Justice is Coming, Swift and Unstoppable

Nahum's name means "comforter." It's an interesting name for a prophet whose primary message is one of vengeance on Israel's enemies for what they did to them when God used them to judge her. But that picture of comfort is one we might be well served to understand. God comforts His people by always having their long-term interests in mind. No enemy will prosper against God's people. Though we suffer setbacks, the Lord is keeping records and will recompense those who attack us. 

In our daily battles, we can be comforted to know that whatever loss we experience will be repaid by the Lord as we seek to do His will. 

Nahum 2:1–2 (ESV) The scatterer has come up against you. Man the ramparts; watch the road; dress for battle; collect all your strength. 2 For the LORD is restoring the majesty of Jacob as the majesty of Israel, for plunderers have plundered them and ruined their branches.

The Lord restores through the vengeance against Nineveh. The people of Israel will see their majesty reborn. What a tremendous testimony to the faithfulness of God's Word that Nineveh is no longer and Israel is still standing to this day. I mean, what ancient nation that had been conquered ever saw rebirth? 

Nahum 2 is a detailed prophetic vision of the destruction of the wicked city. 

Nahum 2:3–4 (ESV) The shield of his mighty men is red; his soldiers are clothed in scarlet. The chariots come with flashing metal on the day he musters them; the cypress spears are brandished. 4 The chariots race madly through the streets; they rush to and fro through the squares; they gleam like torches; they dart like lightning.

Nahum 2:8 (ESV) Nineveh is like a pool whose waters run away. “Halt! Halt!” they cry, but none turns back. 

The Greek historian Diodorus Siculus (c. 20 B.C.) writes that the river breached the city walls, leaving a large portion of the area submerged. At this juncture, the king interpreted an oracle that foretold Nineveh’s downfall when the river declared war against it as fulfilled. He abandoned any hope of survival and constructed an enormous funeral pyre within the royal precincts. He piled immense quantities of gold and costly garments, confined his concubines and eunuchs within a chamber he had constructed within the pyre, and then set himself, his family, and his concubines on fire. Exactly as Nineveh prophetically describes.

Nahum 2:9 (ESV) Plunder the silver, plunder the gold! There is no end of the treasure or of the wealth of all precious things.

The plunder of Nineveh is also recorded as the greatest such act of plundering up to that time. Even today, no treasures can be found in Nineveh's ancient location.

When God summons His justice, it is swift, powerful, and unstoppable. We can view these passages as a picture of the last day, when God raises the dead and judges each according to his deeds. The image should cause us to rest in the knowledge that whatever hurts we experience, the Lord's recompense is certain. 

Nahum 2:11–12 (ESV) Where is the lions’ den, the feeding place of the young lions, where the lion and lioness went, where his cubs were, with none to disturb? 12 The lion tore enough for his cubs and strangled prey for his lionesses; he filled his caves with prey and his dens with torn flesh.

These two verses are a taunt from the prophet as Nineveh used the lion as a symbol in its artwork and architecture. Moreover, Nineveh thought they were the lion of the nations. But they are no more. The lion's den has been wiped out.

We come to Nahum recognizing the justice of God for what it is - sure, swift, and permanent. Nineveh holds no territory today. The Lord removed them from the Earth, and yet his chosen people remain. 

In Christ, we escape the judgment of God, for Christ took our judgment on Himself. We then live as free people not only in this life, but also with the Father in eternity.