A Devotional Thought From Nahum

Who can stand before his indignation? and who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? his fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by him. Nahum 1:6

This prophetic message is proclaimed by Nahum to Nineveh (Assyria) at the peak of its power. To paraphrase Nahum read it, “Be afraid, be very afraid.”

You can imagine when this prophecy was first heard in Assyria there was probably little concern. It may have provoked sarcastic laughter, “Yeah, right!”

This is Nineveh of Assyria, they might have bellowed. This is the most powerful nation on earth. We count our armies in the hundreds of thousands. We oppress people and nations, like Judah. We are not those who are defeated and oppressed. Talk about riches, we got ‘em. Talk about prisoners, we got ‘em. Talk about being secure, we got it, man. We will take on anybody. We will battle to the death, their death. The prophets of our gods do not talk about Assyria being judged, so why should we fear the God of a people who don’t even use statues to depict Him. We will be who we want to be. We will do what we want to do. We will treat Judah any way we want. We’re not afraid.

But, eventually, they found out that even mighty Nineveh could not stand before God’s indignation and anger. He brought Babylon, and a number of their allies, upon Nineveh, and Assyria felt his fury as if it had been fire poured out upon them, and rocks thrown down from heaven at them.

When the battle came to Nineveh, according to Nahum’s prediction, the Army commanders cried to their men, “Stand, stand” (2.8), but the ranks broke, and the soldiers never looked back. “Who can abide the fierceness of his anger?” Certainly, not even one of the strongest nations in the world.