Nahum 3:1-7: Charges and Judgment

Introduction

Scripture

Nahum 3:1–7 ESV

1 Woe to the bloody city, all full of lies and plunder— no end to the prey! 2 The crack of the whip, and rumble of the wheel, galloping horse and bounding chariot! 3 Horsemen charging, flashing sword and glittering spear, hosts of slain, heaps of corpses, dead bodies without end— they stumble over the bodies! 4 And all for the countless whorings of the prostitute, graceful and of deadly charms, who betrays nations with her whorings, and peoples with her charms. 5 Behold, I am against you, declares the Lord of hosts, and will lift up your skirts over your face; and I will make nations look at your nakedness and kingdoms at your shame. 6 I will throw filth at you and treat you with contempt and make you a spectacle. 7 And all who look at you will shrink from you and say, “Wasted is Nineveh; who will grieve for her?” Where shall I seek comforters for you?

Outline

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 2:1-13 - Nineveh’s Destruction

Nahum 3:1-7 - Charges and Judgment

Nahum 3:1-4 - Nineveh the Prostitute and Sorceress

Nahum 3:5-7 - Nineveh’s Consequences

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

Succint Summation

Main Point

Yahweh brings judgment upon Nineveh by shaming them before the nations so all can see their true identity

Nahum 3:1-4 - Nineveh the Prostitute and Sorceress

Nahum 3:1–4 ESV

1 Woe to the bloody city, all full of lies and plunder— no end to the prey! 2 The crack of the whip, and rumble of the wheel, galloping horse and bounding chariot! 3 Horsemen charging, flashing sword and glittering spear, hosts of slain, heaps of corpses, dead bodies without end— they stumble over the bodies! 4 And all for the countless whorings of the prostitute, graceful and of deadly charms, who betrays nations with her whorings, and peoples with her charms.

1 Woe to the bloody city, all full of lies and plunder— no end to the prey!

Woe to the bloody city

Woe means the city has fallen

Usually meant for lamentation, here it is a cause for celebration

Nineveh was a bloody city that was extremely violent

The Books of Nahum, Habakkuk and Zephaniah 1. The Sins of the City (3:1, 4)

Bloodthirsty indeed was the ancient city of Nineveh. On one of the sculptured reliefs found in Ashurbanipal’s palace is a scene featuring the king and queen celebrating victory over the Elamites. Depicted near the banqueting table is a fruit tree with the severed head of the king of Elam dangling from one of the branches. Bloodthirsty indeed.

All full of lies and plunder

2 Kings 18:31–32 ESV

31 Do not listen to Hezekiah, for thus says the king of Assyria: ‘Make your peace with me and come out to me. Then each one of you will eat of his own vine, and each one of his own fig tree, and each one of you will drink the water of his own cistern, 32 until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive trees and honey, that you may live, and not die. And do not listen to Hezekiah when he misleads you by saying, “The Lord will deliver us.”

Nineveh was the richest city in the 7th century because of how much they plundered

No end to the prey

They preyed on the other nations

2 The crack of the whip, and rumble of the wheel, galloping horse and bounding chariot!

3 Horsemen charging, flashing sword and glittering spear, hosts of slain, heaps of corpses, dead bodies without end— they stumble over the bodies!

Absolute and total destruction of Nineveh

4 And all for the countless whorings of the prostitute, graceful and of deadly charms, who betrays nations with her whorings, and peoples with her charms.

Nineveh is described as two women - a prostitute and a sorceress with both meant to reveal evil

Ishtar the goddess of Nineveh was revered as the goddess of love who lured/seduced other nations into the Assyrian empire - Her negative side was depicted as a prostitution and warfare

Prostitute (whore of whores) - Nineveh seduced nations

Sorceress (devilish mistress of witchcraft) - Spell like power meant to exercise total power over the nations

Nahum, through inspiration of the Spirit, tears through all facades - Nineveh is seen for what it truly is

Nahum 3:5-7 - Nineveh’s Consequences

Nahum 3:5–7 ESV

5 Behold, I am against you, declares the Lord of hosts, and will lift up your skirts over your face; and I will make nations look at your nakedness and kingdoms at your shame. 6 I will throw filth at you and treat you with contempt and make you a spectacle. 7 And all who look at you will shrink from you and say, “Wasted is Nineveh; who will grieve for her?” Where shall I seek comforters for you?

5 Behold, I am against you, declares the Lord of hosts, and will lift up your skirts over your face; and I will make nations look at your nakedness and kingdoms at your shame.

Behold, I am against you, declares the Lord of hosts

Judgment oracle follows

I will lift up your skirts over your face

I will make nations look at your nakedness and kingdoms at your shame

Instead of destruction pride is replaced with shame

The prostitute/harlot who flaunted herself to attract others is now shamed

She is unable to hide of the shame and disgrace that Yahweh has brought upon her

Not only is she entirely undone and shamed, but the nations will see who she really is

Nineveh’s sin will be evident to all

6 I will throw filth at you and treat you with contempt and make you a spectacle.

I will throw filth at you

Her heart is filthy and now her outward appearance will match

Treat you with contempt

Literally - God will treat them as a fool

The nations watch as God judgment pours out on Nineveh

Make you a spectacle

The Assyrian kings would publically ridicule their enemies after defeat in inhumane ways

Now they will suffer the same fate as a naked, shamed harlot whereby the nations under are liberated

7 And all who look at you will shrink from you and say, “Wasted is Nineveh; who will grieve for her?”

The nations flee in horror from Nineveh as destruction occurs, yet none grieve her loss/sin

Where shall I seek comforters for you?

Nahum’s name means comforter - play on words because there is NO comfort for Nineveh

Christ Connection - One Day Christ Will Put to Death His Enemies

Revelation 19:17–21 ESV

17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and with a loud voice he called to all the birds that fly directly overhead, “Come, gather for the great supper of God, 18 to eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all men, both free and slave, both small and great.” 19 And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies gathered to make war against him who was sitting on the horse and against his army. 20 And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. 21 And the rest were slain by the sword that came from the mouth of him who was sitting on the horse, and all the birds were gorged with their flesh.

Revelation 20:7–15 ESV

7 And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea. 9 And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven and consumed them, 10 and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. 11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. 13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. 14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

Main Point

Yahweh brings judgment upon Nineveh by shaming them before the nations so all can see their true identity