Far From Eden: Judgement on Nineveh

A sermon on the book of Nahum.

I will admit that before last week I did not know the contents of the book of Nahum. Nahum probably does not appear all too often, or at all, in any of our Sunday lectionaries, and I have never heard a sermon preached on it. I hate to confess this: I’ve barely even read the book of Nahum. So, with all that in mind, I am delighted to be presenting on Nahum the prophet and his message. 

As we look at the book of the prophet Nahum, the title of my talk tonight will be, “Far from Eden: Judgement upon Nineveh.” The book of the prophet Nahum is written “concerning Nineveh,” as the first verse of the book says, which is the capital of the nation of Assyria (so I will use the two names interchangeably to refer to the same people, just as Nahum does himself). If you will recall, this is not the first time we have encountered Nineveh, but this time they are facing judgement, rather than experiencing God’s grace. The unfaithful prophet Jonah was first sent to Nineveh, years before Nahum’s life and ministry, to proclaim impending doom unless they repent. To Jonah’s great surprise, the people actually responded positively, believing the word from God and “called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them” (Jonah 3:5). Even the king donned the dress of repentance, changing out of his robe into sackcloth, and removing his crown for ashes (Jonah 3:6). As the author of the book of Jonah notes, “When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it” (Jonah 3:10). 

Duane L. Christensen, in his commentary, notes that Nahum and Jonah “are closely connected in the Book of the Twelve Prophets,” because they are “literary complements,” and possibly share one author.[1] The identity of Nahum is, admittedly, vague, since there is not a lot of information available from the text, only the identification of the place he is from, which is Elkosh. 

Carl Keil, from the 19th century, provides a nice summary of Nahum: “The book of Nahum contains an extended prophecy concerning Nineveh, in which the ruin of that city and of the Assyrian world-power is predicted in three strophes [a term in poetry, essentially to mean each section], answering to the division into chapters; viz. In ch. 1 the divine purpose to inflict divine-judgement upon this oppressor of Israel; in ch. 2 the joyful news of the conquest, plundering, and destruction of Nineveh; and in ch. 3 its guilt and its inevitable ruin” [2]. In Nahum I see two key messages: God’s judgement against Nineveh, and his sovereignty over the nations. We continue on with point one, divine judgement over Nineveh. 

1. God’s Judgement Against Nineveh

A good summary of the book of Nahum comes from the first chapter, from verses two and three: “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” (1:2-3). Further, God says to the people of Nineveh, twice: “I am against you,” which is quite chilling. Nahum’s ministry, unlike other prophets, is not to call the nation of Israel, or the other nations, to repentance. Jonah’s task was the proclamation of God’s impending judgement, unless the Ninevites relented, and they do, in fact, hear and respond positively. Now, in Nahum’s time, who was tasked with a message of doom, God’s mind has been made, and his judgement declared. Despite their repentance in response to Jonah’s preaching, Assyria has strayed far from Eden, and there is only one option for God: Assyria is judged as evil-doers who will not turn from their evil-ways. “The Lord has given commandment about you,” Nahum writes, “‘No more shall your name be perpetuated,” that is, the name of Nineveh shall be wiped out(1:14a). Did God change his mind? No, in fact, Nineveh changed, relapsing into their old ways, for it seems, their repentance was only temporary. 

What exactly are the crimes of Nineveh? First, their idolatry. They worship their own power, but they have “gods,” “carved images,” and “metal” images (1:14b). Assyria’s second crime is much more severe than their first, and that is their rampant violence. We could argue their violence, too, is a false god. They revel in the destruction of their enemies, in the life and blood being sucked from their victims. As Eric Tully notes in his recent book, Reading the Prophets as Christian Scripture, “Assyria had a reputation for savage cruelty in war. Assyrian kings bragged of skinning their captives, cutting off appendages, and making piles of human heads” [3]. It seems like Assyria had made a sport out of war. Further, “Nineveh was extremely wealthy, and was apparently impervious to attack, and commanded the greatest army in the world” [4]. So, they were unstoppable because they were brutal and cruel — and only the Lord of Hosts, God Almighty, is able to bring down this forceful and violent nation. “Woe to the bloody city,” Nahum pens, because they are “full of lies and plunder — no end to the prey!” (3:1). 

What is the standard for their condemnation? First, “You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God” (Exodus 20:13-5a). All things are created by God, and all things are created for his glory, not the glory of false gods, who have no power. God’s honour, authority, and supremacy must come first in every human being and every human society. While Eve’s crime seems innocent, God takes it very seriously because, by eating the fruit from the tree her and Adam are prohibited from even touching, she raises doubt concerning the authority of Almighty God. 

The first commandment is the grounds for all the other commandments. Therefore, upholding the first commandment is key to upholding the others. If the first commandment is not respected—if God is not respected—the entire society will devolve into chaos. And this happens in Assyria, since they break one other commandment, “You shall not murder” (Exodus 20:13). Rather than producing life, they arbitrarily take away life, as if it is their entertainment. A nation cannot flourish without the people. A culture must survive through the reproduction of life, but when the people are wiped out by a stronger nation, the weaker nation struggles to recover as a people. 

Retaining the “image of God” status requires devotion to God and his ways, and because Nineveh has strayed so far from righteousness they have become animalistic, being described by God as “lions,” who “tore enough for his cubs and strangled prey for his lionesses; he filled his caves with prey, and his dens with torn flesh” (2:12). Therefore, “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” (2:13). The Ninevites reflect nothing of God’s nature. They have strayed so far from Eden—from the presence of God, that is—that there is no hope for them, and are so twisted and corrupt, they must be wiped out, for the sake of the innocent. Nineveh has been prosecuted in God’s court, and according to his holy standard their sentence will be served. 

2. God’s Supremacy Over the Nations

God’s decree upon Nineveh is total annihilation. Judgement comes in the form of chaos and anarchy, in de-creation when flood comes, the world falls apart around them, the mountains quake, locusts swarm about (probably an echo of Israel’s time in Egypt). They are handed over to the chaos they themselves have created, with the whole city in an uproarious frenzy. Far from Eden chaos reigns; mayhem, madness, and disorder ensues. God is the sovereign one, who created the heavens and the earth. He is the one who gives and takes away. Therefore, he is able to undo creation if he so chooses. “He rebukes the sea and makes it dry,” Nahum declares (1:4). “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” (1:6). God is clear: “With an overflowing flood he will make a complete end of the adversaries, and will pursue his enemies into darkness. What do you plot against the Lord? He will make a complete end; trouble will not rise up a second time” (1:8-9). 

“The scatterer has come up against you,” Nahum writes (2:1). Who is the scatterer? God himself, through a neighbouring nation. And the whole city is in a total upheaval, “for they are like entangled thorns, like drunkards as they drink; they are consumed like stubble fully dried” (1:10), and “chariots race madly through the streets; they rush to and fro through the squares; they gleam like torches; they dart like lightning” (2:4). Their leaders are totally asleep at the wheel, and the “people are scattered on the mountains with none to gather them” (3:18). War has come upon Nineveh, a war they cannot win. “Man the ramparts; watch the road; dress for battle; collect all your strength” (2:1b). So, “plunder the silver, plunder the gold!” Nineveh is defeated, so enjoy the spoils of war.

God’s power shakes through to the other nations too. First, God will “lift up your skirts over your face; and I will make nations look at your nakedness and kingdoms at your shame. I will throw filth at you and treat you with contempt and make you a spectacle” (3:5-6). Like Adam and Eve, who recognized their nakedness after committing the first act of cosmic treason, and felt the shame of their act, Nineveh’s shame will be broadcast among the other nations, demonstrating that they have become nothing, a mere pile of sewage. At the news of Assyria’s downfall, “all who hear the news about you clap their hands over you,” (3:19). But, the nations must remember God’s power over them too, for while the whole earth crumbles under his fist, “Bashan and Carmel wither; the bloom of Lebanon withers” (1:4b). And, “Are you better than Thebes that sat by the Nile … Cush was her strength; Egypt too, and that without limit; Put and Libyans were her helpers. Yet she became an exile; she went into captivity; her infants were dashed in pieces at the head of every street; for her honoured men lots were cast, and all her great men were bound in chains” (3:8-10). None of the nations are safe from God Almighty, creator of heaven and earth. 

The sovereignty of God over the nations, especially the nation of Assyria, is for Israel’s good, in order to worship God. “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 [Israel], I will afflict you no more. And now I will break his yoke from off you and will burst your bonds apart’” (1:12-13). Further, “Behold, upon the mountains, the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes vows, for never again shall the worthless pass through you; he is utterly cut off” (1:15). God’s people may now live in peace to worship God, in order to keep their feasts (1:15), knowing Nineveh will not subjugate them ever again. Like the time of the exodus from Egypt, God’s people are, in a way, set free from their oppressors in order to worship. 

Conclusion: Nahum for Today

As we conclude, how can we read Nahum for today? Simply put, look out, those with great power, who dominate those who are in their service, who show no mercy, and delight in suppressing those who are weaker than them, because they know they can get away with it, acting like the little god of their own world. But God will have his due, one way or another. And this is good news for the ones who are oppressed, who are beaten down over and over again. The return to Eden will one day take place, when God collects his people to live in harmony and peace. God is to be feared, but he is loving and kind, like Nahum writes: “The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him” (1:6). 

Endnotes: 

[1] Christensen, pg. 2.

[2] Keil, “Nahum,” pg. 1. 

[3] Tully, pg. 321. 

[4] Tully, pg. 321.