Nahum. When Enough Is Enough! Chapter 1:1-15

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1 Nahum When Enough Is Enough! Chapter 1:1-15 God s creativity, mercy, wrath and judgment go hand-in-hand. This are the blessing and warning aspects of the Gospel. As Paul states: The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God s invisible qualities his eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator who is forever praised. Amen. Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion. Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Although they know God s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them. (Romans 1:18-31). I The Anger of the Lord Verses 1-15 A The Judgment of the Lord Verses 1-11 B The Sentence of the Lord Verses C The Purpose of the Lord Verse 15 This morning we are looking at the Psalm of Nahum. It deals with both judgment and assurance. We will see who God is in relation to His demand for justice and righteousness. We will also come to understand that even when God judges, we are to be encouraged because

2 we can be reassured regarding our security and protection. What God promises for Israel He also promises for us. Let s start where we ended last time, with Willmington s summary of the background. 150 years had come and gone since Jonah s preaching crusade. Its high and massive walls overflowed with bloodshed, dishonesty, witchcraft, immorality, pride, and materialism. But most tragic of all, unlike the generation Jonah preached to, there was now absolutely no desire to abandon sin and ask god for forgiveness. Thus, to Nahum the prophet was given the unpleasant task of pronouncing swift and terrible divine judgment on this great city, located on the banks of the Tigris River. In fact, this very river, as used by God, would play a vital role in the total destruction of Nineveh. Having rejected God s streams of mercy, the wicked citizens would now suffer His waters of judgment. 1 It is only a matter of time until God acts against His enemies. That was true during the time of Nahum and it is true today. The message of Nahum includes a warning to a fallen world that it is only a matter of time until God acts. Remember the words of Peter. First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, Where is this coming he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation. But they deliberately forget that long ago by God s word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare (2 Peter 3:3-10). Verse 1: This is the introductory verse telling us that it is a prophecy given by Nahum and the content concerns Nineveh. The NIV Study Bible defines oracle this way: ORACLE. The Hebrew for this word is related to a Hebrew verb meaning to lift up, carry and is possibly to be understood as either lifting up one s voice or carrying a burden. Such an oracle often contains a message of doom. 2 Verses 2-3a: The nature of the oracle is shown by presenting the nature of God. And the aspect presented is God at His most fearful. The name of God given is Yahweh and relates to His covenant keeping and therefore judgmental aspects. These are grounded in His eternal and creative natures. As we ve seen, Paul shows their connection in the Romans passage. The people of Nineveh had rejected truth. They had received direct revelation and divine healing. But now they have returned to their sin and God is saying, enough is enough. 1 Willmington. 2 NIV Study Bible Notes, Zondervan Interactive Publishing House, Grand Rapids, MI, 1999 ) 10 (

3 There are two aspects to the description Nahum provides. First, he goes back to the Ten Commandments. God will not allow the recognition He deserves to go to others. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me (Exodus 20:5). Armerding notes: The adjective jealous is used solely of God, primarily in his self-revelation at Sinai (Exod 20:5; 34:14). Against this covenantal background it denotes the Lord s deep, indeed, fiercely protective commitment to his people and his exclusive claim to obedience and reciprocal commitment (cf. Deut 4:24; 5:9). Where this relationship of mutual commitment is threatened, either by Israel s unfaithfulness or by foreign oppression, the inevitable expressions of such jealousy are vengeance and wrath, directed to restoring that relationship 3 We must remember the foes of God s people are the foes of God. This does not justify supporting God s people when they are disobedient but it means that those who would attack God s own, attack Him. It is in the context of God s wrath and jealously that all follows. Verse 2 lays a foundation for the entire prophecy: all that follows is rooted in this revelation of the justice and burning zeal of the Lord exercised on behalf of his people. To wrest the following chapters from the context, seeing only the historical details of carnage and destruction, is to miss their significance as a demonstration of the terrible wrath and power of God 4 The second half of the description is more positive because we are also told God is patient and slow to act. While He will judge, He also waits, giving opportunity for repentance and restoration. This was certainly the case with Nineveh, but now God s patience has run out and the day is coming when His patience will not stop Him from bringing judgment on the world and its unrighteous. And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness (Exodus 34:6). Verses 3b-6: These verses express the judgment of God through nature. As we have previously seen, God has used nature to bring judgment in a quite literal sense. Therefore, there is no reason to believe He will not do so again. Those who have lived through cyclones and hurricanes know the fear and helplessness that comes with realizing humanity s impotence vs. nature s fury. Think how much more frightening it must be to anticipate the storm that is the hand of an angry God. the LORD Almighty will come with thunder and earthquake and great noise, with windstorm and tempest and flames of a devouring fire (Isaiah 29:6). The waters represent God as the source of life and as such He is the one who gives it and takes it away. This is true whether we are considering water in a literal sense, or the jobs and 3 Armerding, Carl E., The Expositor s Bible Commentary, Nahum, Zondervan Interactive Publishing House, Grand Rapids, MI, Ibid. ) 11 (

4 the stability of resources we need to depend upon. Even those who reject God are dependent on His holding the world together. If He lets go, there is no hope for anyone. By a mere rebuke I dry up the sea, I turn rivers into a desert; their fish rot for lack of water and die of thirst (Isaiah 50:2). Just as, in the midst of the storm, we realize we cannot stand before an angry creation, consider other types of natural disasters. Earthquakes are even more frightening because they are unexpected and frequently life-threatening. They are extremely frightening, because as the earth, the mountains, etc. shake, we are reminded that even what seems the most stable and secure really isn t. Only God provides security and when people rebel against Him, there is no security to be found. Look! The LORD is coming from his dwelling place; he comes down and treads the high places of the earth. The mountains melt beneath him and the valleys split apart, like wax before the fire, like water rushing down a slope (Micah 1:3-4). But, sadly even these threats do nothing to move the hearts of those who are in rebellion against God. When the entire world is literally the weapon used by God, the response isn t repentance, but anger against God. There is no one who can stand before Him except when covered by the shed blood of Christ. C. S. Lewis, wrote a story (The Great Divorce) in which he tells about a bus trip that was run from hell to heaven. It was the sort of tour in which those who were in hell could take a bus trip to heaven. The bus was filled and, when it arrived in heaven, the driver parked the bus in a parking lot. The driver told everyone on the bus, At four o clock this afternoon, the bus is going to leave and head for home. Home just happened to be hell. And at four o clock that afternoon, the bus was filled everyone was back. The bus driver told them, If you want to stay, you can stay. Why didn t they stay? It was because they had found out they had no place in heaven. One of the great saints of the past put it this way: I would rather go to hell without sin than go to heaven with sin. 5 Verses 7-11: It is important to notice the relationship between God s mercy and judgment. Verse 7 is especially important in noting this. God s very acts of judgment are reassurances to those who are His own. Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness (Romans 11:22). For the Hebrews, the fact God would judge their enemies was in and of itself a basis for reassurance. In fact, God s judgment is a testimony of His goodness on behalf of His children. What often brings it on is the unrighteous conspiracy against Him, either directly or indirectly, by attacking His people. And who was the one conspiring against God? Sennacherib, perhaps more than any of his dynasty, stands out as the most powerful aggressor to emerge from Nineveh against Judah. According to the Assyrian annals describing his Judean campaign (c. 701), he cruelly devastated forty-seven fortified cities including Lachish, whose siege is graphically recorded in a series of reliefs discovered in his palace at Nineveh. That Nahum was re- 5 McGee, J. Vernon, Thru the Bible with J. Vernon McGee, Vol. 3, Proverbs-Malachi, Thomas Nelson Inc., Nashville, TN 1982, p ) 12 (

5 ferring primarily to Sennacherib s invasion is supported by his repeated reminiscences of Isaiah s prophecies relating to that era ; in particular, the verb plots recalls its description of Assyrian arrogance in Isaiah 10:7 6 But this is not what he intends, this is not what he has in mind; his purpose is to destroy, to put an end to many nations (Isaiah 10:7) As a result, God uses the actions of His enemies to trip them up and bring about their own downfall. And their downfall will be final. They will never again come up against God and those who belong to Him. Verses 12-15: God promises transition. Where once He was judging the Jew, and using Assyria to do so, now His hand will be lifted from them and fall on Nineveh. Woe to the Assyrian, the rod of my anger, in whose hand is the club of my wrath! (Isaiah 10:5). So, God sentences Assyria for her sin, her idolatry, and her violence. And just as she was once used to plague Judah, now God will use other nations to bring destruction upon her. God used the Babylonians, the Medes and the Scythians to dig Nineveh s grave in 612 B.C. For the fulfillment of this prophecy see Eze 32: Assyria is there with her whole army; she is surrounded by the graves of all her slain, all who have fallen by the sword. Their graves are in the depths of the pit and her army lies around her grave. All who had spread terror in the land of the living are slain, fallen by the sword (Ezekiel 32:22-23). Good news comes to Judah. Their enemy will be destroyed. The people will be able to rejoice and to celebrate the feasts God promises. What is the true benefit of God s protection? It is the rejoicing which comes with obedience to God and serving Him. Conclusion: The most important message we can pick up for this passage may not be the most obvious. God is good. In the midst of wrath, jealously and judgment, all are testimonies to His goodness. The question that arises out of this truth is, what is to be our response? It is to be one of praise, rejoicing and bringing the good news to others. Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news! (Romans 10:13-15). The good news is that while God will judge His enemies, He brings mercy and salvation to those who turn to Him. And the greatest benefit of that salvation is not freedom from our enemies, but freedom from the greatest enemy, sin! 6 Armerding 7 Ibid. ) 13 (

6 thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness. I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness. When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:17-23). ) 14 (

7 Nahum When Enough Is Enough! Chapter 1:1-15 I The Anger of the Lord Verses 1-15 A The Judgment of the Lord Verses 1-11 B The Sentence of the Lord Verses C The Purpose of the Lord Verse 15 I Introduction: (2 Peter 3:3-10) II The God Who Is There: (Exodus 20:5, 34:14; Deuteronomy 4:24; 5:9, Exodus 34:6) III God s Wrath: (Isaiah 29:6; Isaiah 50:2; Micah 1:3-4)

8 IV God s Mercy: (Romans 11:22; Isaiah 10:7) V Changing Times: (Isaiah 10:5; Ezekiel 32:22-23) VI Conclusion: (Romans 10:13-15, 6:17-23) Personal Application: How do you understand God s judgment as a basis of comfort in your own life? How does this truth affect your witness to others? Prayer for the Week: Lord, may I be sensitive to the needs of those around me, especially their need for the gospel message. Lord, fill me with Your Spirit and empower me to be used as Your instrument of Truth.