THE BOOK OF NAHUM

(“God’s Power In Nature’s Theater”)

Nahum 1:1-8 (NASU)

³“… In whirlwind and storm is His way, and clouds are the dust beneath His feet. ⁴He rebukes the sea and makes it dry; He dries up all the rivers. Bashan and Carmel wither; the blossoms of Lebanon wither. ⁵Mountains quake because of Him and the hills dissolve; indeed the earth is upheaved by His presence, the world and all the inhabitants in it. ⁶Who can stand before His indignation? Who can endure the burning of His anger? His wrath is poured out like fire and the rocks are broken up by Him.”

(Nahum 1:3b-6)

1. THE RIGHTEOUS JUDGEMENTS OF THE

RIGHTEOUS JUDGE

(1) The Book of Nahum opens with a picture of God as a righteous Judge¹ (c.f. Genesis 18:25; Psalm 7:11), who will not allow any of His “adversaries” or “enemies”² to go “unpunished” (c.f. Nahum 1:2-3). Those who “take refuge in Him” (verse seven) will find Him to be “a stronghold in the day of trouble” (c.f. Nahum 1:7) – but those who don’t will have to face His “vengeance” and “wrath” (c.f. Nahum 1:2).

(2) The Book of Romans tells you and me not to take “(our) own revenge” (c.f. Romans 12:19). However, that verse doesn’t stop there – for it immediately goes on to say that, instead of taking revenge into our own hands, we are to “leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord”. That’s actually a quote from the Book of Deuteronomy, where God said: “Vengeance is Mine, and retribution, in due time their foot will slip; for the day of their calamity is near, and the impending things are hastening upon them” (c.f. Deuteronomy 32:35).

(3) God has given a measure of retribution and revenge to the state (c.f. Romans 13:4). But you and I are not to exact personal or private revenge on our enemies – in part because, as fallen creatures, we are incapable of exacting a just retribution, or doing so with the right motives. God, however, always does both. No one who stands before Him to be judged will ever be punished too severely, or too leniently (which is what the whole “eye for an eye” principle is really about) (c.f. Exodus 21:23-24) – rather, everyone whom God judges will receive exactly what their specific sins deserve (c.f. Lamentations 3:64).

(4) What’s more, God doesn’t rub His hands with glee, or get some kind of morbid satisfaction from pouring out His wrath and vengeance on those who deserve it. On the contrary, He declares in the Book of Ezekiel: “As I live … I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked” (c.f. Ezekiel 33:11) – and again: “I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies” (c.f. Ezekiel 18:32). Elsewhere, the Book of Lamentations says: “He does not willingly bring affliction or grief to the children of men” (c.f. Lamentations 3:33, NIV) – while the Apostle Paul reminds us that God “desires all men to be saved” (c.f. I Timothy 2:4), even though He’s not going to save all men.³ If Jesus’ reaction to the judgment that was about to come upon Jerusalem, because of her rejection of Him as their Messiah, is any indication (c.f. Matthew 23:37-38) – and I think it is (c.f. Hebrews 1:3) – then it actually grieves the Lord to pour out His wrath on unrepentant sinners, even though He is completely justified in doing so.

(5) God’s vengeance, then, may be defined as His justly punishing those who deserve it – and the people of Nineveh deserved it.⁴ God’s wrath is only directed against those who have broken His holy laws (c.f. Romans 7:12) – which is also an attack on His own holy character (c.f. Habakkuk 1:13) – and the Assyrians had done that countless times (c.f. II Kings 18:28-35). God’s “burning anger” (c.f. Nahum 1:6) only breaks out in retribution on those who do not “take refuge in Him” (c.f. Nahum 1:7), by confessing their sins and throwing themselves on His mercy (c.f. Jonah 3:5-9) – and except for that brief period of grace described in the Book of Jonah, the people of Nineveh had not done that. In New Testament terms, God’s “indignation” (c.f. Nahum 1:6) is only directed at those who have rejected Jesus Christ, and refused to repent (c.f. Acts 20:21) – which is what the people of Assyria had essentially done.

2. THREE FATAL ERRORS FALLEN MEN OFTEN

MAKE REGARDING GOD’S JUDGMENT

(1) Lest fallen men think God is short-tempered or given to fits of uncontrollable rage, Nahum assures us (in verse three) that “the Lord is slow to anger” (c.f. Nahum 1:3) – which means He has not been in a hurry to bring judgment on Nineveh (or anyone else, for that matter). On the contrary, He has been far more patient than their sins deserved (c.f. Romans 2:4-6). However, being “slow to anger” doesn’t mean He will withhold His anger forever. There comes a time when His infinite patience is replaced by His infinite wrath – and that time had come for the people of Assyria – just as it will come for everyone who does not flee to Jesus Christ in repentance and faith (c.f. Luke 3:7).

(2) Lest sinful men mistake God’s “slowness to anger” for weakness, Nahum also assures us (in verse three) that the Lord is “great in power” (c.f. Nahum 1:3) – which means He has more than enough strength to “make a complete end” (verse eight) of the city of Nineveh (and with it, the Assyrian Empire), just as His prophet is predicting (c.f. Nahum 1:8). Hence, no one should ever mistake God’s patience for powerlessness – or confuse His “slowness to anger” with helplessness.

(3) A third fatal error men with depraved minds often make (c.f. Romans 1:28) is thinking God’s “slowness to anger” indicates a lack of resolve on His part – that He isn’t really going to follow-through on His threats of judgment (as in, “A God of love would never send someone to hell?” – or, “A good God would never send a hurricane or earthquake to take people’s lives). Hence, Nahum assures us (in verse three) that “the Lord will by no means leave the guilty unpunished” (c.f. Nahum 1:3). If Scripture is clear about anything, it’s that God is NOT apathetic or indifferent about sin (c.f. Psalm 7:11; 11:5; Isaiah 10:12; Hosea 9:9) – whether it be the Assyrian’s, or yours and mine. Those who presume upon God’s patience will be punished for their sins – those who question His resolve will not escape the punishment that the guilt of their sins deserves. Even the sins of God’s elect covenant people have not gone unpunished – for Christ took our sins upon Himself when He went to the cross, and with them our punishment (c.f. Isaiah 53:6; II Corinthians 5:21; I John 4:10).

3. GOD’S POWER ON DISPLAY IN NATURE AND

OVER NATURE

(1) In tonight’s text (c.f. Nahum 1:3b-6) Nahum expands on the concept of “God’s great power” (c.f. Nahum 1:3a), especially as it relates to the created order – with the point being that the power of God on display throughout nature is the same power that will bring a just recompense upon the wicked,⁵ whether they be Assyrians or Americans. John MacArthur said: “Nature serves as the theater in which (God’s mighty) power and majesty are showcased.”⁶ While O. Palmer Robertson adds that: “God is a living Person who interacts powerfully with the world He has made … so that ‘the sea and rivers and fruitful lands, the mountains and hills, even the whole earth and all its inhabitants’ (c.f. Nahum 1:3-6) feel the effects of God’s jealousy, wrath, vengeance, might and justice.”⁷

(2) With that in mind, the last part of verse three says: “In whirlwind and storm is His way, and clouds are the dust beneath His feet” (c.f. Nahum 1:3). A children’s paraphrase I like to look at occasionally says, “Where(ever) the Lord goes, whirlwinds and storms show His power. (And) clouds are the dust that His feet kick up” (c.f. Nahum 1:3, ICB).

(a) Now, the question becomes – is this just figurative language, written in poetic form? Or are we to take “whirlwinds and storms and clouds” as literal signs of God’s righteous anger and just retribution? My answer is, “Yes”!

(b) For one thing, most of the Book of Nahum is written in a poetic style – as the way it’s printed in your Bible readily shows (for example, compare the way the Book of Nahum is printed to the way the first, third and fourth chapters of the Book of Jonah are printed – c.f. Nahum 1-3; Jonah 1, 3-4). Hence, because it’s written in poetic form, much of the language is figurative – like verse seven, that says: “The Lord is … a STRONGHOLD in the day of trouble” (c.f. Nahum 1:7) – or verse thirteen, where the Lord says to Judah: “I will break (Assyria’s) YOKE BAR from upon you, and I will tear off your SHACKLES” (c.f. Nahum 1:13).

(c) Having said that, however, it’s important to remember that just because the language is figurative doesn’t mean it’s fictional – even poetic language can impart truth. Hence, the picture of “the Lord as our Shepherd” (in Psalm Twenty-Three, for example) has been a comfort to numerous generations of Christians – not because they believe God is a literal shepherd – but because the imagery communicates important truths to us about God’s tender care and provision for His people (c.f. Psalm 23:1-6).

Likewise, to compare “clouds” to “the dust beneath (God’s) feet” is clearly poetic – especially since “God is Spirit” (c.f. John 4:24), which means He doesn’t have “feet”. At the same time, however, this imagery conveys certain truths – like the fact God’s power extends to the clouds, in that He controls all their movements (for the good of mankind, or for ill) (c.f. Isaiah 5:6; Zechariah 10:1) – OR, that God is so powerful even the strongest storm clouds are as dust to Him – OR, that when He goes forth in “wrath” against “His adversaries” and “enemies” (c.f. Nahum 1:2), as John Calvin said, “the whole world is (affected)”⁸ (including the clouds).

(d) Beyond that – in Scripture “storms and clouds” are often associated with God’s judgment. For example, the prophet Zephaniah wrote: “A day of wrath is that day, a day of trouble and distress, a day of destruction and desolation, a day of darkness and gloom, A DAY OF CLOUDS AND THICK DARKNESS” (c.f. Zephaniah 1:15) – while the prophet Ezekiel said: “the day of the Lord is near; it will be A DAY OF CLOUDS, a time of doom for the nations” (c.f. Ezekiel 30:3). Even Jesus’ Second Coming will be “on the CLOUDS of the sky” (c.f. Matthew 24:30) – which (among other things) will be a signal that “the wrath of the Lamb” is about to fall on all those who have rejected Him as Savior (c.f. Revelation 6:16-17).

All of which is to say that the “clouds” Nahum speaks of poetically in verse three (c.f. Nahum 1:3) are probably not nice puffy white clouds, floating lazily across a blue sky – but rather, black and ominous “storm” clouds building and boiling with great power, as they spawn off “whirlwinds” and tornadoes as a signal that God’s judgment is about to fall (in this case, upon the Assyrians).

(3) Moving on to verse four, we’re told that: “He rebukes the sea and makes it dry; He dries up all the rivers. Bashan and Carmel wither; the blossoms of Lebanon wither” (c.f. Nahum 1:4).

(a) Here Nahum draws upon examples of God’s mighty power over nature. Hence, “rebuking the sea” (c.f. Nahum 1:4) probably refers to the parting of the Rea Sea during the days of Moses – AN ACT THAT not only resulted in Israel’s salvation, but also BROUGHT JUDGMENT UPON THE EGYPTIANS.⁷ Psalm One Hundred Six summarizes this momentous event, saying: ⁹“He rebuked the Red Sea and it dried up, and … led them through the deeps, as through the wilderness. ¹⁰… He saved them from the hand of the one who hated them, and redeemed them from the hand of the enemy. ¹¹The waters covered their adversaries; not one of them was left” (c.f. Psalm 106:9-11). Hence, the same event brought salvation to God’s covenant people – and judgment on those who were not His sheep (c.f. John 10:26). (As an aside, the fact Jesus was able to rebuke the wind and waves in a similar manner is one evidence He was God come in human flesh – c.f. Mark 4:37-41)

(b) “Drying up all the rivers” (c.f. Nahum 1:4) may be an allusion to what happened in the days of Joshua, when the people of Israel were able to cross over the Jordan River into the land of promise on dry ground (c.f. Joshua 3:14-16) – an event that SPELLED DOOM for many of the pagan peoples living in Canaan (c.f. Genesis 15:16). But there are other instances, as well – like in the days of Elijah, when the rivers and brooks dried up because of a prolonged drought (c.f. I Kings 17:1-7).

The point is, THESE WERE not random acts of nature – but DIVINE ACTS OF JUDGMENT brought about by the Lord. Hence, in the Book of Haggai the Lord said: ⁹“Because … My house … lies desolate … ¹¹I (have) called for a drought on the land …” (c.f. Haggai 1:9-11) – while the Psalmist was clearly speaking of an act of JUDGMENT when he said: ³³“(the Lord) changes rivers into a wilderness and springs of water into a thirsty ground; ³⁴a fruitful land into a salt waste, BECAUSE of the wickedness of those who dwell in it” (c.f. Psalm 107:33-34).

(c) As for “Bashan and Carmel withering, along with the blossoms of Lebanon” (c.f. Nahum 1:4), these were places with a reputation for being especially verdant and productive⁹ (c.f. Micah 7:14) – lands in the northern part of what was once the nation of Israel,¹⁰ that were filled with rich pastures, fruitful orchards and vineyards, and luxuriant forests.¹¹ And yet, THEY LANGUISHED AND SHRIVELED, AND EVEN BECAME DESOLATE IN THE FACE OF GOD’S WRATH. Hence, the Book of Amos says: “The Lord roars from Zion … He utters His voice; and the shepherds’ pasture grounds mourn, and the summit of Carmel dries up” (c.f. Amos 1:2) – while the prophet Isaiah said: “The land mourns and pines away, Lebanon is shamed and withers; Sharon is like a desert plain, and Bashan and Carmel lose their foliage” (c.f. Isaiah 33:9).

(d) Armies on the march can also have a devastating impact on pastures, vineyards and forests of the lands they conquer. Hence, O. Palmer Robertson says Nahum may have been recalling a recent devastation in Palestine – one well remembered by many of the Assyrians, since they had been the agent of that destruction¹⁰ (c.f. II Kings 19:23).

Either way, the point remains the same – when lands that are normally lush and productive suffer devastation (whether by drought, or flood, or military invasion) one has to at least consider the possibility that it’s the result of God’s judgment upon the people living in those lands, because they have not confessed their sins and repented (c.f. Jeremiah 44:27).

(4) We come now to verse five, which says: “Mountains quake because of Him and the hills dissolve; indeed the earth is upheaved by His presence, the world and all the inhabitants in it” (c.f. Nahum 1:5).

(a) The idea here is that God’s wrath shakes the very foundations of the earth¹⁰ – even those things that are symbols of stability¹² and permanence (like “the hills”, or “mountains”, or “the earth” itself) shake and tremble, and melt away in the face of God’s avenging anger.

(b) Nor is Nahum the only biblical writer who speaks of such cataclysmic reactions in the natural world to God’s wrath, or even His mere presence – for the Book of Judges says: “The mountains quaked at the presence of the Lord, this Sinai, at the presence of the Lord, the God of Israel” (c.f. Judges 5:5) – the Book of Job says: ⁴“… Who has defied Him without harm? ⁵It is God who removes the mountains, they know not how, when He overturns them in His anger; ⁶who shakes the earth out of its place, and its pillars tremble” (c.f. Job 9:4-6) – while the Book of Psalms adds that: “… the earth shook and quaked; and the foundations of the mountains were trembling and were shaken, because He was angry” (c.f. Psalm 18:7).

(5) The point is – and this brings us to verse six (c.f. Nahum 1:6) – (a) if the most stable and immoveable things we know of can’t stand before God’s righteous anger, how can men who are “but breath” and “dust” (c.f. Job 7:7; Psalm 103:7) ever hope to do so?!¹³ If the Sierra Blanca’s and Mount Everest’s of this earth can’t withstand God’s “indignation” (c.f. Nahum 1:6), how can mortal men (who deserve His wrath on account of their sins) ever hope to withstand it?! Hence, verse six asks: “Who can stand before His indignation? Who can endure the burning of His anger? His wrath is poured out like fire and the rocks are broken up by Him” (c.f. Nahum 1:6)

The psalmist once asked: ³“If You, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?” (c.f. Psalm 130:3) – the answer being, “No one!” If the mountains and hills can’t stand before His anger – then neither can we! If the rocks can’t keep from being “broken up” by His righteous “indignation” (c.f. Nahum 1:6) – then neither can we!

Fortunately, the next two verses in that passage go on to say: ⁴“BUT there is forgiveness with You, that You may be feared (i.e. held in awe and reverenced). ⁵(Therefore) I wait for the Lord, my soul does wait, and in His word do I hope” (c.f. Psalm 130:4-5).

(b) Those who “spurn God” (c.f. Psalm 10:13) (whether they be Assyrians or Americans) will one day be “upheaved” (verse five) by His righteous anger (c.f. Nahum 1:5), and swept away – maybe not to their earthly doom, but certainly to their eternal punishment. However, thanks to Jesus Christ, you and I can say with another psalmist: ¹“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. ²Therefore we will NOT FEAR, though the earth should change and though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; ³though its waters roar and foam, (and) the mountains quake … ⁷The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold …” (c.f. Psalm 46:1-3, 7; Nahum 1:7) (even in the day of disaster).

(6) So – in light of Nahum’s description of God’s wrath and it’s effect upon “the seas and rivers, hills and mountains” (c.f. Nahum 1:4-5) – in light of the connection Nahum (and other biblical writers) make between God’s righteous indignation and natural phenomenon like “whirlwinds and storms, earthquakes and droughts” (c.f. Nahum 1:3-6) – how should we Christians interpret the various disasters (both natural and man-made) that take place in our own day?

(a) One tendency of fallen human hearts is to follow the counsel of Job’s wife, and “curse God” (c.f. Job 2:9) – to blame Him for our adversities (which Job never did, by the way) (c.f. Job 1:22) – to become so angry and so bitter that we start questioning God’s goodness, or His ability to rule His creation, or even His existence. We shouldn’t be surprised when non-believers react like this – but we Christians ought not be in the habit of responding to calamities this way.

(b) Another tendency of fallen human hearts is to reject any and all attempts at connecting things like floods and fires, earthquakes and droughts, and other natural disasters (even some man-made ones) to God’s wrath or judgment – to (as we will see in a moment) (to) knowingly or unknowingly misconstrue the passage found in First Kings chapter nineteen that says: ¹¹“… a great and strong wind was rending the mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks … but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. ¹²(And) After the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire” (c.f. I Kings 19:11-12).

I remember hearing comments like that (even from Christian leaders) after the 9/11 attacks occurred. What’s more, I’m reasonably sure that similar comments were made after Hurricane Katrina devastated parts of Louisiana and Mississippi – after that bridge collapsed in Minnesota – after the last set of earthquakes hit California – and after floods overwhelmed parts of Iowa. Comments like – “God had nothing to do with it” – or, “that wasn’t the Lord’s doing” – or, as one person wrote on the Internet: “When Christians rise up claiming God is judging (people) with hurricanes, fires, or even car failure, remind them that although God wants (people) to repent, he is not in the wind (1Ki 19:11) and he is not in the fire (1Ki 19:12). Sometimes bad things just happen.”¹⁴

(c) Is it true that sometimes bad things “just happen”? Do natural disasters “just happen”, apart from or outside of God’s sovereign will? Not according to Scripture – for the Book of Amos asks rhetorically: “If a calamity occurs in a city has not the Lord done it?” (c.f. Amos 3:6) (the unspoken answer being, “Yes, He has done it!”) – while God Himself says, in Isaiah chapter forty-five: ⁶“… I am the Lord, and there is no other, ⁷the One forming light AND creating darkness, causing well-being AND creating calamity; I am the Lord who does ALL these (things)” (c.f. Isaiah 45:6-7).

The point of passages like these is not that God is the author of evil (c.f. James 1:13; I John 1:5) – but that He does sovereignly bring disaster or adversity on individuals and nations as a just punishment for their sins.¹⁵

(d) That’s not to say all natural disasters are expressions of His wrath – but, as I said in an earlier message, we are foolish to think none of them are. Nor should we assume, for example, that everyone who loses their home in a hurricane, or their life in an earthquake is being judged by the Lord on account of their sins – but again, we are being foolish if think none of them are. I don’t pretend to be able to discern God’s purpose in every specific instance – but I’ve come to the place where I never discount the possibility I may be witnessing His hand of recompense or retribution upon a people, or a city, or even a nation on account of their sins.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

¹Robertson: The Books of Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah;

The New International Commentary on the Old Testament; p. 59.

²IBID; p. 63.

³The New Geneva Study Bible: Footnote on I Timothy 2:4; p. 1909.

⁴Boice: The Minor Prophets; Vol. Two; p. 60.

⁵Walvoord: The Bible Knowledge Commentary: Old Testament;

p. 1497

⁶MacArthur: The MacArthur Bible Commentary; p. 1023.

⁷Robertson: Ibid; p. 66.

⁸Calvin’s Commentaries: Vol. XIV; The Twelve Minor Prophets;

Vol. III; Jonah, Micah, Nahum; p. 424.

⁹The New Geneva Study Bible: Footnote on Nahum 1:4; p. 1437.

¹⁰Robertson: Ibid; p. 67.

¹¹Unger: Commentary on the Old Testament; Vol. II; p. 1882.

¹²Walvoord: Ibid; p. 1498.

¹³Boice: Ibid; p. 61.

¹⁴http://media.www.volanteonline.com/media/storage/paper468/

news/2005/09/14/Opinion/Katrina.Gods.Fault-84967.shtml

¹⁵The New Geneva Study Bible: Footnote on Amos 3:6; p. 1398.