Is life fair? It rarely seems so, especially in international politics. The most vicious dictators thrive, and raw power is the key ingredient in a successful foreign policy. Weak people get trampled.
As a citizen of Judah, the prophet Nahum felt the force of such injustice. His message from God concerned the greatest city of the time, Nineveh. This city, the capital of Assyria, represented raw, brutal power - "endless cruelty," as Nahum put it (3:19). Though Nineveh was hundreds of miles northeast of Judah, her power dominated the Middle East. In contrast, Judah was a small, fragile state barely clinging to independence.
Nahum's Nerve
Judah's sister nation to the north, Israel, had already been defeated by Assyria and carried into exile. Only God's miraculous intervention had saved Judah on that occasion. And now, in Nahum's time, the Assyrians had returned. They dragged off Manasseh, the king, with a hook in his nose (2 Chronicles 33:11). Judah was forced to pay tribute as a vassal state.
Few people can stare into the face of such raw power and come away unimpressed. Nahum did so only because he had seen a far greater power - the power of a God whose wrath could shatter rocks. If God was angry, how could Nineveh stand? Nahum's absolute confidence in God is underlined throughout this book.
It took nerve to stand up and predict the downfall of the most powerful nation in the world. Yet, in this book, Nahum sounds unintimidated, almost lordly. he spoke with confidence because he knew God's character: "The |
