SCRIPTURE: Nahum 1:1-15 (ESV)
DATE: 6-6-21
As always it’s a joy to be with all of you this weekend at Gateway Church. And the one thing I want you to know — and this is true if you’re worshiping with us in person at our North Main campus or are joining us online — the one thing I want you to know is that God loves you and that I love you too.
SERIES INTRODUCTION
Since we’re beginning a new series today — it’s a good idea for me to tell you what the sermons are going to be like as they’re a bit different from our usual sermons. I’m going to introduce you to a book of the Bible that you may or may not be familiar with. I’ll give you an overview of the book and then we’ll focus on a section of it. And then — and this is what I hope will be most helpful — each week I’ll show you how to find Jesus. I’ll show you how to find the one story the whole Bible is telling — the story of Jesus. Because the whole Bible is ultimately pointing us to him.
And in this iteration of our Finding Jesus series — we’re going to look at the final six of the books known as the Minor Prophets. Last year we looked at the first six Minor Prophets and this year we’re finishing up this group of books. And — today — we’ll be looking at the book of Nahum. So if you have your Bible, please turn with me to Nahum chapter 1.
This week we’re looking at Nahum and in the coming weeks we’ll look at Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. And I hope that you’ll grow to know and love these books and spend time in them — finding Jesus — and the joy that’s found only in him.
Now two things. First, this series — Finding Jesus — is something we’ve been doing for a few years now. In previous years we’ve looked at the Pentateuch — the first five books of the Old Testament. We’ve looked at the Major Prophets — the writings of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel. And — as I said earlier — we’ve looked at the first six of the Minor Prophets.
The second thing I want to mention is something about the name that’s been given to these books — the Minor Prophets. They’re called the Minor Prophets — not because their content is less important than the books known as the Major Prophets — they’re called the Minor Prophets because of their size. The Minor Prophets — generally speaking — are much shorter than the Major Prophets. But even though their content isn’t any less significant — truth be told — the Minor Prophets — except for maybe Jonah — are probably the least familiar part of the Bible for most of us. But hopefully that won’t be the case after this series.
BACKGROUND OF NAHUM
So let’s take some time to get our bearings in the book of Nahum — and I hope you’ll see that Nahum’s a book you’ll want to go read for yourself.
First, what do we know about Nahum? Well Nahum was a prophet — which means he spoke on behalf of God. We also know that he came from a town called Elkosh and that he lived during the 7th century BC. But we don’t know much more about him other than that.
Now to give you an idea of what’s going on in history — you’re probably familiar with the fact that there were originally twelve tribes of Israel — each tribe descending from a son of Jacob — who was also named Israel. And these tribes eventually ask for a king. The first king is Saul — who didn’t turn out to be the man for the job. Next came David — you’ve probably heard of him. Then David’s son — Solomon — became king.
After Solomon, there’s conflict over who should be king and the nation ends up dividing over the matter. Ten tribes join together and keep the name Israel — they’re in the north — and two tribes join together and are named Judah — they’re in the south. And for a while, neither Israel nor Judah experience external conflict — meaning war with other nations — but boy do they have a bunch of internal junk.
Evil kings. Moral corruption. The people abandon God. Things are a big mess — which you can read about in 1st and 2nd Kings.
And during this time — the people of both Israel and Judah falsely assume that the lack of external conflict — the fact they’re not at war with other nations — is because God approves of the way they’re living. But they were dead wrong. Remember — they’ve abandoned God — yet somehow they think that God approves of their behavior. And eventually — because of their rebellion — the Assyrians conquer the nation of Israel. And now — when Nahum’s alive — the Assyrians are threatening the nation of Judah.
Now — we’re in the 7th century BC — most likely sometime between 663 and 654 BC. The city of Nineveh is the capital of the Assyrian Empire. And Nineveh is a city that plays an important role in one of the other Minor Prophet books. Anyone know which book I’m talking about? The popular Minor Prophet — Jonah!
About 100 years before Nahum — Jonah was sent by God to the city of Nineveh to call the people to repent of their sin. And do you remember how the Ninevhites responded to Jonah’s message?
They repented! It was remarkable. It was unexpected. And it angered Jonah — go read his book to see what I’m talking about. But — based on what we find in Nahum — their repentance didn’t last.
Since the time of Jonah, the Assyrians have grown in power and influence. They’ve conquered the nation of Israel. They’ve continually oppressed the nation of Judah and are threatening to conquer them.
OK. Let’s pause for a quick timeout.
As we talk about all that’s going on — we should recognize an advantage we have. What’s that? We have God’s view of why things are happening. For example, we see that the Assyrians conquered Israel because of Israel’s disobedience — God used the Assyrians to punish the Israelites. Similarly, God is using the Assyrians to punish the nation of Judah — not by conquering them — but by oppressing them — because of their disobedience.
And if we pay attention to the history going on — we see that the Assyrians rise to power just as both Israel and Judah have wandered the farthest from God. During Nahum’s ministry, Manasseh is king of Judah — he’s considered the most evil king in Judah’s history. All that to say — pay attention to the bird’s eye view we have of all that’s happening.
So though the story of Judah has many ups and downs — in regards to their faithfulness — we’re in a peak time of their unfaithfulness. And God uses this wicked empire — the godless nation of Assyria — as an instrument of his judgment against his people. Yet — and here’s a tension that really bothers us — God will hold the Assyrians accountable for their wickedness. They don’t get a free pass for their wickedness and how they treat God’s people — even though God’s using them to punish the nation of Judah.
And what we find — in the book of Nahum — is God’s warning to the Assyrians that punishment is now coming their way.
And they won’t escape his wrath — his righteous anger towards them because of how they’ve treated his people. And what does all of this mean?
Well — for the Assyrians — their opportunity to repent has come to an end. God’s been patient with them. It’s been a hundred years since Jonah preached to them a message of repentance. So God’s been patient — he’s graciously warned them — but he will not let the guilty go unpunished. And the time for the punishment of the Assyrians has come.
And if that’s not uncomfortable enough to our ears — just wait for this. It’s actually because of God’s wrath towards the Assyrians that the people of Judah have hope. One nation’s judgment by God is another nation’s hope. And wrath and hope are not two words often found in the same sentence in our day and age. Yet God’s wrath towards their enemies is what gives the people of Judah hope.
OVERVIEW OF NAHUM
So that’s the bird’s eye view of what’s going on. Now, let’s turn to the book itself.
Given that this book is about God’s punishment of the Assyrians — who are often referred to as the city of Nineveh — the book — which is only three chapters long — can be summarized this way.
- Chapter one describes God as the judge.
- Chapter two describes his judgement against Nineveh.
- And chapter three provides the justification of God’s judgement.
- Chapter one — God the Judge. Chapter two — God’s judgement. Chapter three — the justification of his judgement.
One last thing about Nahum — that’s kind of cool — now that you know the book is about judgement and wrath and that it’s a pretty doom and gloom kind of book. Nahum’s name means “comforter.” The man picked by God — to deliver this message of judgement against the Assyrians — his name — which means “comforter” — is meant to remind the people of God that they’ve been promised hope even as they’re being oppressed by another nation.
No matter how dark things may seem — no matter how forcefully the world is pressing in against his people — God wants his people to know that they have reason upon reason upon reason to have hope. A comforting message — for the people of God today — from this prophet.
MAIN PASSAGE
Which leads us to the section of the book we’re going to focus on today. So let’s turn to our passage. Hopefully you’ve had time to find Nahum chapter 1. We’ll begin in verse 1 as we discover a way to find Jesus in the book of Nahum — and in all of the Bible.
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. (Nahum 1:1-15 ESV)
SERMON INTRODUCTION
Wrath and hope — as I said — two words not usually found in the same sentence. In fact, our culture tends to view wrath and hope as enemies — polar opposites — two ideas that don’t intermingle with each other.
What comes to mind when you hear the word wrath?
- Maybe you think of the time you snuck out of the house, borrowed your dad’s car, and found him waiting up for you as you tried to sneak back into the house.
- Or the time you discovered a friend or coworker had a touch of the old road rage. In college, I knew a guy who had big time road rage. I remember him being at fault — no accident — just a reason for the other driver to honk their horn — and at the next stop light — the guy I was riding with got out of his car — and went up to the other driver to let them have it.
- Or maybe it’s that relative of yours that everyone tries to avoid at family get-togethers. Everyone knows — if you get near “uncle so and so” or “aunt you know who” — you’re going to hear nothing but wrath and anger. In my wife’s family, there was a “grandma T-Rex.” You don’t get nicknamed after Tyrannosaurus Rex because the grandkids consider you a kind and loving grandparent, right?
Now I don’t know what comes to your mind, but it’s fairly obvious what our culture thinks of wrath. Wrath is negative. Wrath is wicked. Wrath is evil. “And hope definitely can’t come from wrath,” culture thinks. “Hope comes from love.”
Thus many — who aren’t necessarily Christian — but spiritual or religious — agree with the idea of a God who is loving — this gives them hope. But a wrathful God — well — “life’s hard enough and the last thing we need to worry about is being on the receiving end of God’s wrath.”
One theologian has observed, “The general culture has developed a strong tradition of dismissing all language of judgment, and imputing bad motives to anyone who dares to use such language. In other words, it has developed excuses and spiritual barriers to avoid thinking about the wrath of God.” He goes on to write, “People want to avoid thinking about the wrath of God, because if they do they will feel guilty, and that is not only unpleasant in itself, but bad for self-esteem and mental health. Accordingly, Christians are seen as a plague on society because they keep bringing up guilt and making people feel bad. In addition, the politics of tolerance condemns as uncivil anyone who proclaims a message of guilt (because it depreciates the guilty), and who proclaims an absolutist message, such as the coming judgment must be.”
Let’s be honest — who wants to experience wrath? We want to experience love and acceptance not the wrath and judgement of others — especially God. Many of us are familiar with the judgement of others. Some of us fight an ongoing internal battle where we tell ourselves we’re not good enough. So the last thing anyone wants to hear is that they deserve God’s wrath on top of everything else. We want a god who’s all love and no wrath.
Yet — our culture contradicts itself. How so? Well culture has no problem executing its wrath on those who don’t align with its standards and values. Culture proclaims a message of acceptance and inclusion until someone doesn’t align with its definition of acceptance and inclusion. Then you’re excluded, ostracized, and the recipient of its wrath. And — yet — our culture tells God that it’s unacceptable for him to be wrathful.
Yet — try as it might — culture can’t change who God is — nor can we. And the gospel reveals to us that — on the cross — the wrath and love of God met. God’s wrath fell on Jesus — instead of us — and God’s love falls on us because of our faith in Christ’s perfect sacrifice.
And if we downplay our deserving of God’s wrath we simultaneously downplay his love. And — though counterintuitive — when we elevate God’s wrath — we elevate his grace, mercy, forgiveness, kindness, compassion, and love for his people — which increases our hope. One might even say that — given what we see in Scripture — without God’s wrath we don’t have a loving God — for — without his wrath — we’re left hopeless.
But there’s good news in all of this talk about wrath. God’s wrath is only reserved for those who stand against him. His wrath is only for his enemies. And he’s offered to all of us a way to be — not his enemy — but a friend. Through the life, death, and resurrection of his Son, God has made it possible for us to not be recipients of his wrath, but of his love.
THE WRATH OF GOD
So let’s return to Nahum and see who God describes himself to be. I think we’ve all had moments where others have tried to define who we are. And you hear what they say about you and you’re like, “That’s not me at all!”
Well — in many ways — we all do this with God. So how about we let God speak for himself and tell us who he is. Back to verse one.
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…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…8 But with an overflowing flood he will make a complete end of the adversaries (meaning “a complete end of Nineveh”), 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…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. (Nahum 1:1-2, 3b-6, 8-12a, 14 ESV)
Look at some of the words used to describe God.
We see that he’s jealous. Nahum doesn’t begin with wrath. Instead he reminds the people of who God is as revealed when he gave Moses the Ten Commandments. The second commandment was against idolatry. The command tells us, “You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea.
5 You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected — even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. 6 But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands.”
The Lord takes our idolatry seriously. There’s none equal to him thus he alone deserves the sole allegiance of our worship. Nineveh recognized this characteristic of God in Jonah’s day yet now they view him as any other god to be worshipped and the same thing has happened for the people of Judah.
Yet God’s jealousy doesn’t come from some sort of insecurity on his part — the kind of jealousy we have in a relationship when we see our boyfriend or girlfriend talking to another guy or girl — we start to get jealous because of an insecurity — that’s not the kind of jealousy God has.
His jealousy is not based on insecurity — but on security. His jealousy is based on his perfect love for his people. Thus — in love for them — he’s jealous of our worship.
Another Bible version translates verse two as, “The Lord is a zealous and avenging God…” Now I found this to be interesting. Zealous instead of jealous. Though the two words rhyme — they feel a bit different, don’t they? Well here’s something I came across. “The root idea in the Old testament word jealous is to become intensely red. It seems to refer to the changing color of the face or the rising heat of the emotions which are associated with intense zeal or fervor over something dear to us…Being jealous and zealous are essentially the same thing in the Bible. God is zealous — eager about protecting what is precious to him.”
God is intensely concerned with our love and commitment to him. Why? Because his people are precious to him.
We also see that he’s avenging and wrathful against his enemies. Something you should know is that historians have recognized that the Assyrians were a “brutal people…they burned cities, [they] cut off people’s heads, [they] stuck people on poles.” So they’re not innocent people. They’re violent people whose time has come to answer for their wickedness.
Listen to how Nahum describes the Assyrians throughout his book. He calls them God’s enemies — those who’ve rebelled against God. He calls them plotters of evil — those who plan and execute evil. They’re vile — wicked — plunders — and dishonest — and that’s only half of the descriptions Nahum gives them.
So what does this mean? It means we shouldn’t think of God’s wrath as some sort of out of control emotion on his part.
God’s wrath is calculated. It’s a deliberate response against his enemies and the enemies of his people. His wrath isn’t for the innocent. It’s not for good people. It’s for the wicked — for evil doers.
Thus we read, “The Lord will certainly not allow the wicked to go unpunished.” And the Assyrians are wicked. Which leads to the question, “Who can endure the burning of his anger?” Or stated as an answer, “No one can resist his fierce anger!”
And why can no one resist God’s fierce anger? Because we also see that he’s great in power. In verse three we see that God’s power extends over the sky — in verse four — over the sea — and in verses five and six — his power extends over the whole earth. Including the nations and the people who dwell in them.
We read, “Though the Assyrians have many allies, they will be destroyed and disappear.”
And later, “God’s orders on Nineveh: You’re [at] the end of the line. It’s all over with Nineveh. I’m gutting your temple. Your gods and goddesses go in the trash. I’m digging your grave. It’s an unmarked grave. You’re nothing — no, you’re less than nothing!”
Though hard words to our ears — this is good news for God’s people. Not even the Assyrian Empire is too much for God. He can handle them. He will protect his people for they are precious to him.
HOPE FOR GOD’S PEOPLE
Which leads us to the hope for God’s people. In verse three we read…
The Lord is slow to anger and great in power…7 The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him…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. (Nahum 1:3a, 7, 12b-13 ESV)
Like earlier — here we also learn about who God is.
We see that he’s slow to anger. God warned the Assyrians a hundred years earlier. He spared them of his wrath back then and he’s been patient with them ever since. So no one can accuse God of being unfair — he’s displayed more patience with the Assyrians than our culture does with those who don’t align to its values. Patience isn’t valued today. We want things right now. We want things done now. And we want others to respond to our email or text now.
- We have no comprehension of waiting twenty-five years between God promising a son and Isaac being born. But twenty-five years is how long Abraham and Sarah had to wait. And their impatience — the boy Ishmael — only led to pain and heartache and eventually nations at war with each other.
- How many of us have the experience of waiting forty years while God prepares us to lead? Yet 40 years is how long Moses waited — after fleeing from Egypt — before God told him to go back and rescue the Israelites. And it was Moses’ impatience that caused him to have to flee Egypt in the first place — he killed an Egyptian instead of waiting for God’s timing.
We’re extremely impatient people — yet we’re quick to point the finger at God and say he’s not been patient when he finally releases his anger. God isn’t weak. He isn’t out of control — he’s powerfully in control — no outbursts of anger on his part. He can handle his emotions — including his anger.
And we see that God is good. This is the part the world wants to reject if God is wrathful. Or they want to reject his wrath if God is really good. But — remember — God’s wrath is reserved for his enemies — not those who’ve turned to him for refuge and safety. He’s a stronghold — a good fortress of protection for those being oppressed by the ungodly. And — in love — God breaks the chains of the enemy off the necks of his people.
He says, “I will break Assyria’s yoke bar from your neck…” All those who seek God for their refuge — for their protection — will find — not only protection from their enemies — but protection from God’s wrath as well. By turning to God — they find eternal protection — eternal life in his presence. Good news from a good God to his people. Good news that gives his people hope.
FINDING JESUS
Now — you’ve probably noticed that we spent a lot more time on God’s wrath — than on the hope for his people. We did so — because — Nahum spends more time on God’s wrath than he does on the hope for God’s people. Why — why would Nahum write so few words about the hope for the people of God after writing so many words about God’s wrath against their enemy?
Though I can’t say for certain — I’d like to suggest that God’s people needed few words of hope because of his promised wrath towards the Assryians. For what is the reason for his wrath? His love for his people.
God’s wrath towards their enemy — because of his love for them— gave his people all the hope they needed.
And — now — to Jesus. Verse fifteen.
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. (Nahum 1:15 ESV)
Or as another Bible translation records, “Look! Striding across the mountains — a messenger bringing the latest good news: peace! A holiday, Judah! Celebrate! Worship and recommit to God! No more worries about this enemy. This one is history. Close the books.” (Nahum 1:15 MSG)
“People of God, celebrate! Worship! Recommit yourselves to God! Don’t worry about your enemies! God’s in control and he loves you and he’s fighting on your behalf!”
Did you know that this is what we’re to do every time we gather together to worship? “People of Gateway Church, celebrate! Worship! Recommit yourselves to God! Don’t worry about your enemies! God’s in control and he loves you and he’s fighting on your behalf!”
And why do we celebrate? We celebrate because of who we gather to worship. And who do we gather to worship — who are we to recommit ourselves to — who’s defeated our enemies? The one who didn’t just bring good news — but is the Good News. The one who didn’t just proclaim a message of peace — but is the Prince of Peace. His name is Jesus.
He’s the one who experienced the wrath of God — on the cross — so that all who turn to him in faith — who turn to him for their protection — will find him to be a refuge — a shield — their Savior. Those who turn to Christ discover that — while they were God’s enemy — in love — Christ died for them. And through their faith in Jesus — and all that he accomplished in his life, death, and resurrection — they’re no longer enemies of God — but friends of God.
- Spiritual orphans now adopted into God’s family.
- Lost wanderers who’ve found their way home.
- Those oppressed by their enemy who now have the power of the Almighty God on their side.
- Those who see how God’s wrath is a reason for their hope.
- Hope because they’ve been rescued from his wrath.
- Hope because he’s fighting zealously on their behalf because of his love for them.
- Hope — because they know — though it’s mind blowing — hope because they are precious to him. Let’s pray together.
PRAYER
Father, what wonderful news — that we are precious to you. What hope-giving news — that you are good, you’re protecting us, and you will defeat all of our enemies. What good news — you’re patient, slow to anger, and just in your judgment.
Jesus, thank you for your love for us. Without you we would all be children of God’s wrath. But — because of your love — through faith in you — we’re now children of God — recipients of his love — the beneficiaries of his kindness, goodness, and faithfulness that only you deserve.
Spirit of God, help us to trust in what you’re doing in the world and in our lives when we don’t have a bird’s eye view. Though 25 years for a son to be born — and 40 years to be trained to lead your people — feel like a lifetime of waiting — help us to trust you and your perfect timing. Help us to be patient people — people who are grateful for your patience with us.
And may all who desire the hope we’ve discovered in your Word — the hope of being precious to you — may they turn to Christ in faith — receiving his love for them. And we pray all of these things in Jesus’ name. Amen.
BENEDICTION
May you go with great hope — knowing that — through your faith in Christ — you are precious to God. Amen. God loves you. I love you. You are sent.