Wednesday, June 22, 2016

Nineveh escaped God’s judgment when they repented of their evil ways in response to the message proclaimed by the prophet Jonah. Gradually they reverted to their old, evil ways, so God sent another prophet, Nahum. He proclaimed that “The Lord is a jealous and avenging God; the Lord takes vengeance and is filled with wrath. The Lord takes vengeance on his foes and maintains his wrath against his enemies” (Nahum 1:2). Most of his prophecy vividly describes what is going to happen to Assyria and its capital, Nineveh. What makes his prophecy hauntingly scary is that it was written as satire in the present tense, as though it had already happened. Reaffirming what Jonah said a century earlier Nahum writes. “The Lord is slow to anger and great in power.” Then adds, “The Lord will not leave the guilty unpunished” (vs 3). After describing elements of God’s power he again refers to what happened a century earlier: “The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble, He cares for those who trust in him” (vs 7). Nineveh experienced this truth a century earlier, but now faced this stark prophecy: “With an overwhelming flood he will make an end of Nineveh; he will pursue his foes into darkness.” As the people of Judah heard this they would be encouraged to take refuge in God until their time of trouble would end with the destruction of Nineveh. In addition, they would be comforted by the promise, “He cares for those who trust in him.” This is still true today, so take refuge in God.