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. Nahum 2:7-10
In this seldom studied book of prophecy, Nahum reveals some crucial truths about God and His relationship to humanity. From these, we can discern a warning and a promise. People love to talk about God’s patience, longsuffering, kindness, mercy, love, etc., and these are all fitting elements of His nature to highlight as the Bible does repeatedly. However, we must be sure our understanding of the nature of God is well-rounded and balanced. God is slow to anger, and Nahum is quick to point this out (Nahum 1:3; cf. Exodus 34:6-7; Nehemiah 9:17; 2 Peter 3:9ff). God’s history with Nineveh bears this patience out regarding the very people against whom Nahum brought this burden declaring their impending doom.
God sent Jonah to Nineveh about a century earlier to warn them that His wrath would soon come upon the city if they did not repent of their wicked ways. Much to Jonah’s chagrin, when he finally went and delivered God’s message, the wicked city repented, and God spared them as promised. Interestingly, in Jonah’s complaint about their stay of execution, he confessed the reason he fled from the work God gave him in Nineveh. It was because he knew God is “…a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm.” (Jonah 4:2).
Sadly, Nineveh’s repentance was short-lived as they resumed their brutal program of conquest in 745 B.C., a mere 10-15 years after God spared them. In about 640 B.C., Nahum was sent to tell this wicked city of God’s impending wrath upon them. However, this time is different than the time before. Whereas Jonah brought a warning with an offer for repentance bringing about God’s mercy, Nahum bears no such opportunity to turn and be spared. His is a message declaring that the time of God’s patient dealings with their wickedness is up. Their doom was now sealed. Considering the description of the city in Nahum 3 and the boastings of their own kings in the annals of Assyrian history, their destruction was well deserved.
There is much to take away from this little book of only forty-seven verses concerning a city long since destroyed in a far away place (cf. Romans 15:4). First, God is slow to anger and patient with us. Being that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23), we ought to be mighty thankful for this reality. Second, His longsuffering is not without limits. Those who continue in rebellion will eventually be brought to justice, and this is only right. Third, God is a stronghold to those who trust in Him, and He will avenge His own (Nahum 1:7-8). Nahum was not simply declaring Nineveh’s destruction; he was declaring God’s deliverance of His people from a brutally oppressive city and nation (Nahum 1:12-2:2).
On the one hand, if we find ourselves in rebellion against God, we must heed Nahum’s warning and know His patience will one day give way to the execution of justice (2 Corinthians 5:10). On the other hand, if we find ourselves the victims of the oppression of others who rebel against God, we ought to receive Nahum’s comfort and put our faith in God, knowing He will avenge all wrongs in the end. Sooner than we think, God will declare that “time’s up,” so may we act accordingly.