Do you know one of those people who can whistle loud enough to rise above the din of a crowd and command everyone’s attention? God doesn’t whistle in today’s passage, but He does command the silence of the Assyrian messengers as He demonstrates His awesome sovereignty over all.

In verse 11 the prophet asks, “Where now is the lions’ den, the place where they fed their young?” He goes on in verse 12 to help us understand the significance of his question: “The lion killed enough for his cubs and strangled the prey for his mate, filling his lairs with the kill and his dens with the prey.” This lions’ den was a place of safety and refuge for the lion, his mate, and his cubs. It’s where he would bring back the prey he’d killed so that his lion family could feast on the carcasses.

Lions in the ancient Near East, just like today, were majestic and feared predators, the “king of the jungle,” because of their might and hunting abilities. The psalmist likens his enemies to lions that would “tear me apart” (Ps. 7:2); the apostle Peter compares the devil to “a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8); and John the Revelator tells of his conversation with “one of the elders,” who proclaimed that “the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed” (Rev. 5:5).

The Lord who rules in Revelation promises here in Nahum that He will “devour your young lions”—the powerful warriors of Assyria—and states, “The voices of your messengers will no longer be heard” (v. 13). Nothing can stand against the might of the Lord—not even the strongest foes you can imagine. He alone is sovereign, He alone is God. He alone silences all His enemies. What a God!

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God’s people in the Old Testament were fickle—sometimes following the Lord faithfully and experiencing His blessing and sometimes turning from Him and experiencing His discipline. The same as us, really. But God is never fickle—He always keeps His covenant and always restores His people. In todays’ passage we read God’s promise to “restore the splendor of Jacob like the splendor of Israel,” even “though destroyers have laid them waste and have ruined their vines” (v. 2).

The passage begins with a warning against the Assyrian nation, who had oppressed God’s people and conquered the nation of Israel in 722 BC. Nahum proclaims that “an attacker advances against you, Nineveh” and that they should “brace yourselves [and] marshal your strength” (v. 1). Despite the call to prepare for battle, Assyria is already as good as defeated, for even though “Nineveh summons her picked troops,” “they stumble on their way” (v. 5). The Lord promises that the capital city of Nineveh—and with it the nation of Assyria—will fall: “The river gates are thrown open and the palace collapses” (v. 6). And just as the Assyrians had exiled the Israelites—and many nations throughout the ancient world—“Nineveh will be exiled and carried away” (v. 7). Once Assyria had plundered many nations, but now the Lord commands, “Plunder the silver! Plunder the gold!” He declares: “Hearts melt, knees give way, bodies tremble, every face grows pale” (v. 10).

Though this passage may be difficult to read because of its depictions of God’s judgment and wrath, it clearly portrays God’s justice and righteousness. As Nahum said in chapter 1, “the LORD will not leave the guilty unpunished” (Nah. 1:3). Likewise, today’s passage shows that God is faithful to His covenant and that He is sovereign over all things—even the most powerful nations in the world.

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I’ve been fascinated with World War II history since I was around thirteen years old. In that great conflict there was a clear villain, and, in the end, the good guys won. The Nazis were defeated, and many were brought to justice for the unspeakable evil they perpetrated upon the Jewish people.

Today’s passage in Nahum is easier to understand when we compare it to our satisfaction and joy at the Nazi defeat in World War II. Speaking of Assyria, a ruthless empire that conquered much of the ancient Near East, the Lord says, “Although they have allies and are numerous, they will be destroyed and pass away. Although I have afflicted you, Judah, I will afflict you no more. Now I will break their yoke from your neck and tear your shackles away” (vv. 12–13).

God would judge the nation that brought destruction, death, and pain to His people, and He would free His own people from oppression. God’s deliverance of His people—coupled with His judgment of Assyria—was reason for rejoicing: “Look, there on the mountains, the feet of one who brings good news, who proclaims peace!” (v. 15).

Now that the evil nation had been routed, the Lord commanded His people: “Celebrate your festivals, Judah, and fulfill your vows” (v. 15). Vows to God were a voluntary way to worship Him in the Old Testament. God commanded festivals, such as Passover and Booths, as a way for His people to remember and celebrate His protection and provision for them. Thus, God tells His people—and us today—to worship Him because He judges sin, because He protects His people, and because He is just and righteous. One day Christ will return and make a permanent end to all evil, and we will worship Him in eternity!

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In the church I grew up the pastor would often say, “God is good!” Then the church would respond with, “All the time!” We’d repeat it back and forth several times, drilling into our hearts the truth of God’s goodness at all times.

Nahum gives a similar refrain that offers comfort—in good times and bad—to all who trust in the Lord: “The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble” (v. 7). Remember that the prophet makes this statement in the midst of a stark word of judgment against the people of Nineveh. In fact, Nahum continues his warning to Nineveh in verses 7–8: “He [the LORD] cares for those who trust in him, but with an overwhelming flood he will make an end of Nineveh; he will pursue his foes into the realm of darkness.”

We have very little trouble with Nahum’s statements about God’s goodness, His care “for those who trust in him” (v. 7), or His being a “refuge in times of trouble” (v. 7). However, we often struggle to understand that God’s goodness also encompasses His fierce judgment upon evil. But Nahum’s statements of God’s judgment are entirely consistent with his statements about God’s goodness. To put it another way, God’s judgment of sin and His promise to “pursue his foes into the realm of darkness” are because of His goodness. Good parents do not allow their children to harm others and rebel against them with no thought of consequences. No! Good parents discipline their children because they love them and because they are good.

As we think of God’s judgment against sin and His care for those who trust in Him, let’s take care to see both of these ways of dealing with people as rooted in God’s character as good, loving, and kind.

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Nahum was the prophet Jonah always wished he could be! Jonah and Nahum both addressed the Ninevites, but the tone and outcome of each are radically different. Remember that the Ninevites miraculously repented at the reluctant Jonah’s meager five-word sermon. However, when we get to Nahum it is clear that their repentance was relatively short-lived—not unlike the Israelites’ themselves!

The book of Nahum begins by introducing the audience (Nineveh) and the prophet (Nahum). We know very little about this prophet other than that his name means “comfort” and he likely ministered during the fifty-year period from the fall of Thebes (663 BC) to the fall of Nineveh (612 BC).

Nahum’s sermon begins by referencing part of Exodus 34:6–7, which Jonah also quoted as his reasoning for not wanting to preach to Nineveh (see Jonah 4:2). Whereas Jonah focused on the Lord’s compassion, Nahum focuses on God’s vengeance and wrath: “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 vents his wrath against his enemies” (v. 2). Nahum does recognize God’s patience, stating that “the LORD is slow to anger but great in power” and reminding his audience that “the LORD will not leave the guilty unpunished” (v. 3). Nahum highlights God’s mysterious, awesome nature: “[H]is way is in the whirlwind and the storm” (v. 3), as well as His power over all things, including rivers, the sea, mountains, and even the entire earth (vv. 4–5).

Nahum then poses a few questions: “Who can withstand his indignation? Who can endure his fierce anger?” (v. 6). The questions are rhetorical, the answer is no one! In the presence of God, the only option is to repent—or face His judgment.

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There’s nothing better than a spot of shade in the middle of a scorching summer day. (Well, except air conditioning!) The tree’s leaves protect your eyes from the sun’s bright rays; the temperature noticeably drops. You relax a bit, sigh, and are grateful. That’s the sort of respite Jonah experienced.

Jonah was no doubt tired from his experience at sea, the journey in the fish’s belly, his sermon to Nineveh, and then his flashing anger at God’s compassion (4:1–4). The prophet went “out and sat down at a place east of the city. There he made himself a shelter, sat in its shade and waited to see what would happen to the city” (v. 5). Perhaps even now Jonah held out some hope that God would rain down fire and brimstone—the Bible doesn’t tell us. But it does tell us that God had compassion on Jonah, the reluctant and now angry prophet. Rather than letting the sun beat down on Jonah all afternoon, God “provided a leafy plant and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort” (v. 6). Predictably at this point in the story, “Jonah was very happy about the plant” (v. 6).

Jonah’s happiness turned out to be short-lived, because the Lord intends to use the plant as an object lesson. In language reminiscent of chapter 1—when God used the sea and a giant fish to reach Jonah— God “provided a worm” to destroy the plant, and then He “provided a scorching east wind.” Finally, “the sun blazed on Jonah’s head so that he grew faint” (v. 8). Again, we read that Jonah longed for death: “It would be better for me to die than to live” (v. 8). It is easy to condemn Jonah at this point, but first we should examine our own hearts.

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It is easy to be thankful for God’s love and patience with us, but how do we feel when God extends that same long-suffering compassion to our enemies? As Jonah thought about God’s grace to the people of Nineveh, he became angry. The Lord’s response to their repentance, which was completely consistent with His character, “seemed very wrong” to Jonah (v. 1). Jonah became so angry, in fact, that he declared “it is better for me to die than to live” (v. 4).

The Lord had heard Nineveh’s repentance and “did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened” (Jonah 3:10). This made Jonah angry—“this seemed very wrong, and he became angry” (v. 1). The prophet clearly knew that God was “a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity” (v. 2). In fact, Jonah was quoting the Lord’s own words back to Him, words first spoken to Moses in Exodus 34:6–8, just after the Lord relented from destroying the Israelites. You read that right! God spoke these same words to Moses after the golden calf incident (Exodus 32), when the people of Israel cast an idol to worship, while Moses was receiving the Law atop Mount Sinai.

Think about that. Jonah knew that God showed compassion to Israel after they committed gross idolatry and “indulge[d] in revelry” (Ex. 32:2–5). Jonah didn’t want to go to Nineveh because he didn’t want God to show that same compassion to the Ninevites. Put another way, Jonah was pleased to accept God’s mercy for himself and his own people, but he loathed the thought of God also showing kindness to people outside of Jonah’s group. Jonah’s theology only went skin deep.

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Uncertainty was a hallmark of ancient Near Eastern religion. The worshipers of false gods never really knew how to please—and appease—the gods they worshiped. If a worshiper of such gods could figure out 1) which god they had angered, 2) how they had angered him or her, 3) and what would make that god happy, even then they still couldn’t be sure that they would be forgiven. What a terrible way to live. The true God, however, is different, and “when God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened” (v. 10).

The New Testament book of Hebrews drives home God’s approachability and willingness to forgive sinners. Not only is He compassionate toward repentant sinners—just like we see in the book of Jonah—but God has also given people “a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God” (Heb. 4:14). This high priest can “empathize with our weakness” because He “has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin” (v. 15). And rather than causing us to shrink back from approaching God, Jesus our high priest enables us to “approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (v. 16).

Neither the sailors in Jonah 1 nor the king of Nineveh in chapter 3 knew if God would forgive them because a God who would forgive and who had made Himself known was foreign to their worldview. Our God is utterly and entirely different, and He welcomes us to His “throne of grace” and invites us into intimate relationship with Him. What a gift that we don’t have to wonder whether or not the Father will forgive us!

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