Observation: More harsh, violent words from the Lord about the overthrow of Nineveh. This seat of an ancient and powerful empire is bound for destruction.
Application: If you spend any amount of time digging into the Bible, especially outside the bounds of the short snippets often picked for worship services, you will find some pretty violent content. I sometimes worry as I'm handing off Bibles to parents of new readers, "Are they aware of what all is in here? This thing does not come with parental controls." There are a lot of reasons you can give for the violent imagery, depending on where it comes from. Ancient times were violent times in general, and some of the language of the Bible reflects that historical context. In fact, some of the things God says and does in the Old Testament are tame compared to what tribal chieftans, kings and emperors were up to.
But the book of Nahum specifically reminds me of a theme you find throughout the Bible. Often God's fiercest anger and harshest threats are leveled at empires who exalt themselves as divine, and oppress their neighbors. To the conquerors, the plunderers, the bullies, who see themselves as the apex of all power, God warns: you are going down, and it's going to be bad. This is an important wake-up call to all of us who live in nations with a lot of power and wealth. The power we have now is fleeting, and it's insignificant compared to the power of God. We may think that our own nation is special, and divinely ordained to rule forever. Guess what? So did the Assyrians. the Babylonians. The Persians. The Greeks. The Romans. and a hundred empires since. If we behave like the empires of old, I don't see why God would treat us any differently. But what is different today about any other time in history is that each and every citizen has the power to use our voice for the cause of justice. The Ninevites had no such right. So how shall we use our voices today?
Prayer: God, for those in the seats of power, I pray for guidance and wisdom today. May their choices benefit all your children. May all our voices together stand under your word, and advocate for your will. Amen.
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