NAHUM 1, 2 AND 3
Nahum probably prophesied at the time when Sennacherib took the cities of Judah and threatened Jerusalem itself. The immediate object of his prophecy was to comfort the distressed remnant, and to encourage their confidence in Jehovah.
Nahum means Comfort.
I believe Nineveh is the only city in the Old Testament which is called “the great city”. It was, apparently, built by Nimrod (Rebel) — see Genesis 10: 10, 11 and note — so that it appears to represent the developed greatness of the world on the line of rebellion against God. It had been warned through Jonah, and had for a time repented, so that the announced overthrow was suspended. This only aggravated the guilt of Sennacherib in coming violently against the people and city of the God who had so graciously spared Nineveh.
But at that time Jehovah’s people had become “a hypocritical nation” of whom He could speak as “the people of my wrath” (see Isaiah 10: 5, 6), and the Assyrian was the rod of His anger upon them. But, though this was the general state of things, by His grace there was still a remnant. Hezekiah called upon Isaiah to “lift up a prayer for the remnant that is left”, Isaiah 37: 4. There was a “virgin daughter” who could not be conquered by the Assyrian. God may use the violence of men as the rod of His anger upon hypocrisy and wickedness when such things are found in those who profess to know Him, but He never forgets His remnant. The faithful remnant was under His protecting hand all the time, and the prophecy of Nahum was given to sustain their confidence in Him.
Jehovah reminded His people that He is “a jealous and avenging God” and that He “taketh vengeance on his adversaries”, and “he reserveth wrath for his enemies”; chapter 1: 2. Those who “trust in him” (verse 7) are not His enemies; they have learned that “Jehovah is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble”. This was the happy experience of Hezekiah, Isaiah, and all the remnant. They did not need to strike a blow at the enemy; Jehovah undertook all for them. It is a comfort to know that there never need to be any thought of vengeance in our hearts; God has undertaken that matter. So it is written,
“[p. 55] not avenging yourselves, beloved; for it is written, Vengeance belongs to me, I will recompense, saith the Lord”, Romans 12: 19. If God is our stronghold and we trust in Him, our enemies are His enemies, and He will deal with them in due time, perhaps by converting them into His friends and ours! He will convert Assyria in a coming day; see Isaiah 19: 23 - 25. This is what we desire and look for as having come under grace ourselves. But this does not change the fact that God will assuredly deal at His own time with all that is evil. “It is a righteous thing with God to render tribulation to those that trouble you, and to you that are troubled repose with us, at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven”, 2 Thessalonians 1: 6, 7. It is the privilege of the saints now to act in grace towards their enemies and persecutors “If therefore thine enemy should hunger, feed him; if he should thirst, give him drink, for, so doing, thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head”, Romans 12: 20. But God will inevitably judge what is evil, whether it be in those who profess to know Him, or in those who are openly adverse to Him and to His saints. There will most assuredly be “wrath and indignation, tribulation and distress, on every soul of man that works evil, both of Jew first and of Greek”, Romans 2: 9.
God’s people may have to suffer, either from persecution or from disturbed conditions in the world, but He would have them always to recognise that “his way is in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet”, verse 3. No one can doubt that at the present time the mountains are quaking and the earth is upheaved, and the world and all that dwell therein; verse 5. And God’s people have to suffer along with all others; the languishing of Bashan and Carmel and of the flower of Lebanon (verse 4) would indicate this. But Jehovah has His way amidst all that is happening, and the “dust of his feet” indicates that there is movement on His part, though “clouds” show that His steps are not discernible by men. But faith has the comfort of knowing that it is so.
As to Nineveh and its proud oppressor Jehovah would “make a full end of the place thereof”, whatever they might have imagined against Him. Verse 11 shows that evil counsel is present as well as the pride of power; Satan’s craftiness has its place in all the movements that are adverse to the people of God. But they do not baffle Jehovah. Indeed, He makes use of them for the chastening of His people until the time comes when He says, “And though I have afflicted thee, I will afflict thee no more”, verse 12. So we see many things working together. Jehovah’s judgment was upon Nineveh, though suspended for a time by their repentance. But then His people were worse than the Assyrian, considering the light and privileges which he had vouchsafed to them, so He made use of the Assyrian as His rod to chasten them. Then He saw also that the faithful remnant needed affliction to deepen His work in them. But when suitable exercise came about in the remnant He overthrew the Assyrian, and presently destroyed Nineveh the capital as fully described in Nahum 2 and 3.
“And now I will break his yoke from off thee, and will burst the bonds asunder”, verse 13. There would seem to be an interesting connection between this verse and Isaiah 10: 27: “And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck; and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing”. The yoke being destroyed “because of the anointing” seems to suggest a moral deliverance by spiritual power even before the actual deliverance. Jehovah put the spirit of victory into the virgin daughter of Zion before He Smote the Assyrian; see Isaiah 37:21 - 38. Whatever pressure may be upon us God would not have us to be held in bondage by it; He would have us to be freed in spirit from the yoke in virtue of the power of “the anointing”.
Verse 15 connects with this: “Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth glad tidings, that publisheth peace”. The peace of victory is published, the testimony sounded forth before the actual destruction of the enemy because it is known that Jehovah has taken the whole matter in hand! It is quite a common thing in Scripture for the full result of God’s actings to be celebrated from the moment He takes them in hand; see Luke 2:43, 14; Revelation 11:15 - 17; Revelation 12: 10. In the light of this Judah is called to celebrate his feasts and perform his vows. He is to go on with the enjoyment of spiritual privileges and in rendering what is due to Jehovah; he is to evidence in this way the practical power of the anointing.