Watching Nineveh Fall

Eric Burleson

Sermon • Submitted 4 months ago • Presented 4 months ago

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Intro

Last week, we studied through Chapter 2 of the Book of Nahum.

What do we remember about those 13 verses?

Close up of Nineveh’s fall

Chariots in the streets

Trying to escape but unable to

women of the city mourning

everything they had taken away

Total destruction

This week we are going to look at Chapter 3, and we are going to see more about the fall of Nineveh from this close-up view. Some of the imagery we come across is even more shocking and graphic than the last chapter. This chapter may make some of us uncomfortable, but that is okay! This is still the inspired Word of God. Let’s read the Chapter as a whole, and then break it down and get as far as we can.

Nahum 3 CSB

1 Woe to the city of blood, totally deceitful, full of plunder, never without prey. 2 The crack of the whip and rumble of the wheel, galloping horse and jolting chariot! 3 Charging horseman, flashing sword, shining spear; heaps of slain, mounds of corpses, dead bodies without end— they stumble over their dead. 4 Because of the continual prostitution of the prostitute, the attractive mistress of sorcery, who treats nations and clans like merchandise by her prostitution and sorcery, 5 I am against you. This is the declaration of the Lord of Armies. I will lift your skirts over your face and display your nakedness to nations, your shame to kingdoms. 6 I will throw filth on you and treat you with contempt; I will make a spectacle of you. 7 Then all who see you will recoil from you, saying, “Nineveh is devastated; who will show sympathy to her?” Where can I find anyone to comfort you? 8 Are you better than Thebes that sat along the Nile with water surrounding her, whose rampart was the sea, the river her wall? 9 Cush and Egypt were her endless source of strength; Put and Libya were among her allies. 10 Yet she became an exile; she went into captivity. Her children were also dashed to pieces at the head of every street. They cast lots for her dignitaries, and all her nobles were bound in chains. 11 You also will become drunk; you will hide. You also will seek refuge from the enemy. 12 All your fortresses are fig trees with figs that ripened first; when shaken, they fall— right into the mouth of the eater! 13 Look, your troops are like women among you; your land’s city gates are wide open to your enemies. Fire will devour the bars of your gates. 14 Draw water for the siege; strengthen your fortresses. Step into the clay and tread the mortar; take hold of the brick-mold! 15 The fire will devour you there; the sword will cut you down. It will devour you like the young locust. Multiply yourselves like the young locust; multiply like the swarming locust! 16 You have made your merchants more numerous than the stars of the sky. The young locust strips the land and flies away. 17 Your court officials are like the swarming locust, and your scribes like clouds of locusts, which settle on the walls on a cold day; when the sun rises, they take off, and no one knows where they are. 18 King of Assyria, your shepherds slumber; your officers sleep. Your people are scattered across the mountains with no one to gather them together. 19 There is no remedy for your injury; your wound is severe. All who hear the news about you will clap their hands because of you, for who has not experienced your constant cruelty?

City of Blood

What are some of your initial reactions or feelings to this chapter?

Let’s look more closely at the first 7 verses.

Nahum 3:1–7 CSB

City of Blood

Verse one aptly describes the sins of Nineveh

Blood/violence

lies

plunder

Nineveh is an evil, wicked place!

What do you make of verses 2-3?

Fall of Nineveh as in Chapter 2

A look at how Nineveh treated other cities

Either way we see the conclusion to this in verse 4

Nahum 3:4 CSB

4 Because of the continual prostitution of the prostitute, the attractive mistress of sorcery, who treats nations and clans like merchandise by her prostitution and sorcery,

“Sorcery” is sometimes used figuratively to describe “seductive and corrupting influences” according to one dictionary

The image here of Nineveh is that it looked good on the outside, and even made itself attractive to others as does a prostitute — but she was inwardly full of evil and only would use everyone she could to make a quick buck.

Nahum 3:5–7 CSB

5 I am against you. This is the declaration of the Lord of Armies. I will lift your skirts over your face and display your nakedness to nations, your shame to kingdoms. 6 I will throw filth on you and treat you with contempt; I will make a spectacle of you. 7 Then all who see you will recoil from you, saying, “Nineveh is devastated; who will show sympathy to her?” Where can I find anyone to comfort you?

What do you think of this image of lifting her skirt to the world?

Remember in the Garden of Eden that when Adam and Eve ate the fruit they knew they were naked and were ashamed? Often times in the Scriptures, nakedness connected with shame as the truth of ones sins (either person or nation) are exposed to the public and particularly are laid bare before God.

The Lord is saying He would expose this people for what they really were — they would no longer be able to make themselves attractive to the world because they would be bare before all for the vile place they were.

God was making a spectacle of them --- to warn the other nations of the world that this is what happens to the wicked.

Even such a place as the impregnable Nineveh which had ruled the world was not tough enough against YHWH !!!

I like the way the ASV says v. 7 — Nah. 3.7

Nahum 3:7 ASV

7 And it shall come to pass, that all they that look upon thee shall flee from thee, and say, Nineveh is laid waste: who will bemoan her? whence shall I seek comforters for thee?

God says when the people find out how ugly Nineveh really is, they will remove — even flee — from her. None will mourn her destruction, none will be there to bring her comfort or consolation.

Why not?

Because of how evil, violent, and deceptive she was to everyone! No one would be sad to see her go, no one was going to miss her when her messengers would never be heard from again, as the end of Chapter 2 says.

Conclusion

How are we feeling about this? Does the language and imagery here come as a little jarring?

I’ve said before that the prophets offer us a look into the heart of Almighty God.

What are we seeing here about the heart of God?

That justice, mercy, righteousness, and truth are of deep importance to God and they should be of His people as well!

I don’t have a “to do” for this lesson — but I want to leave us with a reminder from another prophet:

Micah 6:8 ESV

8 He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

Biblical justice doesn’t just put criminals in jail, but cares for the weak, poor, and down-trodden among society.

Kindness deals mercifully and upliftingly with others

Walking humbly with our God requires of us to submit to God in all ways.

I generally try not to und lessons with something new — but I do this time to show us the antidote to becoming like Nineveh! These three things are everything they didn’t do. As the people of God, let’s strive to uphold what is important to God and do these things which He requires of us!

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