The Destruction of Nineveh

Intro

Please open your Bibles with me to the book of Nahum. We're in the middle of our short series on the Old Testament prophet's book. Last week we looked at the picture of punishment and the promise of peace powerfully displayed in chapter 1.

Today, we will study Nahum's depiction of the destruction of Nineveh and, ultimately, the downfall of the Assyrians. As we unpack what we're about to read, we'll see that Nahum provides:

An additional announcement for Nineveh.

A vivid description of the destruction of Nineveh.

A song intended to taunt the once mighty Assyrians.

Now, let's read through the passage:

**CHANGE SLIDE** - Scriptures

Nahum 2 ESV

1 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. 3 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. 5 He remembers his officers; they stumble as they go, they hasten to the wall; the siege tower is set up. 6 The river gates are opened; the palace melts away; 7 its mistress is stripped; she is carried off, her slave girls lamenting, moaning like doves and beating their breasts. 8 Nineveh is like a pool whose waters run away. “Halt! Halt!” they cry, but none turns back. 9 Plunder the silver, plunder the gold! There is no end of the treasure or of the wealth of all precious things. 10 Desolate! Desolation and ruin! Hearts melt and knees tremble; anguish is in all loins; all faces grow pale! 11 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. 13 Behold, I am against you, declares the Lord of hosts, and I will burn your chariots in smoke, and the sword shall devour your young lions. I will cut off your prey from the earth, and the voice of your messengers shall no longer be heard.

Prayer

**CHANGE SLIDE** - The Announcement

The Announcement for Nineveh (2:1-2)

The second primary oracle Nahum brought begins with an announcement. Before we get there, however, if you look back to verse 15 of chapter one, the first oracle ended with a citation from Isaiah 52:7, which the Apostle Paul used in Romans 10:15. How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!

The chapter, as you saw while we read, comes across like an eyewitness account proclaiming the good news of the destruction of Nineveh.

Understandably, one might ask, "How can news of the horrifying and complete destruction of an entire city and nation be called good?"

It's good news because this was not written for the benefit of the Ninevites, but rather it was delivered to Judah, who the Assyrians had oppressed. The announcement that the invading army was outside the gates was, as one commentary shares, one big "at last!"

The Assyrians had brutally oppressed Israel, and while they were the instrument of judgment upon God's people for their wickedness, the Lord was now bringing judgment upon Assyria and, specifically, Nineveh. After years of being harassed and tormented by the wicked Assyrians, Judah was learning that their oppression was ending. The Lord heard their prayers and remembered His promise to them.

The word "scatterer" in verse one is sometimes translated as "attacker." It was a word that appears elsewhere in the Old Testament to describe an enemy intent on smashing opposing forces to pieces and scattering them on all sides (1)

Directly addressing Nineveh, a city that had sent out numerous armies to scatter and plunder so many other cities, Nahum announced that their scatterer had arrived. He uses four urgent military commands to ready the Ninevites for battle. As wicked as they have been to so many, they are commanded to stand and watch as their new enemy overwhelms them.

Just before the description of the attack, Nahum reminds Assyria that it is the Lord who is ultimately coming against them. Yes, there are enemy soldiers, horses, chariots, and more, but they need to make no mistake: The God of Israel is the one coming against them as He restores the majesty of Jacob; of Israel.

When used in similar contexts throughout the prophets, the word "restore" repeatedly signals the rescue and deliverance of God's people by the Lord Himself.

When Assyria was permitted to attack Israel, it must be clear that God did not approve of their behavior. Allowance does not always equal approval. Although they were the instrument in God's hand, they were entirely responsible for the atrocities they committed. Their actions had damaged Israel, and the guilty would not go unpunished.

This announcement ushers in the report of the destruction of Nineveh.

**CHANGE SLIDE** - The Destruction

The Destruction of Nineveh (2:3-10)

I won't spend much time on the destruction narrative, as it is relatively straightforward.

As Nahum turns his attention to the attack as it plays out throughout the city, he begins calling out what he sees as if he is giving a running commentary on the overwhelming attack launched against Nineveh.

These verses depict a coordinated attack against the city and its people: the invading force gathers its troops (Nah 2:3), moves towards the city (v. 4), launches an onslaught (vv. 5–6), takes captives (v. 7), and pillages the city (vv. 8–10). (2)

I do want to highlight a couple of things, however. First: interestingly enough, I learned that there was a superstition in Nineveh that the city would only fall if the river became its enemy. The attacking armies may have destroyed the dams that Nineveh established, and that's why verse 6 says, "The river gates are opened; the palace melts away."

As God allowed an opposing force to lay waste to this once great city, he enabled their worst fears to be realized as the river was used against them. Their palace was most likely made out of baked mud bricks, and when that portion of the city was inundated with flood waters, many buildings appeared to melt away. A city that prided itself on its strength was being made to look foolish as they were being destroyed.

Second, the references in verse 10 about hearts melting, knees trembling, anguish being felt, and faces growing pale show that these once mighty people are utterly terrified as they watch their attackers ransack the city.

One commentary shares, "When Sennacherib, king of Assyria, built the massive walls of Nineveh, he named the outer wall "The Wall That Terrifies the Enemy" and the inner wall "The Wall Whose Splendor Overwhelms the Foe." (3) Well, unfortunately for Nineveh, the walls did not stop the enemy, and it was the Assyrians who were terrified and overwhelmed. Scripture teaches that pride goes before a fall, which is displayed in this passage.

The destruction of Nineveh results in a song Nahum gives, known as a "taunt song."

**CHANGE SLIDE** - The Taunt

The Taunt of Nineveh (2:11-13)

Nineveh, a capital city of Assyria, known throughout the ancient near-eastern world, was a great city that, in Jonah's day, housed more than 120,000 people. Though there was every indication, from the outside looking in, that it was a mighty, well-defended, fortified city, we know from Nahum's account that the enemies made quick work of Nineveh.

The Assyrians had become like a tree that's dying from the inside out, it may look strong from the outside, but after years of slow decay, once it faces even a slight opposing force, it caves and falls quickly. This realization led Nahum to offer what biblical scholars call a "taunt song."

The lion was used to symbolize kingship in the ancient Near East, but the Assyrians truly loved comparing themselves to lions. Nahum asks, "Where are the lions now?" He's saying, "You people considered yourselves to be lions, and the chief lion boasted about bringing more than enough for the young lions to eat from. Well, the lair is empty. The lions have run away. You think you're powerful, but you will melt away in the face of opposition. And now the Lord, Himself, is against you.

Nahum then touches on something important. Although he's described the opposing forces in their rapid besieging of Nineveh, Nahum makes it explicitly clear that the true enemy of the Assyrians is God himself. It is the Lord who will destroy the Assyrians' battle armaments; it is the Lord who will devour the young leaders of Nineveh with the sword and utterly remove Assyria from the world stage. They will have neither a nation, nor even a voice any longer. Oh, how the mighty have fallen?

**CHANGE SLIDE** - Title Slide

History may tell us that the Babylonians compiled an impressive force, including the Babylonians, Medes, and Scythians, but we must know that it is the Lord who ordains nations to rise and fall. It is the Lord who gives and takes away. He may use other nations in His process, but we cannot miss this: when the Lord is your enemy, there is no chance of survival.

God is a just God, and He will be fair. Everyone who has sinned (which is everyone but Jesus) and therefore committed treason against Him will need to face judgment for their sin against Him. Those who repent of their sins and trust in Christ will be spared this judgment, but only because Jesus willingly took the total weight of God's wrath upon himself and paid the debt we could not pay.

Judah would soon learn that their freedom from oppression was temporary. Not long after the Babylonians defeated the Assyrians, God used them to usher in a new period of judgment on Israel for their rejection of truth and following after the false gods and idols of the nations again. However, because of their short time of obedience, they received and enjoyed a short rest as God's covenant people.

While that short rest was enjoyable for the people, we know there is a permanent rest reserved for those who call upon the Lord for the forgiveness of sin and lovingly embrace Christ as our only savior.

True eternal blessings, which are far better than wealth or possessions, are given to those who follow the Lord through genuine repentance, faith, and obedience. Judah was able to see the power of God to answer their prayers. May we see His power and trust that there is no enemy, whether of flesh and blood or of spirit, who can overcome us if we remain faith to His word.

Judah’s physical enemy, Assyria, was eliminated forever. Likewise, one day our greater, but spiritual enemy, sin, will be eliminated forever. Until that day, may God give us the grace we need to follow and honor him as a truly just God.

Let’s pray

John L. MacKay, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk and Zephaniah, Focus on the Bible Commentary (Ross-shire, Great Britain: Christian Focus Publications, 1998), 208.)

John D. Barry et al., Faithlife Study Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016), Na 2:3–10.

John D. Barry et al., Faithlife Study Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016), Na 2:5.