This prophecy is largely concerning the destruction of Nineveh, which happened at the hands of the Babylonians in 612 BC, and so was given at some stage before that date. Assyria had been the regional superpower and had caused much trouble to Israel. She had conquered the northern kingdom (Israel), and had reached the gates of Jerusalem (Judah), before Judah was miraculously saved, as recorded in Isaiah 36-39. These attacks on Israel and Judah had happened as a result of her sin.
Little is known about Nahum himself. There is no other mention of him in the OT, but his name does appear in Luke's genealogy (Luke 3:25). The name Nahum means "consolation".
The prophecy itself starts with the detailing of some of the attributes of God. Our modern ears often recoil at talk of God's wrath or jealousy, and we try to explain away these terms. We would do better to face up to them. First, we need to realise that our objection to the terms is partly coloured by the fact that we only see them in form they appear in sinful people, and jealousy and anger in a sinful man are almost always sinful attitudes. In God there is no sin, and these emotions take on a very different hue. This is why Paul says vengeance belongs to the Lord, it is not safe to leave it in human hands.
What is God jealous of and what is He avenging? He is jealous for Israel and is avenging the unrestrained violence that Assyria inflicted upon Israel and Judah.
We cannot sin against God and it have no consequence. Then we read that God is slow to anger.In human terms wrath and anger are usually associated with an uncontrolled rage. In God's case they are utterly rational and based on reason and justice. And God is a God of power, no nation, no individual, can withstand Him.
No comments:
Post a Comment