Nahum 3

1-3 4-7 8-19

In the first chapter of Nahum God through the prophet has declared that Nineveh and Assyria will be destroyed and in the second chapter he details the destruction that will take place. Here in chapter 3 God gives three charges against Nineveh as to why the destruction is justly deserved and the consequences of each charge laid against them by God.

1-3

1

The first charge against Assyria and its representative Nineveh is to its cruelty, deception, and theft. The Assyrians are widely known for their cruelty against those that they had invaded. A quote was found of one of the early Assyrian kings Assurnarsipal dating back to around 875 B.C. “I built a pillar over against his gate, and I flayed all the chief men ... and I covered the pillar with their skins ... some I impaled upon the pillar on stakes. Many captives ... I burned with fire ... From some I cut off their hands and their fingers, and from others I cut off their noses, their ears ... of many I put out the eyes” They also used deception and lies, 2 Kings 18:28–32 “Then the Rabshakeh” Rabshakeh was an official of the Assyrian king Sennacherib sent to King Hezekiah, King of Judah, to demand their surrender, “Then the Rabshakeh stood and called out in a loud voice in the language of Judah: “Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria! Thus says the king: ‘Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you out of my hand. Do not let Hezekiah make you trust in the Lord by saying, The Lord will surely deliver us, and this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.’ Do not listen to Hezekiah, for thus says the king of Assyria: ‘Make your peace with me and come out to me. Then each one of you will eat of his own vine, and each one of his own fig tree, and each one of you will drink the water of his own cistern, until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive trees and honey, that you may live, and not die. And do not listen to Hezekiah when he misleads you by saying, “The Lord will deliver us.”” The Lord God also charges them with being plunderers, Nineveh was filled with gold, silver, and treasures taken from all those that they had invaded, also those that they threatened to invade extorting payment from them due to their reputation for violence and cruelty.

2

Verse two and three calling back to chapter two describing the downfall of Nineveh, chariots rolling towards the city with their drivers spurring on the horses with whip cracks and yelling.

3

The city walls breached and all of Babylon’s army pouring in with their weapons drawn, slaying the scrambling Ninevites, their bodies piling up as the Assyrian’s stumble over them in panic and fear. Woe to the city, determined by God.

4-7

4

The second charge laid down against Nineveh was its countless idols and idol worshippers, calling them whoring prostitutes, as they were given a chance and the truth when Jonah preached repentance to them. But they fell back and turned away from God. Often in the bible God calls the worship of false gods and carved images some form of adultery. Also not only were they themselves spiritual harlots, when they captured other nations people they forced their idol worship on them, seducing others into their spiritual adultery.

5

Once again God declares that He is against Nineveh and the Assyrians, God will expose them and all of their shameful idolatry, saying He will make all of the other nations look at their nakedness. God will strip them down to expose all of the evil and shameful deeds done in the name of their false gods.

6

Once they are stripped bare God will further put them to shame by throwing filth on them, dirt and manure, treating them with contempt, disrespect and disdain, making them an example.

7

So all that look on Nineveh in its destruction will not question why or say poor Nineveh, they will clearly see and know why it is destroyed. No one will feel sorry for them or be saddened by her downfall.

8-19

8

The third charge against Nineveh was of hubris and arrogance asking them if they were better than Thebes, also known as No-Amon. Thebes was the capital city of southern Egypt and a magnificent civilization in its day, a massive walled city with 100 gates and within its walls a temple that was 330 feet long and 170 feet wide. While Nineveh had protection from being on the Tigris river, Thebes also used the was on the Nile river as part of its defences.

9

Thebes also had protection from its surrounding cities, Cush in what is now modern day Ethiopia was to the south and the rest of Egypt to the north were mighty forces. Put and Libya in northern Africa also offered aid to Thebes. According to the first century Jewish historian Josephus, Put the man who was the third son of Ham, a son of Noah after the flood, was the founder of Libya

10

But this great and powerful city was conquered in 663 B.C. by the Assyrians. And when they took the city they showed no restraint in their cruelty by killing all of the infants of the city and throwing their bodies into the streets, the princes or the honored men were taken as slaves and lots were cast to decide ownership, thus treating the upper crust of Thebes rulers with contempt.

11

God declares that Nineveh will drink the full cup of His Holy wrath until they are drunk and receive God’s judgement, they will flee and go into hiding trying to escape His wrath.

12 & 13

Verses 12 and 13 use metaphors for how easily the city will be to conquer. 12 says that the city is ripe for destruction and it will fall like ripened figs fall with the tree is shaken. 13 comparing the soldiers in defence will be like weak women, and even though they built up the city with walls and defences, the invaders will get in as if all the gates were wide open and all the iron bars used will be burned down with the fire of God’s judgement.

14

Verse 14 has another mocking call for preparation, get water prepared and ready to last the seige and repair the weak spots in the walls and towers.

15

But there is no amount of preparation or fortification that will repel the consuming fire of God’s wrath. The invading force that God uses will leave nothing standing, like a swarm of locust devouring everything in its path. The second part of verse 15 are another mocking jab to Nineveh to increase their numbers like the locust does, this jest goes along with verses 16 and 17.

16

After telling them to multiply themselves as the locust does, verse 16 compares all of the merchants that buy and sell all of the goods in Nineveh, goods that have been taken from other nations, to be as numerous as the stars and like a swarm of locust that has stripped a field bare, they will fly away when the invasion comes.

17

When the commercial strength of Nineve flees the rulers will also flee when things get tough, comparing them to grasshoppers being motionless in the cold, but at the first opportunity, when the first rays of the sun heat up the grasshoppers they will fly away never to be seen again.

18

All of the infrastructure and food supplies will be destroyed and all of the people will be scattered and flee never to return.

19

God’s final statement on the fate of Nineveh is that there is no repentance that will be heard this time, God will not be swayed. This will be the death blow for Nineveh and all of Assyria. All that hear of her destruction will rejoice and celebrate her downfall. Because the cruelty and evil of Nineveh has been felt by all and there will be no one saddened by its demise.