God's Wrath Against the Ninevites - Part 1 (Nahum 1:1-15)

Announcements

Every Wednesday at 7pm, we hold a virtual Bible Study & Prayer time for about an hour and fifteen minutes. If you contact Natalie before you leave this morning, she’ll add you to the weekly email chain that includes the link for the service, so you’ll just have to click that link to join us each week—we’d love to have you there as we study Scripture together and prayer for one another.

Next week, on July 4th, we have a quarterly business meeting right after the Sunday morning service. I’m requesting that all who are members be there because we have a handful of items to vote on in addition to our normal business meeting information

On July 11th, the Dunlop Family, missionaries to France will be visiting during our Sunday morning service. We know Michael and his family because we were all members of the same church in South Carolina for a few years, but also because Michael and I attended the same seminary. Michael will be taking about ten minutes of that service to present his ministry and he’ll also be preaching during that service. It’ll be a great opportunity for those who might not know what missionaries actually do, for them to hear from a missionary and see what their ministry plans are as well as their mission and goal for France. Again, that’s July 11th, please plan to be there if you can.

Just a reminder, that next week, on July 4th, we’ll be back at the Moshannon Valley YMCA—our service at the park today is just a one-time service so that we can enjoy a great lunch together after the service.

Remember to continue worshiping the LORD through your giving—the offering box is behind you on the far right side of the food counter, next to the coffee, tea, and above the cold drinks. If you give in-person and you write a check, please be sure to write it to Grace & Peace and if you’d like a receipt for your cash giving, please write your name on an envelope and slide your gift in that envelope. As always, if you’d prefer to give through credit, debit, or ACH transfers, you can do that by texting 84321 with your $[amount] and following the text prompts or by visiting us at graceandpeacepa.com and selecting “Giving” in the menu bar. Everything that you give goes to the building up of this local church and the spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Prayer of Repentance and Adoration

Call to Worship

Our Call to Worship is from Psalm 21, it is another royal psalm, similar to last week’s call to worship. It has the sound of a coronation-type psalm, but it could also just celebrate a victory. Many scholars believe Psalm 20 and 21 are linked—so in Psalm 20, you have the petition from the king and the people; in Psalm 21, you have the answer to the petition.

As we read Psalm 21 responsively, you’ll see in Vs. 1-7, the king’s faith and Vs. 8-12, the congregation’s address to the king, with the psalm culminating in Vs. 13, “Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength! We will sing and praise your power.

Please stand with me as we read Psalm 21 responsively—I’ll read the odd-numbered verses, please join with me in reading the even-numbered verses.

Psalm 21 ESV

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 1 O Lord, in your strength the king rejoices, and in your salvation how greatly he exults! 2 You have given him his heart’s desire and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah 3 For you meet him with rich blessings; you set a crown of fine gold upon his head. 4 He asked life of you; you gave it to him, length of days forever and ever. 5 His glory is great through your salvation; splendor and majesty you bestow on him. 6 For you make him most blessed forever; you make him glad with the joy of your presence. 7 For the king trusts in the Lord, and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved. 8 Your hand will find out all your enemies; your right hand will find out those who hate you. 9 You will make them as a blazing oven when you appear. The Lord will swallow them up in his wrath, and fire will consume them. 10 You will destroy their descendants from the earth, and their offspring from among the children of man. 11 Though they plan evil against you, though they devise mischief, they will not succeed. 12 For you will put them to flight; you will aim at their faces with your bows. 13 Be exalted, O Lord, in your strength! We will sing and praise your power.

Congregational Singing

Oh Lord, My Rock, and My Redeemer

Behold Our God

How Firm a Foundation

Scripture Reading

Our Scripture reading is from Romans 5 and talks about our justification by faith through Jesus Christ our LORD. What we read in Romans 5, is that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us in order to justify those that believe in his blood and to reconcile us to God. Paul, in Romans 5, makes it clear that this justification is a free gift from God to all who repent and believe in him, which you’ll see the contrast of in our sermon this morning—that while justification is free to all who repent and believe, condemnation comes to those who refuse to repent and believe.

Romans 5 ESV

1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. 6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. 12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— 13 for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. 14 Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come. 15 But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. 16 And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. 17 For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. 18 Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. 19 For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. 20 Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, 21 so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Sermon

Introduction

Over the past month, we’ve been working on a series titled Nineveh, which thus far, has taken us expositionally (verse-by-verse, thought-by-thought) through the book of Jonah and in the book of Jonah, we saw the LORD call Jonah to go and preach to the Ninevites for the purpose of their repentance from sin. We studied through Jonah’s initial disobedience and his running from the presence of God and how God utilized a massive storm and fish to do miraculous events to bring Jonah into obedience and despite the fact that Jonah never actually repents of his sinful attitude towards the Ninevites nor his disobedience towards God, we saw how Jonah was greatly utilized by God to convict the Ninevites of their sins and to bring the Ninevites into repentance.

Which in and of itself, is a surprising event considering the lack of care that Jonah had towards the Ninevites and his somewhat dismal sermon. As we shift from Jonah to the book of Nahum, we’ll see the exact opposite scenario. Whereas, Jonah focused more intently on the prophet himself and his lack of obedience, Nahum focuses more on the Ninevites themselves and what God has planned for them if they don’t repent.

What we’ll see over the next three sermons in this series is (1) the power and character of God in contrast to the power and character of the Ninevites, (2) the destruction coming to the Ninevites if they don’t repent of their sins, and (3) the justice of the LORD in all matters. In other words, what we’ll learn over the next few weeks is that God is in complete control over all things and that even when it seems as if the wicked and sinful are prospering, God takes seriously sin and is completely just in all matters. We’ll also see how God takes care of his people even when his people are surrounded by those who are wicked and would rather do harm to them—or in other words, we’ll see that God remains faithful to his own people all the time.

If you have a Bible with you this morning, turn to the book of Nahum and as you turn there, I’ll give you some introductory background information.

Nahum was written about 100 years after the book of Jonah and the warning from God is for the same people as Jonah—so the Ninevites. Jonah was written because the Ninevites were exceedingly wicked and violent as a warning of impending judgment coming from God, but since the Ninevites actually repented from their sins, God relented from the disaster that he had planned for the Ninevites. Nahum, is written for the same reason as Jonah, as a warning from God to the Ninevites to repent for the same exact reasons—extreme violence and wickedness, which we’ll read more about when we get to chapter 3.

Historically speaking, Nahum is written somewhere between 663-612 BC, which is during a the end of what we call the divided kingdom of Israel. During this time period, Israel was split into two, with the Northern Kingdom being made up of ten of the tribes of Israel retaining the name Israel (though sometimes Scripture calls them Ephraim) and the Southern Kingdom being made of the remaining two tribes called Judah. The Northern Kingdom during this time period was really nothing more than a vassal of the Assyrian Empire, but the Southern Kingdom still retained independence from Assyria, despite Assyria’s increasing violence against all the nations that surrounded them, including Judah. Which helps us understand why Judah is celebrating the downfall of Nineveh throughout this book.

We know from history, that despite Nineveh’s repentance in the book of Jonah, 100 years later, in the book of Nahum, Nineveh does not repentant and what Nahum writes about the Assyrians actually does happen, just a few years later as a new regime rebels against the Assyrians, overthrows them, and establishes the Babylonian Empire.

As for Nahum, the person, we know almost nothing about him; because the book itself isn’t about him, he just happens to be the messenger. We know that Nahum is from Elkosh, but we don’t know where Elkosh was and we know that Nahum comes at a time where there was almost 50 years of silence from God prior to his message. But beyond that, we don’t know much about him himself.

Let’s read together Nahum 1:1-15, but be aware, that this morning’s sermon will focus on Vs. 1-8 and next week’s sermon will be on 9-15.

Nahum 1:1–15 ESV

1 An oracle concerning Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum of Elkosh. 2 The Lord is a jealous and avenging God; the Lord is avenging and wrathful; the Lord takes vengeance on his adversaries and keeps wrath for his enemies. 3 The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, and the Lord will by no means clear the guilty. His way is in whirlwind and storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet. 4 He rebukes the sea and makes it dry; he dries up all the rivers; Bashan and Carmel wither; the bloom of Lebanon withers. 5 The mountains quake before him; the hills melt; the earth heaves before him, the world and all who dwell in it. 6 Who can stand before his indignation? Who can endure the heat of his anger? His wrath is poured out like fire, and the rocks are broken into pieces by him. 7 The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him. 8 But with an overflowing flood he will make a complete end of the adversaries, and will pursue his enemies into darkness. 9 What do you plot against the Lord? He will make a complete end; trouble will not rise up a second time. 10 For they are like entangled thorns, like drunkards as they drink; they are consumed like stubble fully dried. 11 From you came one who plotted evil against the Lord, a worthless counselor. 12 Thus says the Lord, “Though they are at full strength and many, they will be cut down and pass away. Though I have afflicted you, I will afflict you no more. 13 And now I will break his yoke from off you and will burst your bonds apart.” 14 The Lord has given commandment about you: “No more shall your name be perpetuated; from the house of your gods I will cut off the carved image and the metal image. I will make your grave, for you are vile.” 15 Behold, upon the mountains, the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace! Keep your feasts, O Judah; fulfill your vows, for never again shall the worthless pass through you; he is utterly cut off.

As we study this passage together this week and next, we’re going to take it in two primary parts over this week and next week: (1) Vs. 1-8, which we’ll work on today, focuses in on describing God’s character and the power that he has. Sometimes, we only think of God as one of his characteristics and “jealous and avenging” typically aren’t those characteristics. The first section will give us a more complete view of who God is. (2) Vs. 9-15, which we’ll work on next, is God’s indictment against the Ninevites for their sin, but it’s also a reminder to the Israelites that God truly cares for them and will protect them and keep his word to them.

Both of these sections will give us a strong idea of who God is—his character, his power, his authority, and his justness; but it will also remind us that God cares for his own people.

Prayer for Illumination

God’s Power and Character (1-8)

The book of Nahum starts with two introductory sentences that tells us the nature of the book. Vs. 1, “An oracle concerning Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum of Elkosh.”

The first bit of information that Vs. 1 tells us is the nature of this book.

This book is not a normal book—Nahum didn’t sit down and brainstorm what he was going to say to the Ninevites. Nahum 1:1, tells us that this book is one of two things:

It’s an oracle, which is something that we don’t have today—people no longer write oracles (though in today’s usage, sometimes someone is referred to as an oracle), but what is an oracle in biblical usage? Oxford Languages defines the archaic meaning of an oracle as “a response or message . . . typically one that is ambiguous or obscure.”

Which is precisely what Nahum is—it is a short message from God to the Ninevites and because it actually includes prophetic material of what is to come if Nineveh doesn’t repent, the prophetic material in their eyes would have been seen as ambiguous or obscure.

Nahum doesn’t tell them who would be leading the army that is to come, he doesn’t tell them what exactly will happen, however he does tell them that judgment in the form of a military conquering them is coming.

So, Nahum is an oracle and it’s a book of the vision of Nahum.

Which tells us again that Nahum didn’t sit down and brainstorm what to write, he’s simply recording what God had given him to record in a vision.

The fact that the Bible records it being a book has led some to speculate that Nahum was originally circulated as an underground pamphlet throughout Israel during the Assyrian persecution of Judah.

Or in other words, as Assyria continued in their wicked ways, the Israelites were passing around a message of incoming judgment concerning the Assyrians, which probably gave the Israelites hope.

And the second bit of information that Vs. 1 tells us is who wrote the book and to whom it was written.

The book was a recorded vision by Nahum from God written about the Ninevites. Thus, it records information about what is to happen to the Assyrian people

But most scholars believe that the primary group of people who read it is Israel.

Without a doubt, some Assyrian people had read the book, but arguably, they didn’t care enough to take it seriously and a large part of the book is written about how Judah can rejoice because God will take care of them, os it makes sense that the book was written to both the Assyrians—in hopes that they would repent and the Israelites, so that they could have hope.

The actual book of Nahum starts by describing God in a series of statements and questions and we can really look at the next seven verses in these categories: (1) God’s Character (2-3a), (2) God’s power (3b-6), (3) and how God’s character and power are made evident (7-8) So, let’s take some time to work through each line:

God’s Character (2-3a)

Vs. 2-3a focuses in on God’s character, “The LORD is a jealous and avenging God; the LORD is avenging and wrathful; the LORD takes vengeance on his adversaries and keeps wrath for his enemies. The LORD is slow to anger and great in power, and the LORD will by no means clear the guilty.”

And already, I think you can tell that the descriptions of God that are being utilized by Nahum aren’t what we typically think of when we think of God. Or in other words, what Nahum is saying about God, isn’t typically what the average church preaches about God.

Most modern-day evangelical churches focus on the fact that God is good and God is loving and God is gentle and kind, but the issue is that the Bible also describes God as jealous, avenging, wrathful, and great in power. To focus only on God’s goodness, God’s love, his gentleness and kindness is to actually do a disservice to your understanding of God.

Yes, God is good, God is love, God is gentle and kind; but God is also jealous, avenging, wrathful, and great in power.

And because the idea that God is more than just good and God is more than just love and God is more than gentle and kind is so counter-cultural to most modern-day evangelical church teaches, we really need to take the time to break down what all of these descriptions of God mean:

What does the Bible mean when it says, “The LORD is a jealous and avenging God?” or that “the LORD is avenging and wrathful?”

The idea of God being a jealous God goes all the way back to the Ten Commandments—Exodus 20:2, “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me . . . for I the LORD your God am a jealous God.”

The idea being that as the only true God, he demands all of the worship.

In the context of Nahum 1:2, I would argue that the jealousy of God be spoken of in this particular verse isn’t necessarily about worship, but rather about holiness.

The LORD is a righteous and just God, he is always in the right when it comes to issues of holiness verses sin, which is why he has the authority to make decisions concerning judgment against people.

When the Bible says that he is jealous in this context, the Bible is making the point that our holy God does not allow for rivals and he is zealous to protect that which belongs to him.

God is jealous in that he cares for Israel, he will protect them—and he cares for his holiness, thus, those that are in unrepentant sin need to be held accountable.

The idea that God is an avenging God, which is repeated twice, emphasizes his willingness to protect his people and take vengeance against his adversaries—those who refuse to repent from the sins that offend our holy God.

Vs. 2, “The LORD takes vengeance on his adversaries and keeps wrath for his enemies.”

Who are the enemies of God? Let me remind you of Colossians 1:21, “And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the Gospel that you heard.”

The Bible teaches us that until you become a believer in Jesus Christ and until you repent and believe in God, you are an enemy of God and Nahum 1:2 tells us that “The LORD…keeps wrath for his enemies.”

Why? Because his enemies are chained by their sin and our holy God does not allow sin to be in his presence.

The idea that God is wrathful means that he is literally filled with wrath concerning his enemies.

The idea that God is filled with wrath may sound antithetical to God’s character to you, but what the Bible teaches is that God is filled with a burning rage or intense fury against sin.

And logically, what that means is that God’s intense fury or burning rage is literally upon those who refuse to repent from their sins

But, Vs. 3, “The LORD is slow to anger and great in power, and the LORD will by no means clear the guilty.”

Because of God’s just nature, he won’t absolve the sins of those who refuse to repent—his very nature is that he cannot forgive those who don’t repent.

Which is actually counter-cultural to what many in our world today think. Many people today believe that just as long as you do good things or you try hard, it doesn’t matter if you sin, you simply have to work to good.

But what Nahum 1:3 says is that the LORD will not clear the debt of those who are guilty, but only those whose debts have been forgiven.

And what we know from the New Testament is that only those who call on the name of the LORD, Jesus Christ, repent of their sins, and believe in their hearts are now made innocent in the sight of God.

Only those who truly believe is cleared from their sins.

However, the LORD is slow to anger.

Now, you might question this, because you might be thinking, “How is the LORD slow to anger when he’s threatening to punish a whole nation for their wickedness.”

And I can answer that by pointing out how long it took the LORD to get to the point in which he had to punish the sinfulness of the Assyrians.

The Assyrian Empire started in roughly 2,500 BC and throughout their entire history, they were known for being exceedingly wicked and violent towards all other nations—that’s really how they got their empire to grow so large.

They were known for being evil and wicked people—Jonah was written 100 years before Nahum, which means that Jonah was written sometimes between 773 and 712 BC and was written as a warning against the sinfulness of the Assyrians.

Simple math tells us that between the start of the Assyrian Empire and the first warning from God, was about 1,700 years. The second warning came about 1,800 years after the Assyrian Empire started.

That’s 1,800 years of the LORD being slow to anger concerning the extreme wickedness and violence of the Assyrians.

1,800 years is a significantly long time to wait in human standards—so it is right to say that the LORD is slow to anger and great in power.

But eventually God’s just nature requires sinners to be held accountable and 1,800 years of waiting and being slow to anger is how long it took the LORD to determine that enough was enough and he had to do something against the great sin of the Ninevites.

Because the LORD will not clear those who are guilty

Only those who repent and believe are declared righteous and innocent of their sins.

Everyone else needs to be held accountable for their sins in order for God to be a just and righteous God.

Just as a side point, like I mentioned, in our current church culture, we don’t typically hear of God being described this way; and maybe in your journey as a Christian, you’ve only really seen God as only loving or only gentle or only kind.

The issue is that God is far greater than just loving, gentle, or kind—and knowing only that God is loving, gentle, or kind diminishes the value of what those attributes actually mean.

When we take the time to study the rest of God’s character—that he is holy (separated from sin and utterly unique from creation), that he is righteous (which means that he is completely without wickedness), that he is just (that in no ounce of his being, he is unfair or unjust), and that he is all-powerful, all-knowing, and omni-present.

Knowing this about God’s character elevates what it means when the Bible tells us that God is loving, gentle, and kind. Knowing that God is holy, righteous, just, and all-powerful, omniscient, and omni-present makes his love for us that much more profound.

Why is that? Because knowing that God is holy, righteous, just, all-powerful, all-knowing, and omni-present AND knowing that he cannot be in the presence of sin whatsover means that when God sent Jesus to die as a substitutionary atonement for our sins, he made a way for sinful, finite human beings to be reconciled with a holy and just God. How much more could he possibly love us? How much more does his atoning work through Jesus Christ show us how good he is, how gentle he is, and how much he cares for us now that we recognize that God is also holy, righteous, just, all-powerful, all-knowing, and omni-present?

Without knowing about God’s holiness, righteousness, justness, wrath against sin, and anger towards wickedness, we wouldn’t recognize just how much we actually need Jesus to come and die on a cross for our sins.

Without knowing that we are all sinners and utterly hopeless without God, we would never actually come to believe in Jesus Christ.

Without recognizing that we cannot possibly be good enough for salvation based on our own merit, we will never recognize the need to come to God like Ninevites in Jonah and beg for the mercy of God.

We would continue in our sin, utterly separated from the one true, holy and righteous God with no means of salvation whatsoever.

So, God is jealous against sin and avenges his people. The LORD has wrath against sin and those who live in unrepentant sin, but he is still slow to anger because he patiently waits for those who are in sin to repent; however, those who refuse to repent will have to face God’s just wrath. And then Nahum transitions and focuses on the power of God.

God’s Power (3b-6)

Vs. 3b-6 focuses in on God’s power and quite frankly, this could be Nahum’s way of expressing what he means when he says that the LORD is great in power. He writes that, “His way is in whirlwind and storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet. He rebukes the sea and makes it dry; he dries up all the rivers; Bashan and Carmel wither; the bloom of Lebanon withers. The mountains quake before him; the hills melt; the earth heaves before him, the world and all who dwell in it. Who can stand before his indignation? Who can endure the heat of his anger? His wrath is poured out like fire, and the rocks are broken into pieces by him.”

Nahum utilizes several different creation-related examples to show the power of the LORD:

His way is in whirlwind and storm

The clouds are the dust of his feet

He rebukes the sea and makes it dry

He dries up all the rivers

The greatness of God’s power is evident in the way that he relates to creation—in particular that he controls creation.

Let’s take a moment to work through each example that’s given:

Nahum says that his way is in whirlwind and storm: Nahum starts by describing the LORD’s way as “in whirlwind and storm,” which is a tricky way of describing the fact that he can cause whirlwinds and threatening storms. Consider Job, in which Job points out that the LORD controls the weather and in Job after he complains to the LORD about the apparent injustice done against him, the LORD actually speaks to Job out of a whirlwind. God’s control over storms remind me of Jonah’s account of disobedience to the LORD in which God utilized a great tempest in the sea to stop Jonah from running.

Nahum says that the clouds are the dust of his feet: or we could understand this as meaning that God’s presence and movement amongst the earth causes the creation itself to respond.

The prophet writes that God rebukes the sea and makes it dry; he dries up all the rivers; Bashan and Carmel wither; the bloom of Lebanon withers: The imagery used in referencing the seas and rivers being made dry intentionally call back to the LORD’s power as seen in the exodus. That as God moved his people out of Egypt, he provided a dry land for them to walk on in the midst of the sea. Bashan, Carmel, and Lebanon were all areas in Israel known for being fertile. Bashan was the region east of the Sea of Galilee, Carmel is a mountain range in Israel, and Lebanon was the area north of Israel. We know from Isaiah 33:9, that all three of these areas were typically fertile with plenty of growth that provided sustenance. God’s ability to dry up these areas and make them wither, shows his power to cause creation to act under his command.

The mountains quake before him; the hills melt; the earth heaves before him, the world and all who dwell in it: quite simply expresses that the entire earth, the mountains which typically are seen as symbols of stability, quake, the hills melt, the earth and all who dwell in it, will tremble before God’s power, which really shouldn’t surprise us when James writes that “even the demons” who refused to worship God and fell, “believe [in God]” and they “shudder” at his power.

It’s really no wonder then that Nahum writes, “Who can stand before his indignation? Who can endure the heat of his anger? His wrath is poured out like fire, and the rocks are broken into pieces by him.”

These two questions, “Who can stand before his indignation” and “who can endure the heat of his anger” are rhetorical in nature. No one in their sin can stand before the Lord and despite the king of Assyria in 2 Kings 18, making the accusation that Yahweh couldn’t stand against him

In reality, the king of Assyria and all those who refuse to repent from their sins cannot stand before God.

Knowing that God’s indignation, which can be understood as a form of anger provoked by annoyance at sin and his regular anger and wrath is poured out like fire really adds to our knowledge of what Jesus had felt as the wrath of God was poured upon him while suffering for the sins of mankind on the cross.

Keeping this all in context with the fact that Nahum is written as a second warning to the Assyrians, we really see that even though Assyria was exceedingly wicked, even though Assyria was violent and evil, and even though Assyria thought they were more powerful than God, in reality, God has all the power and authority.

Elliot Johnson, “The two rhetorical questions (Who can withstand …? Who can endure …?) forcefully affirm that no one can stand before the Lord, angered by man’s wickedness. Sennacherib’s field commander (2 Kings 18:17) had challenged Hezekiah with the questions, ‘Who of all the gods of these countries has been able to save his land from me? How then can the LORD deliver Jerusalem from my hand?’ Assyria was soon to learn that God, not Assyria, has the last word! . . . God’s wrath is destructive and devastating like fire. When he comes in judgment even the rocks shatter before him.”

Knowing that the LORD is against sin and that his anger and wrath is against those who aren’t repentant; and knowing that the LORD is great in power, that controls the weather, causes fertile land to wither, rivers to dry up, mountains to quake and the earth to tremble gives us a picture of God who abhors sin and hates wickedness and disdain those who seek to do evil, which are all absolutely true statements. But remember, we have to look at the whole character of God, and that’s precisely what Nahum does in Vs. 7-8.

God’s Power and Character Revealed (7-8)

Vs. 7-8, shows us how God’s power and character are revealed, “The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him. But with an overflowing flood he will make a complete end of the adversaries, and will pursue his enemies into darkness.”

Despite God being such a powerful God that is described in such terrifying ways, the prophet Nahum, makes it clear that this type of anger, wrath and indignation isn’t for those who are his. “The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him.”

For those who are his, his anger and wrath isn’t pointed towards them. His anger and his wrath were taken for those that believe in Jesus Christ and have repented from their sins and called on his name at the cross.

Or put differently, Jesus has taken God’s anger and wrath for those who believe. As Colossians 2:13-14 says, “You, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.”

For those that believe, because your sins have been nailed to the cross, you have no need to fear God’s anger, wrath, and indignation. For you, God is “a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him.”

A stronghold would be a place that is specifically fortified in order to protect it against attack, for you, God protects you because you are his and he knows who takes refuge in him.

It is of note, that God speaks of his relationship with those who believe in a personal nature. For those who truly believe, God’s anger and wrath was taken by Jesus Christ on the cross

But those that don’t believe, God’s anger, wrath and indignation is for those who continue in unrepentant sin, seek to do evil, and reject the LORD. For those who reject him, “with an overflowing flood he will make a complete end of the adversaries, and will pursue his enemies into darkness.”

Why is it that God responds as a refuge who protects those who believe and as an overflowing flood that will make a complete end of the adversaries and pursue his enemies into darkness? Because as Nahum reminds us the LORD is good.

The goodness of God forms a basic tenet of both Israel’s faith and the Christian faith—if God was not good, he wouldn’t punish sin. If God was not good, he would allow the guilty to be cleared—the wicked who prosper wouldn’t just seemingly prosper, they really would prosper—but because God is good and just, sinners have to be held accountable for their sin.

The goodness of God is then seen in his willingness to send his son to die on a cross for the sins of mankind in order for mankind to know him and for him to know those who take refuge in him.

It is the goodness of God that causes him to protect his own and know his own; and it is the goodness of God that requires him to make a complete end of the adversaries and pursue his enemies into darkness.

In the case of the Assyrians, what Nahum has done in Nahum 1:1-8 is this, he has reminded everyone about who God is, he has thought on the power of God which supersedes all earthly power (including the Assyrians), and he has provided a reason for the Israelites to rest in God and celebrate his goodness.

The question then is, how do we apply a passage like this to our lives today?

Application

Nahum starts his short book by giving a description of God—he is a jealous and avenging God who is wrathful against sin and those who are in unrepentant sin. Nahum describes God as the one who is all-powerful, that controls the sea, dries up the rivers, withers fertile ground, and causes the earth to tremble. It is this God, who despite being slow to anger, is great in power and needs to punish the sinful because of his righteous and just character. However, those who truly believe, can take refuge in the LORD as their stronghold because he is good.

Vs. 1-3a, God’s Character—in the first section, we’re told that God is a jealous and avenging God, that he is an avenging and wrathful God who takes vengeance on his adversaries and keeps wrath for his enemies. We’re told that while God is slow to anger, he is still great in power and will hold those who are guilty of sin accountable for their sin. I have two application points for this section:

I repeatedly mentioned that a lot of times in our modern-day churches we tend to only focus on the positive attributes of God—his goodness, his love, his mercy, and his grace; and while we are right to focus on the positive attributes, we cannot neglect to know as much about God as we possibly can—including the fact that God is angry against sin, his wrath against wickedness, and he will take vengeance on his adversaries.

And the reason for this is quite simple, God is more than only good, and God is more than only merciful, God is more than only loving—he’s also holy, righteous, just, omnipresent, omnipotent, and omniscient—we have to remember that God is all of the attributes that the Bible gives him and knowing these attributes informs our worship of him.

In addition, knowing that God is more than only good, only merciful, or only loving and that he is also holy, righteous, just, omnipresent, omnipotent, and omniscient increases our understanding and thankfulness for his goodness, mercy, and love.

So, the first application is simple—take the time to learn all that the Bible says about God and take what the Bible says as the Word of God—what it says about him is true and right.

And as you continue to learn more about God—give thanks that an infinite and holy God loved you enough to send his son as your substitutionary atonement on the cross.

Secondly, we have in our modern-day world the idea of universalism—that God will universally forgive everyone from their sin without them needing to repent from their sins

Read with me again, Vs. 3, “The LORD is slow to anger and great in power, and the LORD will by no means clear the guilty.”

Romans 5 teaches us that until there is true repentance, you are utterly guilty of sin; and without true repentance there is no hope of salvation.

God loves every person but his wrath is set against sin, thus, the idea that God will universally forgive everyone from their sin without them repenting isn’t just foolish, it’s outright heresy.

Which means (and this is the second application point), that as you talk with people, a lot of people have the idea that God universally forgives everyone without repentance and you need to learn how to defend the biblical viewpoint of sin and repentance.

All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and without repentance and belief in Jesus Christ, you will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

Vs. 3b-6, God’s Power—in the middle section, we’re told of the great power that God has—that he controls the storm, the clouds are the dust of his feet; he controls the seas and rivers, and the ground trembles along with all those who live in the world. We’re reminded that no one can endure the LORD’s anger and no one can stand before his indignation for his wrath is poured out like fire. I have just one application point:

During the time of Nahum, the Assyrian Empire of which Nineveh was the capital thought they were more powerful than God himself—you can read about that in 2 Kings 18, but just like God does through the angel of the LORD in 2 Kings, Nahum makes it abundantly clear that God has complete control and power throughout the world.

God controls the weather, God dries up the sea and rivers, God can wither fertile land, he makes the mountains quake, the hills melt, and the earth and those who dwell on it tremble before him.

Nahum makes it abundantly clear that Yahweh is the all-powerful God and that no one can stand before the all-powerful God and withstand his indignation or endure his anger.

So, the application is this—we live in a world where often, we feel that the wicked prosper and we have no control over anything, but Nahum teaches that God is in complete control and that God has all power and that the wicked will be held accountable for their wickedness.

In a life where there is uncertainty, be thankful that you serve the God who is in complete control with all power and be thankful that the wicked will be held accountable for their wickedness.

Give thanks that the LORD is the God who controls all things through his infinite power.

Vs. 7-8, God’s Character and Power Revealed—In the last two verses, we’re told of what motivates both God’s wrath as well as his willingness to be a stronghold for his own people to take refuge in. Both his wrath against sin as well as his willingness to protect and know his own are motivated by his goodness. The last two verses have two application points that I want to stress depending on where you find yourself in your journey of faith:

For those of you that truly believe in Jesus Christ and have repented from your sins:

“The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him.”

Again, in a world where there is uncertainty, rest in knowing that the LORD is your God and he is in complete control with all power. Rest in knowing that God will protect you and that he actually knows you.

Luke 12:7, “even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows” who neither sow nor reap and the LORD cares for them and provides for them.

You serve an infinite God who is a good God who loves you—seek refuge in him.

For those of you that don’t yet believe and haven’t repented from your sins:

“With an overflowing flood he will make a complete end of the adversaries, and will pursue his enemies into darkness.”

As an unbeliever because you are still in your sin, Romans 1-2, Colossians 1, Romans 5, James 2-4, and several other passages of Scripture all make it abundantly clear that until you repent from your sins—you are an enemy of God, completely contrary to him.

And Nahum makes it abundantly clear that God will not clear those that are guilty. The only way to be declared innocent and righteous is to repent of your sins, call on the name of the LORD, and believe in him.

Until you do that, you are still contrary to God and his wrath and his anger is directed towards you in your sins.

So your application, is to take seriously what the Bible says and take the warning to the Ninevites as your own—repent from your sins, call on the name of Jesus Christ, and believe in him for salvation.

Put simply, what Nahum 1:1-8 teaches us is this: (1) God is a good God who is a holy, righteous, and just God—because he is good, holy, righteous, and just—he has to take seriously your sin and he will hold you accountable for your sin, but (2) because God is a good God who is slow to anger and great in power, he is patiently providing opportunities for all to repent and believe in him and take refuge in him. However, (3) if you refuse, his indignation, wrath, and anger will be upon you for your sin.

In other words, learning the whole character of God presents us with the God who is not only gracious, loving, kind, and gentle; but also, jealous, avenging, wrathful, great in power, sovereign over creation, patient but demanding repentance. So, if you don’t believe yet—repent of your sins, call on Jesus Christ, and believe in him; and if you do believe—give thanks that you serve the good God who is in complete control with all power and loves you enough to know you as you seek refuge in him in the day of trouble.

Pastoral Prayer

Congregational Singing

There is a Fountain