The Book of Assyria’s Condemnation

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The book of Nahum is one peculiar in its arrangement because the ones about whom he writes are not those to whom he writes. About one hundred years prior to Nahum’s prophetic efforts, Jonah had reluctantly gone up to Nineveh, Assyria’s capital, and preached repentance unto the people. His work was fruitful in that at the command of the king, the people repented of their evil ways thus sparing their city and their lives. However, about a hundred years later, in the days of Nahum, Nineveh had proven their repentance to be short-lived and returned to their barbaric and idolatrous ways. Thus Nahum’s written work is dedicated to condemning Nineveh and foretelling of her destruction. What makes it peculiar, however, is that though he writes concerning Assyria he writes to Judah possibly with two purposes in mind. First, he encourages them by letting them know that their enemies, who had caused them so much trouble for so long, would be destroyed for their sins and no longer would they be a nuisance to them. Secondly, though, there is an implied, but obvious, warning that sin will bring destruction. Assyria was powerful and seemingly invincible, but God was tired of their sin and iniquity and brought His judgment against them. Judah was involved also in similar fits of iniquity and she needed to realize that if Assyria, as powerful as she was, could be brought down because of sin, Judah could as well.

God’s anger is an obvious theme in this book seeing as some eight words are used to portray that anger in just five of the first six verses:

“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. 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 1:2-6).

It was this anger that brought the wrath of God’s judgment as is vividly described by Nahum. At least ten times Nahum made reference to this destruction with the following description: “(1) the fierceness of the onslaught (2:4-6; 3:1-3); (2) Nineveh despoiled (2:9-10); (3) ‘where is the dwelling of the lions,’ the national symbol of Assyria (2:11-12); (4) Nineveh, ‘the well-favored harlot,’ stripped and filth thrown on her (3:4-6); (5) her people no more forceful than defenceless women (3:8-13); (6) her rulers, helpless, flee (3:17); (7) the people are scattered (3:18); (8) all who hear of her fate will clap their hands (3:19); (9) it is really the Lord who is her attacker (2:13); (10) Zephaniah also predicted the fall of Nineveh (Zephaniah 2:13-15).”

What made this destruction such an amazing sign of the power of God was the size of the city and the magnitude of its destruction. Dunn wrote about this wonder when he said:

“According to Diodorus Siculus, pagan historian, Nineveh was 60 miles in circumference, surrounded by walls 100 feet high, so broad that three chariots could drive abreast upon them, having 1500 towers 200 feet in height. Jonah’s mention of 120,000 innocents (Jonah 4:11) suggests that it may have had a population of nearly a million. The city appeared to be impregnable, but because of her sins, she was doomed, soon to be thrown down by the Lord at one stroke. Its destruction was so complete that the site was soon forgotten. When Xenophon and his 10,000 passed by 200 years later he thought the mounds were ruins of another city. When Alexander the Great fought a famous battle near the site in 331 B.C., he did not know there had been a city there. So completely had all traces of Nineveh disappeared that many scholars came to think that the references to it in the Bible and other ancient histories were mythical; that in reality the Assyrian empire had never existed.”

While there is no direct messianic prophecy found in Nahum, the divine attributes of Jesus Christ as judge of the earth are seen in God’s judgment of Assyria. Surely any found in opposition to God are subject to such an utter end as were these people. Thus the lesson remains for all people of all time that the only true prosperity that can be enjoyed is realized by the blessings of God received because of faithful service to Him and Him alone.

-Andy Brewer

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