A devotional thought from the prophet Nahum
Nahum begins his prophecy with the phrase "The burden of Nineveh." When an Old Testament prophet used the term "burden" he was talking about a message from God concerning some city or nation that was "heavy"because it contained the wrath of God, and was hard for the prophet to declare no matter what nation was being spoken of.
God is jealous, and the LORD revengeth; the LORD revengeth, and is furious; the LORD will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies.
Nahum 1:2
About 100 years after Jonah's ministry had saved Nineveh from destruction, that wicked city, once repentant, had returned to the vomit of its own wickedness, and that's when Nahum prophesied her destruction. In this prophecy he describes in detail the awful results of ancient warfare that will afflict Nineveh when the judgment falls. Though the historical records are sketchy they confirm Nahum's prophecy, and, of course, even without the ancient secular records we know that it happened as described because Nahum was inspired to speak God's word. Why should Nineveh have been judged by God? Nahum declares the reason in the last phrase of the book, "for upon whom hath not thy wickedness passed continually?" (Nahum 3:19b).
Ought not modern nations take note?