Nahum 3:1-11 - I will pelt you with proof

3:1-4

So now we come to the final chapter of this book. “Woe to the city of blood ..” This about sums up what the book seems to be about. So what are we to make of it all? Well first of all Assyria received what she deserved. She was an extraordinarily brutal nation, showing no mercy to the peoples that she conquered. When she herself was conquered she would receive the same judgement, no less than she deserved. We see the same in what happened to Nazi Germany. The Germans, under the Nazis, inflicted terrible things on the Poles and the Russians, amongst others. She too fell, and the Russian armies inflicted equally terrible things upon Germany.

Verse 4 indicates that it was a sort of spiritual power that had enticed and entrapped Assyria. She was allured by the promise of power and wealth. Why use a prostitute as a metaphor? At least partly because the promise of sexual rewards would be part of the allure, just look at almost any powerful individual or group and you will find sexual immorality aplenty. She enslaved the nations by her witchcraft. Occult type activities were also part of what happened in Nazi Germany.

3:5-7

Well this isn’t very nice! Not the sort of thing you would want to read out in church. The Bible is less reticent about using what we might consider to be crude analogies to describe the judgement that would come upon a nation, including at times the judgement that would come upon Israel. Assyria had walked so proud and boastful, but now she would be utterly put to shame.

3:8-11

Thebes had been defeated by Assyria, Thebe being the capital of Upper Egypt. The Assyrians had defeated it 663 BC. Thebes had defences and allies, but they did her no good. Likewise, Assyria’s defences would do her no good. When she defeated Thebe she had brutally attacked children, so it would be for Nineveh. The nobles of the conquered kingdoms were put in chains, so would the nobles of Nineveh.  Assyria would become “drunk”, probably drunk on God’s wrath. Now why so cruel? We have been given responsibility by God. We can influence the lives of others for good or for evil. This could be a great privilege and blessing if we used it well, if we aligned ourself to God. But it can also be used for evil and harm if we rebel against God, and that is what happens.