Nahum 2:1-13: Nineveh's Destruction
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Introduction
Introduction
Scripture
Scripture
1 The scatterer has come up against you.
Man the ramparts;
watch the road;
dress for battle;
collect all your strength.
2 For the Lord is restoring the majesty of Jacob
as the majesty of Israel,
for plunderers have plundered them
and ruined their branches.
3 The shield of his mighty men is red;
his soldiers are clothed in scarlet.
The chariots come with flashing metal
on the day he musters them;
the cypress spears are brandished.
4 The chariots race madly through the streets;
they rush to and fro through the squares;
they gleam like torches;
they dart like lightning.
5 He remembers his officers;
they stumble as they go,
they hasten to the wall;
the siege tower is set up.
6 The river gates are opened;
the palace melts away;
7 its mistress is stripped; she is carried off,
her slave girls lamenting,
moaning like doves
and beating their breasts.
8 Nineveh is like a pool
whose waters run away.
“Halt! Halt!” they cry,
but none turns back.
9 Plunder the silver,
plunder the gold!
There is no end of the treasure
or of the wealth of all precious things.
10 Desolate! Desolation and ruin!
Hearts melt and knees tremble;
anguish is in all loins;
all faces grow pale!
11 Where is the lions’ den,
the feeding place of the young lions,
where the lion and lioness went,
where his cubs were, with none to disturb?
12 The lion tore enough for his cubs
and strangled prey for his lionesses;
he filled his caves with prey
and his dens with torn flesh.
13 Behold, I am against you, declares the Lord of hosts, and I will burn your chariots in smoke, and the sword shall devour your young lions. I will cut off your prey from the earth, and the voice of your messengers shall no longer be heard.
Outline
Outline
Nahum 1 - God’s Righteous Anger
Nahum 1 - God’s Righteous Anger
Nahum 1:1 - Introduction
Nahum 1:2-8 - The Universal Judgment of Yahweh
Nahum 1:9-15 - The Four Announcements
Nahum 2:1-3:19 - Nineveh’s Fall
Nahum 2:1-3:19 - Nineveh’s Fall
Nahum 2:1-13 - Nineveh’s Destruction
Nahum 2:1-2 - A Call to War
Nahum 2:3-10 - The Battle
Nahum 2:3 - Nearing Nineveh
Nahum 2:4 - The Enemy In the Suburbs
Nahum 2:5 - The Enemy at the Wall
Nahum 2:6-7 - The Temple is Overtaken
Nahum 2:9-10 - Nineveh is Destroyed
Nahum 2:11-13 - A Taunting Song
Purpose of Book
Purpose of Book
The purpose of Nahum is to reveal Yahweh as the great Divine Warrior who issues judgment against the Assyrians and rescues His people and the Messianic seed
The purpose of Nahum is to reveal Yahweh as the great Divine Warrior who issues judgment against the Assyrians and rescues His people and the Messianic seed
Main Point
Main Point
The fall of Nineveh is at hand. Yahweh, the true God of gods, destroys Nineveh and ends the oppression of His people
The fall of Nineveh is at hand. Yahweh, the true God of gods, destroys Nineveh and ends the oppression of His people
Nahum 2:1-2 - A Call to War
Nahum 2:1-2 - A Call to War
1 The scatterer has come up against you.
Man the ramparts;
watch the road;
dress for battle;
collect all your strength.
2 For the Lord is restoring the majesty of Jacob
as the majesty of Israel,
for plunderers have plundered them
and ruined their branches.
1 The scatterer has come up against you.
1 The scatterer has come up against you.
The scatterer is both Medes-Babylon AND Yahweh - the word hints at a king who has victoriously won
The inhabitants of Nineveh will be scattered throughout the world if they are not killed or taken into exile
This will be done through the Median-Babylonian military
Man the ramparts; watch the road; dress for battle; collect all your strength.
Man the ramparts; watch the road; dress for battle; collect all your strength.
Nahum is writing as if he were at the battle in 612 BC
He calls them to get ready for their battle by looking for an advancing army and mustering all the strength they have
Watch, dress, collect are all commands, but given sarcastically because they do not stand a chance against Yahweh
2 For the Lord is restoring the majesty of Jacob as the majesty of Israel, for plunderers have plundered them and ruined their branches.
2 For the Lord is restoring the majesty of Jacob as the majesty of Israel, for plunderers have plundered them and ruined their branches.
For the Lord is restoring the majesty of Jacob as the majesty of Israel
God previously used the Assyrians for covenantal discipline on Judah
The reason for the Assyrian fall is that God is restoring Judah
Judah would once again retain her land AND be spiritually set free to worship Yahweh (salvation) as commanded per the Torah
For plunderers have plundered them and ruined their branches
The Assyrians plundered the Judahites, but God would restore their majesty that was taken by force
Nahum 2:3-10 - The Battle
Nahum 2:3-10 - The Battle
3 The shield of his mighty men is red;
his soldiers are clothed in scarlet.
The chariots come with flashing metal
on the day he musters them;
the cypress spears are brandished.
4 The chariots race madly through the streets;
they rush to and fro through the squares;
they gleam like torches;
they dart like lightning.
5 He remembers his officers;
they stumble as they go,
they hasten to the wall;
the siege tower is set up.
6 The river gates are opened;
the palace melts away;
7 its mistress is stripped; she is carried off,
her slave girls lamenting,
moaning like doves
and beating their breasts.
8 Nineveh is like a pool
whose waters run away.
“Halt! Halt!” they cry,
but none turns back.
9 Plunder the silver,
plunder the gold!
There is no end of the treasure
or of the wealth of all precious things.
10 Desolate! Desolation and ruin!
Hearts melt and knees tremble;
anguish is in all loins;
all faces grow pale!
Nahum 2:3 - Nearing Nineveh
Nahum 2:3 - Nearing Nineveh
3 The shield of his mighty men is red; his soldiers are clothed in scarlet.
3 The shield of his mighty men is red; his soldiers are clothed in scarlet.
The shield of his mighty men is red
The well organized, powerful army of the Medes-Babylonians approach the city
His soldiers are clothed in scarlet
The Babylonians were known to wear red clothing in battle
14 But she carried her whoring further. She saw men portrayed on the wall, the images of the Chaldeans portrayed in vermilion,
The chariots come with flashing metal on the day he musters them; the cypress spears are brandished.
The chariots come with flashing metal on the day he musters them; the cypress spears are brandished.
The chariots come with flashing metal on the day he musters them
The chariots advance towards Nineveh as they pierce through the Assyrian empire
The Lord is the one who has brought this terrifying army upon the Assyrians and on this day they shall come to an end
The cypress spears are brandished
Weapons were made from the cypress tree
God wanted to assure the Judahites that the Assyrians would not stand against this more powerful army
Nahum 2:4 - The Enemy in the Suburbs
Nahum 2:4 - The Enemy in the Suburbs
4 The chariots race madly through the streets; they rush to and fro through the squares; they gleam like torches; they dart like lightning.
4 The chariots race madly through the streets; they rush to and fro through the squares; they gleam like torches; they dart like lightning.
The chariots race madly through the streets
The army is now moving from the suburbs of Nineveh towards the city itself!
Ironically, Sennacherib widened the streets of Nineveh for chariots to enter the city
Now the widened roads are used by the enemy for their fiery and quick destruction
They rush to and from through the squares
They gleam like torches
They dart like lightning
Nahum 2:5 - The Enemy at the Wall
Nahum 2:5 - The Enemy at the Wall
5 He remembers his officers; they stumble as they go, they hasten to the wall; the siege tower is set up.
5 He remembers his officers; they stumble as they go, they hasten to the wall; the siege tower is set up.
He remembers his officers
The King calls out to his officials as the army sets up outside the city
They stumble as they go, they hasten to the wall
The Assyrian army is overwhelmed by the attacking force of the enemy as they try to defend the city walls
The fall of the city is foreshadowed
The siege tower is set up
The officers are too late to the wall
The siege covering is already in place and the pounding on the city wall rings
Nahum 2:6-7 - The Temple is Overtaken
Nahum 2:6-7 - The Temple is Overtaken
6 The river gates are opened; the palace melts away; 7 its mistress is stripped; she is carried off, her slave girls lamenting, moaning like doves and beating their breasts.
6 The river gates are opened; the palace melts away; 7 its mistress is stripped; she is carried off, her slave girls lamenting, moaning like doves and beating their breasts.
The river gates are opened
River here is plural
Tigris
Khosr
Tebiltu
The rivers that protected Nineveh became its downfall
The Assyrian army was known to flood their enemies and now their city ends in a similar manner
The palace melts away
The temple (palace) restored by Ashurbanipal full of their gods collapses
*It is set/settled/decreed*
The Lord God has decreed Nineveh’s end
Its mistress is stripped
Ishtar - Lady of Nineveh
She is carried off, her slave girls lamenting, moaning like doves and beating their breasts
The Mede-Babylonian army would carry off the cult statute of Ishtar proving that she was powerless to defend her city with her mourning temple prostitutes following into exile
Again, YAHWEH is the true God who rules over all other gods
Nahum 2:8-10 - Nineveh Destroyed
Nahum 2:8-10 - Nineveh Destroyed
8 Nineveh is like a pool whose waters run away.
8 Nineveh is like a pool whose waters run away.
The Mede-Babylonian army is so overwhelming the Assyrian army runs away like a pool with cracks in the concrete
“Halt! Halt!” they cry, but none turns back.
“Halt! Halt!” they cry, but none turns back.
Halt! Halt! - Commands given for defenders to stand their ground and fight
Yet no one stays and fights - they all flee
9 Plunder the silver, plunder the gold!
9 Plunder the silver, plunder the gold!
Plunder x2 is a command
Assyria was rich with wealth due to their conquests and treaties with inferior nations/nation-states
There is no end of the treasure or of the wealth of all precious things.
There is no end of the treasure or of the wealth of all precious things.
As a result of their own plundering, Nineveh had become the richest city in the Near East in the 7th century
10 Desolate! Desolation and ruin!
10 Desolate! Desolation and ruin!
The city has come to a ruin
All the residents of the city have been overtaken by the victorious Mede-Babylonian army
Hearts melt and knees tremble; anguish is in all loins; all faces grow pale!
Hearts melt and knees tremble; anguish is in all loins; all faces grow pale!
Hearts melt and knees tremble
Anguish is in all loins
All faces grow pale
Yahweh has won the battle as terror, grief, weaknesses, and emotional/psychological trauma fill the Assyrians
Nahum 2:11-13 - A Taunting Song
Nahum 2:11-13 - A Taunting Song
11 Where is the lions’ den,
the feeding place of the young lions,
where the lion and lioness went,
where his cubs were, with none to disturb?
12 The lion tore enough for his cubs
and strangled prey for his lionesses;
he filled his caves with prey
and his dens with torn flesh.
13 Behold, I am against you, declares the Lord of hosts, and I will burn your chariots in smoke, and the sword shall devour your young lions. I will cut off your prey from the earth, and the voice of your messengers shall no longer be heard.
11 Where is the lions’ den, the feeding place of the young lions, where the lion and lioness went, where his cubs were, with none to disturb?
11 Where is the lions’ den, the feeding place of the young lions, where the lion and lioness went, where his cubs were, with none to disturb?
The Assyrian kings compared themselves to strong lions with great power
For a time, the Assyrians were strong lions with terrible power conquering all they desired
Previously, the Assyrians were used by God to issue judgment on Judah, but now they must give an account to the One True King
12 The lion tore enough for his cubs and strangled prey for his lionesses; he filled his caves with prey and his dens with torn flesh.
12 The lion tore enough for his cubs and strangled prey for his lionesses; he filled his caves with prey and his dens with torn flesh.
The lion tore enough for his cubs and strangled prey for his lionesses
He filled his caves with prey and his dens with torn flesh
13 Behold, I am against you, declares the Lord of hosts, and I will burn your chariots in smoke, and the sword shall devour your young lions.
13 Behold, I am against you, declares the Lord of hosts, and I will burn your chariots in smoke, and the sword shall devour your young lions.
I am am against you, declares the Lord of hosts
The reason for Assyria’s fall is the will of the Lord
As the Lord of hosts is used to show Yahweh as powerful and is often used in military contexts - His army is a heavenly army
It is Yahweh, the Lord of hosts, who enters into battles against the Assyrians
I will burn your chariots in smoke
The sword shall devour your young lions
I will cut off your prey from the earth, and the voice of your messengers shall no longer be heard.
I will cut off your prey from the earth, and the voice of your messengers shall no longer be heard.
I will cut off your prey from the earth
There will be no need for Assyrian prey because Assyria has been conquered
The Judahites will be FREED!
The voice of you messengers shall no longer be heard
There are no messengers to send because of their destruction
Christ is our Victor
Christ is our Victor
15 I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and her offspring;
he shall bruise your head,
and you shall bruise his heel.”
7 Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, 8 but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. 10 And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. 11 And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.
51 And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. 52 The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, 53 and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many.
23 But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, 24 but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, 25 who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.
8 Therefore it says,
“When he ascended on high he led a host of captives,
and he gave gifts to men.”
Main Point
Main Point
The fall of Nineveh is at hand. Yahweh, the true God of gods, destroys Nineveh and ends the oppression of His people
The fall of Nineveh is at hand. Yahweh, the true God of gods, destroys Nineveh and ends the oppression of His people