God's Wrath Against the Ninevites - Part 2 (Nahum 1:9-15)

Announcements

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Quarterly Business Meeting today after the morning service.

The Dunlop Family, missionaries to France will be visiting next week. Michael will preach during the Sunday AM Worship Service as well as present their ministry to the church.

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Prayer of Repentance and Adoration

Call to Worship

Our Call to Worship is from Psalm 22, because of the length of the psalm, we’re going to split it into two with one portion for this morning and the next portion for next week. Psalm 22 is considered a Messianic psalm, which I think you’ll se why within the first verse. This morning, we’ll be responsively reading through Vs. 1-21, which can effectively be split in two: Vs. 1-10, is a servant prayer of one who is forsaken—Jesus utilizes part of this prayer as he is being crucified on the cross. Historically, this is a time during David’s life in which he is suffering great distress and thus, prays out to the LORD, but doesn’t hear a response. Vs. 11-21, is a petition from the king for the LORD’s prevision and protection. David is essentially praying for salvation from his enemies. Read with me responsively Psalm 22:1-21. I’ll read the odd-numbered verses, please join me in reading the even-numbered verses. Please stand as we read Psalm 22 together.

Psalm 22:1–21 ESV

1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? 2 O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest. 3 Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. 4 In you our fathers trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them. 5 To you they cried and were rescued; in you they trusted and were not put to shame. 6 But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by mankind and despised by the people. 7 All who see me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads; 8 “He trusts in the Lord; let him deliver him; let him rescue him, for he delights in him!” 9 Yet you are he who took me from the womb; you made me trust you at my mother’s breasts. 10 On you was I cast from my birth, and from my mother’s womb you have been my God. 11 Be not far from me, for trouble is near, and there is none to help. 12 Many bulls encompass me; strong bulls of Bashan surround me; 13 they open wide their mouths at me, like a ravening and roaring lion. 14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted within my breast; 15 my strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death. 16 For dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet— 17 I can count all my bones— they stare and gloat over me; 18 they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots. 19 But you, O Lord, do not be far off! O you my help, come quickly to my aid! 20 Deliver my soul from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dog! 21 Save me from the mouth of the lion! You have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen!

Congregational Singing

How Great Thou Art

I Will Glory in My Redeemer

Scripture Reading

Part of our sermon this morning is a recognition that life can be difficult and life can be filled with moments of great struggle both in regular life and in our spiritual life. Our Scripture reading correlates with that truth, by informing us that we have a way to withstand the work of the devil by putting on the whole armor of God. Our Scripture reading is Ephesians 6:10-20, a passage that is probably familiar, but provides good application for this morning’s service as well.

Ephesians 6:10–20 ESV

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, 19 and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.

Sermon

Introduction

Over the past month and a half, we’ve been working through a series I’ve titled Nineveh. I titled the series Nineveh because both of the prophetic books that we’ve been working through have been focused on the Ninevites and their wickedness. We spent the first four weeks working through the book of Jonah, in which we saw a Jewish prophet being called to go to the Ninevites to preach a message of impending judgment due to the Ninevites’ wickedness. We studied about his decision to reject God’s plan and run from God’s presence and we read about how God utilized a massive storm to miraculously convince Jonah to go to the Ninevites and preach a message of judgment to them.

One point that I emphasized multiple times was that Jonah never actually bothers to repent from his sins against the Ninevites, he has no remorse for hating the Ninevites so much and he really isn’t repentant for his disobedience. We read through the whole book and realize that Jonah never once repents, but even in his disobedience and hatred towards the Ninevites, God utilized him to preach a message that convinces the Ninevites to repent from their sins and cry out for God’s mercy.

Last week, we started working through the book of Nahum, which is the second book that’s written about the Ninevites and I want you to be able to keep some details clear in your minds as we continue in the book this morning. In Jonah, the Ninevites repented from their sins and believed in God, but in Nahum, they reject the message of God and continue in their sins—so as we continue to study through Nahum, we’ll see that the focus is different. Whereas, Jonah focuses more on the Ninevites actually repenting, Nahum focuses on the impending judgment because they refuse to repent.

Nahum was written about 100 years after Jonah, which tells us that despite the miraculous events that surrounded Jonah in 700-750BC, the Ninevites had completely forgotten what the LORD had done and a few generations later, they had returned to their evil ways. Last week, we worked our way through Nahum 1:1-8, and I want to do a bit of a refresher on that passage because it correlates with our passage for this morning.

Last week as we started into the book of Nahum, we realized that Nahum starts by describing who God is—in particular, that God is more than only loving or only good or only gentle. When we isolate any attribute of God from the rest of his character, we end up with a warped view of God. Nahum starts by describing God as a jealous and avenging God who takes vengeance on his adversaries and shows his wrath to his enemies. Nahum describes God as a God with great power who will not clear those who have yet to repent of their sin.

However, Nahum also makes it clear that God is slow to anger and because he is slow to anger, as 2 Peter 3:9 says, “The LORD is not slow to fulfill his promise . . ., but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” Or in other words, Nahum makes it clear that even though the Ninevites had plenty of time to repent, because God takes vengeance on his adversaries and shows his wrath to his enemies, he has to take action against the Ninevites—otherwise, he wouldn’t be a good God and he wouldn’t be a just God.

We ended last week’s message by seeing how God reveals his power and his characteristics to mankind. For those that remain in sin and refuse to repent and believe in God, you are still an enemy of God and you are still his adversary, which means that his wrath and vengeance in directed at you; but for those that have repented and believed, God’s wrath and vengeance for you has been taken by Jesus on the cross. This fact, calls those who don’t believe to repent of their sins and believe in God and those who do believe to give thanks to the LORD, to worship him, and to honor him with your lives.

Those who believe can look to the LORD as a stronghold in the day of trouble and a place to take refuge, but those who refuse to believe, will see the LORD as an overflowing flood making an end of his adversaries who will pursue his enemies into the darkness. This morning’s passage continues from that point, but before we jump in let’s take a moment to read the passage.

Because Nahum 1:1-8 and Nahum 1:9-15 are related, let’s read the whole passage again, I’ll then explain how we’ll break down the remaining passage, and we’ll jump into Scripture:

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 the second half of this passage, we’re going to break it into two parts: (1) Vs. 9-11, God’s Wrath Applied to the Ninevites, will show us part of the reasoning for God’s wrath to come down on the Ninevites as well as show us a bit of what’s going to happen to the Ninevites; (2) Vs. 12-15, God will Remember his People, is a call to Judah to rejoice and celebrate that the LORD will be just. Overall, this passage will give us key insight into how seriously God takes sin and it also gives us encouragement because the LORD is just and what he says will come to pass, will come to pass.

Prayer for Illumination

God’s Wrath Applied to the Ninevites (9-11)

Nahum continues in this passage by shifting his focus. The first eight verses of Nahum weren’t really directed towards a specific person, it was written almost like a hymn that’s meant to focus your attention on God, but in Vs. 9, Nahum starts directing his words towards specific people. Vs. 9, states “What do you plot against the LORD? He will make a complete end; trouble will not rise up a second time.”

The KJV says, “What do you imagine against the LORD?” And the idea is that whomever the text is speaking about is devising wicked thoughts against the LORD.

Of course, we know that Nahum was written concerning the Ninevites and thus, we can deduce that Nahum is accusing the Assyrians of plotting against the LORD.

What exactly the Assyrians were plotting to do is unknown to us, but judging by the fact that the Assyrians utilized their massive military might to war against their neighboring countries, the idea that the Assyrians were planning to war against God’s people, holds weight.

This idea of the Assyrians plotting against the LORD isn’t too hard to imagine when we remember 2 Kings 18:13-19:37, in which Sennacherib, one of the kings of Assyria during the time period between Jonah and Nahum defied the LORD and proclaimed that the LORD could not save them from him and his destruction.

The mindset of the Assyrians was that they had all the power and authority and that they were in complete control; and despite the fact that Sennacherib failed in his mission to destroy the Israelites, the mindset of the then current Assyrian king was that the God of the Israelites would not be able to stop them from defeating them this time.

In Nahum, the Assyrians were still plotting evil or calamity against God’s people and by plotting against God’s people, they were really plotting against the LORD himself.

But Vs. 9, “He [referring to God] will make a complete end; trouble will not rise up a second time.”

The wicked and violent Assyrian people can devise all of their plans for as often as they want, but the LORD will not stand for their wickedness. Their wicked plans are utterly worthless in the face of the LORD.

The wording of this sentence is a little bit confusing, possibly due to the poetic nature of this book, but the idea is that God will stop their evil, and there won’t be a second time for their evil to rise up.

And you might think, but doesn’t Jonah count as the first time for the Ninevites to stop their evil? And you would be right in that assessment, but Nahum isn’t referring to their repentance of evil. Nahum is referring to the judgment that will come if they don’t repent.

If the Ninevites don’t repent this time, which we know that they don’t, God will put their evil plans to an end, and there won’t be a second time for punishment

And Vs. 10 explains why there won’t be a second time. “For they are like entangled thorns, like drunkards as they drink; they are consumed like stubble fully dried.”

There is some confusion into how exactly this verse should be interpreted, with one commentator mentioning that this is one of the most difficult verses in the Old Testament to iron-out all of the details

But the theological message of this verse is abundantly clear, “they will be consumed,” which refers to the LORD’s punishment for their sins.

The imagery that’s being utilized here is that of people who are trapped, people who are confused, and really people who are utterly helpless against the LORD.

And it is imagery that’s meant to contrast what the Ninevites thought of themselves to what they are in the sight of God.

The Ninevites thought they were all-powerful, in control of all things, with nothing to fear. And from a purely human standpoint, that’s probably what everyone else thought about them as well.

But in the sight of God and in the sight of his righteous anger and wrath against them, they’re tangled and can’t escape, they’re drunk because they can’t plot a way of survival, and they are consumed because they will be utterly destroyed.

As Hebrews 10:31 says, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”

Now you might hear of all this destruction, wrath, and anger coming against the Ninevites and you might think that it seems like a lot and you might wonder why exactly this is happening to them. And Nahum explains the specific reason for this in Vs. 11, “From you came one who plotted evil against the LORD, a worthless counselor.”

Now, I think, in this particular verse, the ESV doesn’t do justice to what this verse is saying, particularly when it comes to the final phrase, so let me read it to you out of the NASB. “From you has gone out one who plotted evil against the LORD, a wicked counselor.”

The Hebrew word is belial. The ESV translates it as worthless counselor, but in almost every other translation, it’s translated as a wicked counselor. And in the context of what Nahum is saying, a wicked counselor makes more sense then a worthless counselor, though a wicked counselor is truly a worthless counselor.

This distinction is important because the word belial connotes an extreme wickedness. So much so, that later in history the idea of belial is utilized in 2 Corinthians to describe the wickedness of Satan himself.

The reason that Nahum gives for the utter destruction of Nineveh is found in Vs. 11, “From you came one who plotted evil against the LORD, a wicked counselor.”

Not only are the Ninevites wicked, but they gave way for a wicked counselor, who many think refers to their wicked leaders

Who continue to lead them into further wickedness.

David Baker, “Assyria is accused of giving rise to one . . . who plots evil against the LORD, either referring generally to all Assyrian kings, or more specifically to Sennacherib who mounted an invasion of Judah . . . This same person also counsels wickedness . . . the specific reason for the destruction of Assyria, in keeping with God’s judicial character, is thus the wicked attack on God and his people.”

It’s at this point that Nahum starts to transition between speaking to the Israelites and then speaking to the Assyrians. And he does that subtly through the end of this chapter and he continues that transitioning back and forth briefly through Chapter 2, which we’ll get to in a few weeks. Read with me Vs. 12-15 to refresh our minds as we study the remaining verses.

God will Remember his People (12-15)

Nahum 1:12–15 ESV

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.

The last four verses of this chapter, again transition back and forth between speaking to the Israelites and then speaking to the Assyrians. The first two verses, Vs. 12-13, starts with speaking to the Israelites. Remember, that during this time in history, the Israelites were divided into two kingdoms, and because the northern kingdom was a vassal to Assyria, the few verses here directed towards Israel are actually directed towards the souther kingdom, also known as Judah. The Bible says, “Thus says the LORD, ‘Though they [referring to the Assyrians] 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. And now I will break his yoke from off you and will burst your bonds apart.’” And there are several statements that are of note here, so let’s take a moment to break it all down:

The Lord, in Vs. 12, makes it clear that from the standpoint of mankind, the Assyrians are still at full strength—or in other words, this tells us that God’s vengeance against the Ninevites is only known to those who read Nahum at this point of time.

This is important, because it tells us that God destroyed the Ninevites when they were at their strongest, not when they were weak; which would have been seen as evidence that God is stronger than the strongest men in the world.

The Bible makes it clear here, that the Assyrians were many and the historical data corroborates this—remember with me the last chapter of Jonah, which tells us that 120,000 people lived within Nineveh alone. In 2 Kings, when we’re told of the destruction of the Assyrian Empire’s army during King Hezekiah’s time, the Bible tells us that the angel of the LORD struck down 185,000 soldiers in the Assyrian camp.

So, we’re looking at the world’s strongest military power during this time period with the most soldiers

But according to the Bible, the LORD says that “they will be cut down and pass away.”

This is the second statement in Nahum 1 concerning the complete destruction of the Ninevites.

This is the second statement in Nahum 1 expressly stating that the LORD is the one carrying on their destruction.

And again, this destruction is due to the Assyrian people following a wicked leader who plotted evil against the LORD.

This evil is reiterated in Vs. 13, which tells us about the evil of the Ninevites while giving hope to the Israelites, “And now I will break his yoke from off you and will burst your bonds apart.”

The Assyrians were known for their violence and their wickedness. Part of their violence included the conquest of the Assyrians against other nations around them.

What the Assyrians would typically do, is as they warred against the nations around them, they would keep some of the conquered people to be slaves for their empire.

The idea of God breaking this yoke off of them is very much having the bondage of the Assyrians removed from them—a yoke was utilized to place on the shoulders of a strong animal, like an ox to pull plows and other heavy objects behind them.

The symbolism being that Assyria has a heavy burden on the Israelites.

But here’s the interesting thing, look back at Vs. 12. Remember this is the LORD speaking to the Israelites, “Though I have afflicted you, I will afflict you no more.”

This tells us that this great affliction that the Israelites are facing because of the Assyrians was allowed to occur by the LORD.

Or in other words, God had allowed the Assyrians to pillage and plunder the earth, including the Israelites; which means that even though God was not forcing the Assyrians to do what they had done, he had allowed it to happen as divine punishment against the Israelites. How do we know this?

Isaiah 10, speaks of the LORD allowing the Assyrians to attack Israel for the purpose of Israel realizing that they had disobeyed God, for the purpose of them returning to the LORD.

So, why is Israel dealing with Assyria at this moment in time? Because Israel had disobeyed and God is calling the Israelites to repent and come back to him.

But God is about to deal with the Assyrians who have put the Israelites in bondage, the LORD will “break his yoke from off you and will burst your bonds apart.”

In Vs. 14, the conversation shifts to the Assyrians, “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.’”

It is of note that Nahum makes it clear that this is a commandment from the LORD. This isn’t Nahum’s opinion or thoughts, he is making it abundantly clear that the LORD has made this decision.

This is important, because it tells us that these are not just desires of the Israelites. The Israelites aren’t just wishing for the Assyrians to fall

Rather, God has determined to make it happen and that determination is seen again, later in Chapter 2:13, when the LORD says, “Behold, I am against you.”

God has determined to destroy the Assyrians for their wicked plans agains him

And then he describes the extent of this destruction:

“No more shall your name be perpetuated”— the wording here is a little bit odd. In the KJV, it says, “No more of thy name be sown” and I think the word sown actually gives us a better idea of what God is stating. The idea is that their name won’t be perpetuated because they won’t have any offspring to pass their name on to. There’s some argument about whether this verse is directed towards the king of Assyria or the whole nation.

The argument stems from the word that’s translated as you in the previous line—in Hebrew, it is a singular you, which gives some impression that this is talking specifically about the king of Assyria

However, my thought is that when this judgment does actually occur, it happens to all of the nation, not just the king. So, my thinking is that the you refers to the whole nation as a single unit—in other words, because the whole nation was exceedingly wicked to the extent that they followed an evil king who devised evil plans against God, they will all be judged—and the whole nation’s name will not be perpetuated because the whole nation won’t have offspring to pass their name onto.

The verse continues with “From the house of your gods I will cut off the carved image and the metal image,” which is an interesting statement when you remember Sennacherib’s declaration to the Israelites in 2 Kings 19:9-12. In 2 Kings 19, the king of Assyria is coming to war against the Israelites and Sennacherib sends a messenger to Hezekiah (the king of Israel) with this message, “Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you by promising that Jerusalem will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria. Behold, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands, devoting them to destruction. And shall you be delivered? Have the gods of the nations delivered them, the nations that my fathers destroyed?”

Or in other words, Sennacherib had taunted Hezekiah and ultimately God—how will your God defend you when none of these other gods defended their nations?

And part of God’s judgment on the Assyrians, was the destruction of their gods, “From the house of your gods I will cut off the carved image and the metal image.”

Historically, part of the reasoning for God’s destruction of the Assyrian idols is simple, that’s exactly what the Assyrians would have done if they were ever able to take Jerusalem—they would have destroyed the temple

David Baker, “At Yahweh’s command, Assyria will reach its end due to a lack of descendants and will be buried, like a despised and worthless thing to be disposed of. As it was the Assyrian practice to desecrate conquered shrines, so their temples and idols will be destroyed.”

The command given to the Assyrians ends with this sentence “I will make your grave.”

With the reasoning being quite simple, “For you are vile.”

The chapter ends with one last verse to the Israelites and it along with Vs. 12, is a reminder for the Israelites that God is good and that he’ll take care of his people. Vs. 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.”

In the midst of this indictment against Nineveh, Nahum writes to the Israelites to “Behold, upon the mountains, the feet of him who brings good news who publishes peace!”

In many ways, this verse is the book’s key verse. It is an announcement of victory that’s coming and of deliverance from the bondage of the Assyrians. The imagery being utilized here would be that of a messenger returning from a battle, which might be a little hard for us to imagine in our current world where we see the news so frequently.

So, imagine with me, you’re a villager living in Jerusalem—there’s no internet, there’s no tv, no newspaper to inform you of anything. You’ve heard of this other nation that was exceedingly wicked and violent, you’ve heard that this nation has their sights on your nation.

Typically, what would occur in this situation is that the defending nation would send troops to the front line and the people left behind would wait anxiously to hear anything about the battle. And because they don’t have the internet, tv, or a newspaper, the only way to hear anything about the battle would be from a messenger sent back to Jerusalem from the battlegrounds.

Only, in this situation, the Israelites didn’t send anyone to battle against Assyria and yet, there’s a messenger coming to bring good news, and publish peace!

And this good news and publishing of peace is so great, that they’re told to “keep [their] feasts” and “fulfill [their] vows, for never again shall the worthless pass through you; he is utterly cut off.”

The idea is that even though the Israelites had suffered great affliction, they don’t have to fight the battle that will result in the demise of Assyria

Rather, they can celebrate the one who brings good news, they can return to their previous way of life—including the keeping of their religious feasts and the fulfillment of their vows

Because as the text says, “the worthless” will never again pass through you. The Hebrew word translated as “worthless” is the same word that refers to the “worthless” counselor in Vs. 11.

It’s the same word that I explained will be utilized to speak of Satan in the New Testament, which doesn’t mean that this counselor is Satan, but only that he is truly evil.

And that evil person will be utterly cut off. He shall be destroyed.

But remember, this is prophetic, so the fall of Assyria hasn’t happened yet.

Which is notable, because Vs. 15, reads as if it has already happened and that’s intentional.

What this shows us is that in the vision that Nahum had of what was to occur, he was shown that it was a sure thing—and as he writes this book, he writes it acknowledging that he has described God as jealous and avenging, avenging and wrathful; as the one who takes vengeance on his adversaries and keeps wrath for his enemies; the God who is great in power, who controls the sea and rivers, who makes fertile places wither and mountains quake before him.

That God has already won the war against the Assyrians and because that God has already won the war, the Israelites can and should rejoice.

One final note from Vs, 15, notice that everything he tells Judah to do in this last verse is the exact opposite of what he tells the Assyrians in Vs. 14. He is juxtaposing the Assyrians with the Israelites:

The Assyrians were the afflicter who caused tremendous evil against all the other nations

The Israelites were the afflicted who received tremendous evil from the Assyrians

The Israelites are told to celebrate and to get back to worshiping Yahweh

The Assyrians are told that despite their current perceived success, they will be utterly destroyed without a place to worship their idols.

The Israelites are told that they will no longer bear the weight of Assyria’s yoke, that they will experience freedom from bondage

The Assyrians are told that their hold will be broken, that their name will be ended, that they will never pass through Israel again.

What this shows us, is that regardless of if the wicked seem to have success today, the LORD knows his people and he will be their refuge in times of distress. Or in other words, God will remember his people.

Now, the question then comes down to this: how do we apply this passage to our lives today?

Application

God’s Wrath Applied to the Ninevites (9-11)—these three verses give us the start of God’s wrath against the Ninevites for their wickedness. We read that the Ninevites had been plotting against God and God’s people and that they essentially gave birth to more people plotting evil against the LORD, in particular, they gave rise to an evil king who devised evil against God and his people. There’s two application points that I want to draw out of these three verses:

Those who intentionally do evil, though they may seem to prosper, will always be held accountable. So don’t envy those who seem to prosper by doing wrong.

We live in a world in which it always seems like those who are wicked and evil prosper—we have millionaires that don’t believe in God and yet have comfortable lives, huge houses, and multiple cars.

We live in a world in which there are so many people utilizing social media to make their lives look utterly amazing—people that don’t believe, openly do wicked deeds, and all seem to prosper.

We live in a world in which there are world leaders who astonish us with their behavior and yet, still seem to be successful.

And at the same time, we live in a world in which those who do believe, who try their best to live according to Scripture, who try to please the LORD with their lives struggle, barely make ends meet, and find themselves of great suffering.

You might even find yourself in the position of asking if it’s all worth it.

So, let me assure you, it is worth it and while the wicked seem to prosper now, they will be held accountable—Psalm 37:1, “Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers! For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb. Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD.” Vs. 20, continues, “But the wicked will perish; the enemies of the LORD are like the glory of the pastures; they vanish—like smoke they vanish away.”

The Bible makes it clear that even though the wicked may seem to prosper now, their eternity is far from prosperous.

It is a trick of the devil, to convince us that temporary pleasure is worth eternal punishment.

Don’t envy those who seem to prosper by doing wrong.

While we’re on the topic of those who seemingly prosper by doing wrong, let me give you the next application point. Be sure that the wrath of God isn’t directed at you. And this application point can really be attached to Vs. 12-15 as well.

We spoke about this briefly last week as well, but the fact of the matter is that God’s wrath is on all sin and thus, God’s wrath is on all who sin without repentance.

That includes everyone who refuses to repent of their sins and believe in Jesus Christ, but the beauty of God’s grace for you, is this:

That despite the fact that you were born in sin and despite the fact that there is quite literally, nothing you can do to pull yourself out of that sin, God loved you enough to send his son to live a perfect, sinless life on earth and to die on a Roman cross for your sins.

The beauty of grace is that God has made a way for you to come to him and be reconciled to him in order for you to have a relationship with him through Jesus Christ.

And that when you repent and you believe in Jesus Christ, the wrath of God is no longer placed on you for your sins, but the wrath of God is placed on Jesus for your sins.

Be sure that the wrath of God isn’t directed at you, is one way of saying, be sure that you actually have repented from your sins and believed in Jesus Christ. If you haven’t, let me encourage you to do so, today.

God will Remember his People (12-15)—The last four verses is a back-and-forth between Nahum writing to the Israelites and then writing to the Assyrians. On the one hand, for the Assyrians, he commands their destruction--”no more shall your name be perpetuated.” He promises destruction to their false idols and he assures them that they will die. On the other hand, for the Israelites, he assures them that their affliction from the Assyrians is over, that he will break their yoke off them, and that they can rejoice and keep their religious duties and vows because Assyria will never again pass through them. There’s one application point that I want to draw out of these last few verses:

Even in great distress, when your life feels like it’s falling apart and nothing is working, when it seems like everything and everyone is against you, if you’re a believer this morning, you have a God who remembers his people; and if you are a believer, that includes you.

Again, we live in a world in which the wicked seemingly prosper and those who seem like good people seem to suffer the most.

We live in a world in which you will find yourself facing trials and tribulation—James 1, makes it clear that trials and tribulation will be a part of your life, it isn’t a possibility, it is a fact.

And yet, James 1 also teaches that you should count those times of trials and tribulation as joy—rejoice that you’re facing those trials and tribulations because as James says—(1) trials produce steadfastness, (2) steadfastness when it has its full effect will make you perfect and complete, (3) so that you will lack in nothing.

In other words, James 1 teaches you to rejoice in suffering because suffering will be utilized by God to make you spiritually mature.

In light of Nahum 1, Nahum teaches us that even while we’re suffering, we should still worship God, we should still keep our vows, and we should still continue in life—why? Because our king has already won the war.

Sometimes, we get the false impression that Jesus and Satan are at war with each other and that they’re equal in power and strength—that’s only partly true.

The Bible definitely tells us that Jesus and Satan are at war against each other—we’re told of the spiritual warfare that we’re caught in the middle of

However, the Bible makes it clear that Satan isn’t even close to the same level of power and strength that Jesus is in.

Which tells us that while Satan is free to do his evil work today, it’s only temporary. Jesus has already won.

And because Jesus has already won, we can have hope.

If you’re a believer this morning, you are part of God’s people. And regardless of how difficult your life may be right now, God always remembers his people.

So, rejoice in knowing that God remembers you

Worship, honor, and praise him for remembering you

And have hope for the future—Jesus has already won the war.

Put simply, what Nahum 1:9-15 teaches us is (1) regardless of how much the wicked seem to prosper, don’t envy them, (2) be sure that God’s wrath isn’t pointed at you by repenting from your sins and believing in Jesus Christ, and (3) if you’re a believer this morning, despite any hardships that you might be facing today, God remembers you—so rejoice in him, worship, honor, and praise him, and be assured of your hope for the future—Jesus has already won.

Be sure that you truly believe, don’t envy those who are wicked, and worship, honor, and praise the one whom assures us of our future because he’s already won.

Pastoral Prayer

Congregational Singing

There is a Fountain

The Lord’s Supper

At Grace & Peace, we practice an open communion, which means that regardless of where your membership is (here or somewhere else), just as long as you are a true believer in Jesus Christ, you are more than free to partake in the Lord’s Supper with us.

The only warning that I give is the same warning that Paul gives to the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 11, that as we prepare for the Lord’s Supper, you take the time to examine your own heart to determine that you’re partaking of the Lord’s Supper in a worthy manner:

This means that you should take the time leading up to communion to consider your current spiritual state—are you right with the LORD or are you in unrepentant sin at this moment?

If you are in unrepentant sin, let me encourage you not to partake in the Lord’s Supper this morning, as Paul states, some have physically gotten sick and some have died for partaking in communion unworthily.

If you are in sin this morning, let me encourage you not to partake or repent and come back into the presence of the LORD and partake in communion with us.

The Lord’s Supper is both a somber time but also a celebratory time—it is a memorial of our Lord’s death, burial, and resurrection to remind us of the cost of sin, but it is also a celebration for the LORD taking our sins from us and taking the punishment required for those sins.

As such, prepare your hearts to partake in the LORD’s Supper

I’ve asked for some help to pass out the elements this morning. As the plates are passed this morning, please take the elements and hold on to both of them and we’ll partake in the LORD’s Supper together.

Prayer for bread and juice.

Pass out elements.

“The LORD Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, ‘This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’”

“In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.’”

“For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”

Congregational Singing

All Hail the Power