230806 Nahum: God's Good Wrath

Mark Organ

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INTRODUCTION

2 Timothy 3.16-17

Yuck, wrath of God… Am I right? No one likes to hear of the wrath of God...Why don’t we like to hear about God’s wrath? Just the mention of it produces within us a visceral response. We recoil at it, we don’t like wrath do we? Why?

God is good, correct? Yes, absolutely. He is morally pure, perfect in holiness, having a character untarnished by sin of any sort. He does no evil, so why don’t we rejoice in God’s wrath? Well, its because of sin… In the first two chapters of Genesis mankind lived in an idyllic paradise called Eden with our Creator. Enjoying proximity, relationship and blessing with God but in chapter 3 something happened that changed that.

In Genesis 3 our great-great-grandparents defied God and ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil which God had forbidden them to do and it says in Genesis 3:7–10 “And the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings. Then they heard the sound of Yahweh God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of Yahweh God in the midst of the trees of the garden. Yahweh God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” And he said, “I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.””

What created this change? Previously they had enjoyed fellowship with God, what changed? They were now in sin, separated from God. Relationship broken, accountable, subject to the penalty that He warned about in chapter two - death. Genesis 2:16–17 “And Yahweh God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may surely eat; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat from it; for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.”” From this point on the world would fear the wrath of God because of its sin nature. That is why we fear the wrath of God - even though since it is from Him it is good.

We fear the wrath of God the same way we fear seeing red and blue lights in our rear view mirror when we are doing 70 in a 55 mile per hour zone. We fear consequences, we fear accountability, we fear shame, we fear penalties. Sin is what causes us to dislike the wrath of God. But if we are thinking Biblically we will not dislike the wrath of God, quite the contrary we will ask God to quickly bring about His righteous wrath against sin.

Today we are going to talk about the “Good Wrath of God” and I phrase it as good because God is good and He never does anything wicked or evil. His wrath against sin is right and good and fair and reasonable. It is reasonable to punish sinners by sending them to hell. It is good!

ROADMAP

Today we are going to search the Scriptures to see what they have to say about the wrath of God and how to avoid it. We are going to look at what a Biblical perspective on wrath entails and what our response ultimately will be. We are going to be in the book of Nahum chapter 1 where we will look at Yahweh’s revelation against Nineveh, the city that had repented 150 years earlier has forsaken the Lord and will reap the consequences of their sin. After that we will be in several different texts to help us understand what our response to God’s wrath should be and we will close by going to the final book of the Bible the book of Revelation and see all the people of God, which is us, responding to God’s wrath and see what that looks like. But here’s the main point and its actually found in our text in Nahum chapter 1.

MAINPOINT

Nahum 1.7 “Yahweh is good, A strong defense in the day of distress, And He knows those who take refuge in Him.”

The Lord is good and will save those who keep coming to Him in faith. His wrath against sin is good and it is revealed against all ungodliness. So if you are ready we are going to get an Scriptural understanding of the wrath of God. But let’s ask the Author of Scripture to guide us as we ruminate on this important topic

PRAYER

Observations

God is three fold nqm

God’s wrath is not uncontrolled - He is patient, not reactionary

God’s wrath is not optional against sin, He doesn’t arbitrarily decide one day, I am angry against something. No His holiness compels Him to respond. Millard Erickson describes God as being allergic to sin. We don’t choose our allergies but they impact us.

God’s wrath must be displayed against sin otherwise He is not good

CONTEXT

EBB: Nahum’s name means comfort

Written approximately 650BC during Nineveh’s heyday

Manasseh king from 697-642BC exceptionally wicked (son of Hezekiah)

Nineveh was the capital of Assyria - was atrocious in its wickedness (flayed soldiers, cut off noses, ears and fingers)

Nineveh fell in 612BC to the Median and Babylonian armies x Nineveh was founded by Nimrod - the great grandson of Noah back in Genesis 10.11 Nahum’s name means comfort or consolation

Written: to prove God is sovereign over all nations not just Israel

Theme: Divine judgment, destruction of Nineveh

Format: 1 Prediction, 2 Description, 3 Reasons for Destruction

Teaches: God’s justice and judgment

Sermon:

I. Who God Is (v1-3) A Word of Comfort?

1 The oracle of Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.

RESTATED: NKJV Reads “the burden against” Nineveh. The vision seen by the prophet who comforts from Elkosh

In this book of Nahum Nineveh is called the city of bloodshed in Nahum 3.1 “Woe to the city of bloodshed, completely full of deception and pillage; Her prey never departs.”

2 A jealous and avenging God is Yahweh; Yahweh is avenging and wrathful. Yahweh is avenging against His adversaries, And He keeps His anger for His enemies.

RESTATE: The fiercely protective God of the Universe, who utterly rejects disloyalty and is known by His people as Yahweh, is One who keeps taking vengeance in the fullest sense. Yahweh is thrice vengeful maintaining mastery over His intense anger and rage. Yahweh continuously takes full vengeance against His personal enemies as He holds a bitter grudge against them.

Too strong…? The Hebrew word for vengeance is repeated in this hymn 3 times. I thought only His holiness was repeated in triplicate in Isaiah 6 but apparently I was wrong. נקם is to take revenge or to avenge oneself and it is repeated three times.

God is described as the One who originated the Universe (El), called by the people of Israel by His chosen name (Yahweh) and is also called the baal/owner/master/authority over vengeful wrath. Thrice vengeful He is the supreme Avenger who reserves and holds and maintains His wrath against those that hate Him.

3 Yahweh is slow to anger and great in power, And Yahweh will by no means leave the guilty unpunished. In whirlwind and storm is His way, And clouds are the dust beneath His feet.

RESTATE: The Lord is indulgent - long of nose, His nose takes a long time to get hot and He is exceptionally magnificient in His ability to supernaturally influence His Creation. Yahweh will never leave any sin unconfronted. His way is that of the tornado and hurricane. The clouds are nothing but dust beneath His feet. He is very great.

Slow to anger - Noah 120 years, Jonah 150 years (custom message), Ammonites 430 years, Christ’s return 2000 years

II. What God Does (v4-6)

4 He rebukes the sea and makes it dry; He dries up all the rivers. Bashan and Carmel languish; The blossoms of Lebanon languish.

RESTATE: He angrily censures the seas, often the seas are a metaphor for the nations, He is able to dry up not only Israel but also other nations. He also is over all the natural world - He is capable of drying up even the Columbia River. He can destroy the fertility of the world

5 Mountains quake because of Him, And the hills melt; Indeed the earth is upheaved by His presence, The world and all the inhabitants in it.

RESTATE: God can not only destroy seas but also can eliminate stability in the largest mountains. He can dissolve hills and His very being shakes the earth and all who dwell there.

6 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 torn down by Him.

RESTATE: Who is able to withstand His righteous wrath - no one! Who can survive the fierce heat of His wrath - no one! His wrath gushes out like fire’s fury and it shatters even the stones.

GOOD TIME TO TRANSITION TO THE VERACITY OF GOD’S CONDEMNATION - DID THESE THINGS COME TRUE? IN 612BC THE TIGRIS RIVER FLOODED NINEVEH AND DESTROYED THE CITY AND IT WAS OVERTHROWN BY THE MEDES AND BABYLONIANS.

III. Yahweh is Good (v7-8)

7 Yahweh is good, A strong defense in the day of distress, And He knows those who take refuge in Him.

RESTATE: Yahweh has a character that is morally good. He keeps on defending during the day of distress. He is a rescuer to those who are seeking Him out for refuge.

x ידע ydʿ know, notice, hear of, learn; reveal, be or become known; realize verb, Qal, participle, masculine, singular, absolute, active Sense: to know (experientially) – to know or have knowledge about (someone or something); normally as acquired through observation or the senses.

Per NAC “Keeps on Knowing” for those who “Keep on Seeking Him for Refuge”

x חסה ḥsh take refuge verb, Qal, participle, masculine, plural, construct, active Sense: to find refuge – to find and go to a safe location or shelter.

8 But with an overflowing flood He will make a complete destruction of its place And will pursue His enemies into darkness.

RESTATE: Like the irresistible pulse of the tsunami He has promised to completely destroy Nineveh and will chase down those who resist Him until justice is fully served by their death.

JUST LIKE THE FLOOD IN NOAH’S DAY

Hebrews 10.35-39 “Therefore, do not throw away that confidence of yours, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise. FOR YET IN A VERY LITTLE WHILE, HE WHO IS COMING WILL COME, AND WILL NOT DELAY. BUT MY RIGHTEOUS ONE SHALL LIVE BY FAITH, AND IF HE SHRINKS BACK, MY SOUL HAS NO PLEASURE IN HIM. But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul.”

APPLICATION: Who can withstand the wrath of God, So what | WHY IS GOD’S WRATH GOOD | Whats the right response to God’s wrath?

Draw near and repent for sins James 4.8-10 “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be miserable and mourn and cry. Let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.”

Seek refuge in Christ alone Acts 4.12 ““And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.””

Understand your salvation Romans 8:31–39 | 31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He who indeed did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things? 33 Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; 34 who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. 35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will affliction, or turmoil, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 Just as it is written, “FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG; WE WERE COUNTED AS SHEEP FOR the SLAUGHTER.” 37 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Call out to God for justice Revelation 6.9-11 “And when He opened the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the witness which they had maintained; and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Master, holy and true? Will You not judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” And a white robe was given to each of them; and it was told to them that they should rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow slaves and their brothers who were to be killed even as they had been, would be completed also.”

Praise God when it is served Psalm 58.10-11 “The righteous will be glad when he beholds the vengeance; He will wash his feet in the blood of the wicked. And men will say, “Surely there is a reward for the righteous; Surely there is a God who judges on earth!””

CONCLUSION:

2 Peter 2.4-9 “For if God did not spare angels who sinned, but cast them into the pit and delivered them to chains of darkness, being kept for judgment; and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; and if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, having made them an example to those who would live ungodly lives thereafter; and if He rescued righteous Lot, oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men (for by what he saw and heard that righteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day by their lawless deeds), then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trial, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment,”

Romans 5:6–11 “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man, though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only this, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.”

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James 4:1–10 | 1 What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? 2 You lust and do not have, so you murder. You are envious and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures. 4 You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world sets himself as an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose: “He jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us”? 6 But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.” 7 Be subject therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be miserable and mourn and cry. Let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.

John 2.13-18 “And the Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And He found in the temple those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. And He made a scourge of cords, and drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables; and to those who were selling the doves He said, “Take these things away; stop making My Father’s house a place of business.” His disciples remembered that it was written, “ZEAL FOR YOUR HOUSE WILL CONSUME ME.” The Jews then said to Him, “What sign do You show us as your authority for doing these things?””

I. Who God Is (v1-3)

1 The oracle of Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.

RESTATED: NKJV Reads “the burden against” Nineveh. The vision seen by the prophet who comforts from Elkosh

x מַשָּׂא mǎś·śā(ʾ) pronouncement noun, singular, construct, common, masculine Sense: oracle – a discourse kind of prophecy. GHCLOT a bearing, a carrying; a burden, load; c; something uttered; onus, burden; singing; a gift; tribute

2 A jealous and avenging God is Yahweh; Yahweh is avenging and wrathful. Yahweh is avenging against His adversaries, And He keeps His anger for His enemies.

RESTATE: The fiercely protective God of the Universe, who utterly rejects disloyalty and is known by His people as Yahweh is One who keeps taking vengeance in the fullest sense. Yahweh is thrice vengeful maintaining mastery over His intense anger and rage. Yahweh continuously takes full vengeance against His enemies as He holds a bitter grudge against them.

x אֵל ʾēl god, goddess; El; God noun, singular, absolute, common, proper, divine, masculine Sense: God (Israelite) – the supernatural being who originated and rules over the universe; the object of ancient Israelite worship.

x קַנּוֹא qǎn·nô(ʾ) jealous adjective, singular, absolute, noun, common, masculine Sense: jealous – fiercely protective and unaccepting of disloyalty.

x נקם nqm take revenge, avenge oneself verb, Qal, participle, masculine, singular, absolute, active Sense: to take vengeance – to take revenge for a perceived wrong.

participles have a continuation component - He is keeping on avenging

x יהוה yhwh Yahweh noun, proper, masculine, singular, absolute, divine Sense: Yahweh – the name the God of Israel gives to the Israelites through Moses.

x נקם nqm take revenge, avenge oneself verb, Qal, participle, masculine, singular, absolute, active Sense: to take vengeance – to take revenge for a perceived wrong.

x בַּ֫עַל bǎʹ·ʿǎl owner; husband; landowner, citizen; Baal (deity); (pl.) the Baals noun, singular, construct, common, masculine Sense: ruler – a person who rules or commands; especially understood as having primacy of authority.

x חֵמָה ḥē·mā(h) heat; poison, venom; rage, wrath noun, feminine, singular, absolute, common Sense: fury – a feeling of intense anger. Sense: fury – a feeling of intense anger.

x נקם nqm take revenge, avenge oneself verb, Qal, participle, masculine, singular, absolute, active Sense: to take vengeance – to take revenge for a perceived wrong.

x צַר ṣǎr enemy noun, masculine, plural, common, construct, suffixed Sense: adversary – someone who offers opposition.

James 4.4 “You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world sets himself as an enemy of God.”

x נטר nṭr watch over, guard; be slow to anger verb, Qal, participle, masculine, singular, absolute, active Sense: to hold a grudge – to maintain hatred for something based on a previous, perceived wrong.

x אֹיֵב ʾō·yēḇ enemy masculine, plural, noun, verb, common, construct, Qal, participle, active, suffixed Sense: enemy (personal) – a personal enemy.

3 Yahweh is slow to anger and great in power, And Yahweh will by no means leave the guilty unpunished. In whirlwind and storm is His way, And clouds are the dust beneath His feet.

Slow to anger - Noah 120 years, Jonah 150 years (custom message), Ammonites 430 years, Christ’s return 2000 years

x אָרֵךְ ʾā·rēḵ indulgent singular, construct, adjective, noun, common, masculine Sense: long (spatially) – of relatively great or greater than average spatial extension or extension as specified.

x אַף ʾǎp̄ nose; face; anger; (dual) nostrils noun, dual, absolute, common, masculine Sense: nose – the organ of smell also important in respiration.

x גָּדוֹל gā·ḏôl great singular, construct, adjective, noun, common, masculine Sense: great – remarkable or out of the ordinary in degree, magnitude, or effect.

x כֹּחַ kōaḥ strength, power; ability; property noun, singular, absolute, common, masculine Sense: power – possession of controlling influence; often understood as manifesting influence over reality in a supernatural manner.

x נקה nqh leave unpunished; be free, unmarried; be without blame; remain blameless; be emptied verb, Piʿʿēl, infinitive, absolute, active, infinitive absolute Sense: to leave unpunished – to leave in the condition of being unpunished.

x נקה nqh leave unpunished; be free, unmarried; be without blame; remain blameless; be emptied verb, Piʿʿēl, yiqtōl (imperfect), third person, masculine, singular, active Sense: to leave unpunished – to leave in the condition of being unpunished.

x סוּפָה sû·p̄ā(h) storm, gale noun, feminine, singular, absolute, common Sense: whirlwind – a more or less vertical column of air whirling around itself as it moves over the surface of land.

x שְׂעָרָה śeʿā·rā(h) storm noun, feminine, singular, absolute, common Sense: storm – a violent weather condition with winds and precipitation and often thunder and lightning.

x דֶּ֫רֶךְ děʹ·rěḵ way, road; distance, journey; manner, custom, behavior noun, singular, common, construct, feminine, suffixed Sense: conduct ⇔ way – a course of conduct.

x עָנָן ʿā·nān clouds noun, singular, absolute, common, masculine Sense: cloud – a visible mass of water or ice particles suspended at a considerable altitude.

x אָבָק ʾā·ḇāq dust, soot noun, singular, construct, common, masculine Sense: fine dust – a fine powdery material that can be blown about in the air; finer than ordinary dust.

x רֶ֫גֶל rěʹ·ḡěl foot, leg; sole; times noun, dual, common, construct, feminine, suffixed Sense: foot – the part of the leg below the ankle joint of humans or animals.

II. What God Does (v4-6)

4 He rebukes the sea and makes it dry; He dries up all the rivers. Bashan and Carmel languish; The blossoms of Lebanon languish.

x גער gʿr rebuke, speak insultingly to verb, Qal, participle, masculine, singular, absolute, active Sense: to rebuke – to censure severely or angrily.

x יָם yām sea, lake noun, singular, absolute, common, masculine, definite without ה Sense: sea – a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land.

FIGURATIVE OF THE NATIONS/GENTILES

x נָהָר nā·hār river, stream noun, feminine, plural, absolute, common, definite with ה Sense: river – a large natural stream of water; larger than a creek.

x חרב ḥrb dry up, be dried; be in ruins, lay waste verb, Hifʿîl, third person, masculine, singular, qātal (perfect), active, suffixed (perfect) Sense: to cause to be dried up – to make completely or thoroughly dry.

INTERESTING TO CONSIDER THE COLUMBIA RIVER DRYING UP

x אמל ʾml wither, dry out; dwindle verb, third person, masculine, singular, Puʿlal, qātal (perfect), Pu''al, passive, suffixed (perfect) Sense: to wither – to lose freshness, vigor, or vitality.

REPEATED: INTENSIVE ACTION WITH A PASSIVE VOICE… IT IS WITHERED

5 Mountains quake because of Him, And the hills melt; Indeed the earth is upheaved by His presence, The world and all the inhabitants in it.

RESTATE: God can not only destroy seas but also can eliminate stability in the largest mountains. He can dissolve hills and His very being shakes the earth and all who dwell there.

x הַר hǎr hill-country; mountain, Mount noun, masculine, plural, absolute, common Sense: mountain – a land mass that projects well above its surroundings; higher than a hill.

x רעשׁ rʿš quake verb, Qal, third person, plural, qātal (perfect), active, suffixed (perfect), common Sense: to shake (tremble) – to move with or as if with a tremor, whether of the human body or another object.

x גִּבְעָה giḇ·ʿā(h) hill noun, feminine, plural, absolute, common, definite with ה Sense: hill – a local and well-defined elevation of the land.

x מוג mwg waver; wave, sway backwards and forwards, undulate; despair verb, third person, plural, Hiṯpôlēl, qātal (perfect), Hitpa''el, middle, suffixed (perfect), common Sense: to melt (process) – to become or cause to become soft or liquid; often abstractly of people losing firmness or courage.

HITPAEL IS AN INTENSIVE REFLEXIVE - SEEMS LIKE THIS IS SAYING HE DISSOLVES HIMSELF(?)

x תֵּבֵל tē·ḇēl mainland; firm, dry land; soil noun, singular, absolute, common, feminine Sense: earth – the place where human beings and animals live; modernly understood as the third planet from the sun.

6 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 torn down by Him.

RESTATE: Who is able to withstand His righteous wrath - no one! Who can survive the fierce heat of His wrath - no one! His wrath gushes out like fire’s fury and it shatters even the stones.

x פָּנֶה pā·ně(h) front; head, face; former times, earlier period noun, masculine, plural, construct, common Sense: presence ⇔ face – the presence or proximity of someone understood in terms of the face; with the implication of being before or in front of them.

x זַ֫עַם zǎʹ·ʿǎm cursed; curse noun, singular, common, construct, masculine, suffixed Sense: indignation – a feeling of righteous anger.

x עמד ʿmd go up before; stand in position, stand respectfully before; remain standing, be motionless; bring to a halt, put down; set in position, set up; cause something to stand, cause to exist; set forth, arrange; erect, establish verb, Qal, yiqtōl (imperfect), third person, masculine, singular, active Sense: to persist – to continue to exist.

x קום qwm rise, arise; get up, stand up; come to fruition; endure; belong to; stay fixed verb, Qal, yiqtōl (imperfect), third person, masculine, singular, active Sense: to persist – to continue to exist.

x חָרוֹן ḥā·rôn anger noun, singular, construct, common, masculine Sense: fury – a feeling of intense anger.

x אַף ʾǎp̄ nose; face; anger; (dual) nostrils noun, singular, common, construct, masculine, suffixed Sense: anger (emotion) – a strong emotion or feeling that is oriented toward some real or supposed grievance.

x חֵמָה ḥē·mā(h) heat; poison, venom; rage, wrath noun, feminine, singular, common, construct, suffixed Sense: fury – a feeling of intense anger.

x נתך ntk gush forth; pour out; bring to the melting point verb, Nifʿal, third person, feminine, singular, qātal (perfect), passive, suffixed (perfect) Sense: to be poured out (expressed) – to be expressed without restraint.

x צוּר ṣûr rock; rocky ground, rock face; boulder; rocky hill, mountain noun, masculine, plural, absolute, common, definite with ה Sense: stone – a rock or a mass of hard consolidated mineral matter.

x נתץ ntṣ tear down, pull down verb, Nifʿal, third person, plural, qātal (perfect), passive, suffixed (perfect), common Sense: to be dashed – to be broken into pieces, as by striking or knocking over.

III. Yahweh is Good (v7-8)

7 Yahweh is good, A strong defense in the day of distress, And He knows those who take refuge in Him.

RESTATE: Yahweh has a character that is morally good. He keeps on defending during the day of distress. He is a rescuer to those who are seeking Him out for refuge.

x טוֹב ṭôḇ good; merry, pleasant, desirable; in order, usable; efficient; friendly, kind; morally good singular, absolute, adjective, noun, common, masculine Sense: good (moral) – of moral excellence.

x מָעוֹז mā·ʿôz mountain stronghold, place of refuge; fortress, temple noun, singular, absolute, common, masculine Sense: refuge (source of) – something or someone turned to for assistance or security.

x צָרָה ṣā·rā(h) need, distress, anxiety; enmity noun, feminine, singular, absolute, common Sense: distress (state) – an oppressive state of physical, mental, social, or economic adversity.

Per NAC “Keeps on Knowing” for those who “Keep on Seeking Him for Refuge”

x חסה ḥsh take refuge verb, Qal, participle, masculine, plural, construct, active Sense: to find refuge – to find and go to a safe location or shelter.

8 But with an overflowing flood He will make a complete destruction of its place And will pursue His enemies into darkness.

RESTATE: Like the irresistible pulse of the tsunami He has promised to completely destroy Nineveh and will chase down those who resist Him until justice is fully served by their death.

JUST LIKE THE FLOOD IN NOAH’S DAY

x שֶׁ֫טֶף šěʹ·ṭěp̄ flood noun, singular, absolute, common, masculine Sense: flood – the rising of a body of water and its overflowing onto normally dry land.

x עבר ʿbr pull along; go on one’s way, move through; pass over, pass by; overstep, contravene verb, Qal, participle, masculine, singular, absolute, active Sense: to sweep (motion) – to move with sweeping, effortless, gliding motions; as of flowing water.

x כָּלָה kā·lā(h) complete destruction; annihilation noun, feminine, singular, absolute, common Sense: complete destruction – destruction as a final end state with a focus on the completeness of the destruction.

x מָקוֹם mā·qôm location; place, site; space, room, region, locality, residence; sacred site noun, singular, common, construct, masculine, suffixed Sense: home (city) – the city or town where a person lives live.

x אֹיֵב ʾō·yēḇ enemy masculine, plural, noun, verb, common, construct, Qal, participle, active, suffixed Sense: enemy (personal) – a personal enemy.

x רדף rdp pursue, follow after verb, Piʿʿēl, yiqtōl (imperfect), third person, masculine, singular, active Sense: to pursue – to follow in or as if in pursuit.

x חֹ֫שֶׁךְ ḥōʹ·šěḵ darkness; darkening noun, singular, absolute, common, masculine Sense: darkness (area) – an unilluminated area.

When we are in our right minds, when we are thinking clearly we desire Psalm 58.10-11 “The righteous will be glad when he beholds the vengeance; He will wash his feet in the blood of the wicked. And men will say, “Surely there is a reward for the righteous; Surely there is a God who judges on earth!””

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