the faces of them all gather blackness.” (Nahum 2:8-10)

Though Nineveh and the Assyrians were the threat at the time, they were not the ones who would conquer Judah.   The Babylonians would defeat the Assyrians and destroy Nineveh, taking everything and leaving it uninhabited, and her territories in fear. 

“Where is the dwelling of the lions, and the feedingplace of the young lions, where the lion, even the old lion, walked, and the lion's whelp, and none made them afraid?  The lion did tear in pieces enough for his whelps, and strangled for his lionesses, and filled his holes with prey, and his dens with ravin. “ (Nahum 3:11-12)

In the past Nineveh and the Assyrians had beel like an old lion, taking whatever they wanted.  They had not backed away from any country, and had everything they wants.  God asked where they were now.

“Behold, I am against thee, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will burn her chariots in the smoke, and the sword shall devour thy young lions: and I will cut off thy prey from the earth, and the voice of thy messengers shall no more be heard.” (Nahum 2:13)

God was going to turn on them.  Their chariots would be burned and their young warriors killed.  They will no longer have control of other peoples, and they will not send messengers, expecting other nations to obey what they ordered.  Both Nineveh and her power will cease to exist.

Future Destruction of Nineveh

Nahum 1:1-15

About a hundred fifty years after Jonah warned Nineveh, Nahum again prophesied against Nineveh.  Unlike in Jonah’s day, they did not listen and the prophecy was fulfilled about a hundred years later.  . 

“The burden of Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.   God is jealous, and the LORD revengeth; the LORD revengeth, and is furious; the LORD will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies.” (Nahum 1:1-2)

The Assyrians had conquered Israel and attacked Judah.  Nahum warns them that God is a jealous God who will not ignore their treatment of his people.  He will take revenge against them, and he is saving up his wrath against them   II Peter 3:9 declares, “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”    That God had not destroyed them already was only a reminder of his patience with people, giving them a chance to repent. 

If they did not judgment would fall, as Paul warns in Romans 2:4-8.  “Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?  But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; Who will render to every man according to his deeds: To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life: But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath.”  To continue as they were would only lead to worse judgment. 

“The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the LORD hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.  He rebuketh the sea, and maketh it dry, and drieth up all the rivers: Bashan languisheth, and Carmel, and the flower of Lebanon languisheth.  The mountains quake at him, and the hills melt, and the earth is burned at his presence, yea, the world, and all that dwell therein.   Who can stand before his indignation? and who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? his fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by him.” (Nahum 1:3-6)

Both Peter and Paul emphasized God’s patience with mankind.  At the same time, there is a definite limit to his patience.  He will not overlook continued rebellion against him.  He is the creator of the world, and controls the weather, causing and guiding the tornadoes and storms, and the clouds are like the dust a person stirs up walking in the desert.  He causes global warming and the drying up lakes and seas such as the Aral Sea.  He can cause a drought such that mighty rivers become just a dry riverbed and rich verdant lands become deserts.   He causes earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and wildfires that burn millions of acres, killing man and beast.  There is no human force that can protect against these natural events God causes. 

“The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.  But with an overrunning flood he will make an utter end of the place thereof, and darkness shall pursue his enemies.  What do ye imagine against the LORD? he will make an utter end: affliction shall not rise up the second time.  For while they be folden together as thorns, and while they are drunken as drunkards, they shall be devoured as stubble fully dry.” (Nahum 1:7-10)

God is good and protects the people who put their trust in him.  Those who oppose him will be utterly destroyed, with no hope.  When he finishes there will be nothing left to recover.  Right in the middle of their partying and thinking they have escaped judgment, he will fold them up like dried out weeds and burn them. 

“There is one come out of thee, that imagineth evil against the LORD, a wicked counsellor.  Thus saith the LORD; Though they be quiet, and likewise many, yet thus shall they be cut down, when he shall pass through.  Though I have afflicted thee, I will afflict thee no more.  For now will I break his yoke from off thee, and will burst thy bonds in sunder.  And the LORD hath given a commandment concerning thee, that no more of thy name be sown: out of the house of thy gods will I cut off the graven image and the molten image: I will make thy grave; for thou art vile. “ (Nahum 1:11-14)

The Assyrians had brought judgment on Israel because of wicked leaders who encouraged them to disobey God.   Though they have a lot of followers, they will be destroyed when God intervenes, and the Assyrian power will be broken.  They will no longer kill the Jews.  He will wipe out the idols and groves Israel has worshipped because they are reprehensible to him. 

:Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace! O Judah, keep thy solemn feasts, perform thy vows: for the wicked shall no more pass through thee; he is utterly cut off.” (Nahum 1:15)

If Judah will listen, God’s message will be a rich blessing, leading them to peace.  God will protect them from invasions by groups like the Assyrians.  They will be completely wiped out.