Title: The Fall of Nineveh.
The fall of Nineveh.
Nahum 2:1-13, 133.214.319.
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At one time Nineveh was used as an instrument to discipline God's people. However, their excessive cruelty and evil deeds, not realizing the providence and sovereignty of God, eventually brought judgment. Now they themselves are the object of God's judgment.
Assyria will be attacked and destroyed by an enemy much stronger than them. Because it is God's judgment. The text that vividly describes the destruction of Nineveh as if it had been witnessed firsthand actually prophesied the event of the destruction of Nineveh in 612 B.C.E.
1. God's judgment on Nineveh is imminent (verses 1-2).
Verse 1 says, “The destroyer has come up against you; keep the stronghold, watch the way, fasten your loins, and make your strength greatly.”
This warning to prepare to defend against Nineveh is not an exhortation for Nineveh, but a ridicule of no defense whatsoever. Of those who attack Nineveh, the prophet speaks of “destroyers,” and those who literally mean “scatterers” refer to the combined armies of Babylon and the Medes.
Through them, God will judge Nineveh's iniquity. The armies that attacked Nineveh were instruments of God's judgment. Assyria has also been used as a tool to discipline God's people who have sinned.
However, they could no longer be used by God by deviating from God's intentions and forcing them to do excessive evil and idolatry. Now it is the turn of the stick to be thrown into the fire.
2. The army that is attacking Nineveh is strong (verses 3-5).
They are armies armed with the light of blood. Ancient warriors wore red battle robes to frighten their foes, and shields were also painted red or copper clad to create an effect similar to blood when the sun's rays were reflected.
The chariots were also adorned with gleaming metal, and a gleaming scythe protruded from the tip of the axle, bruising all that approached. Also, "cypress spears wiggle" means soldiers are ready to fight, an expression related to the custom of waving spears to signal readiness for battle.
Verse 4 says, “The chariot ran madly through the streets, and went to and fro on the highway, and its appearance was like a torch, and it was as swift as lightning.” The attack on Nineveh was ruthless and swift, beyond resistance. Chariots move swiftly like flames, scouring every nook and cranny of the city, chasing down the remnants.
These descriptions indicate that the defenses against intruders have been broken. Nineveh, prospered by the sword, was now destroyed by the sword. Desperate, the Assyrian king summons his military leaders.
A desperate king seeks honorable men, military leaders. However, they struggled to survive in fear and confusion. The phrase “run as if they would fall on their knees” shows them running back and forth in embarrassment without being able to face the attack.
3. The destruction of Nineveh (verses 6-13),
Nineveh is destroyed before the powerful attacks of the Medes and Babylonians. Assyria could not win the battle against the combined forces of Medes and Babylon, not because they were strong, but because they were the stick of God's judgment.
1) The city will be captured (verse 6), and Nineveh's city will fall even though they defended it with all their might. “The floodgates of the rivers are opened, and the royal palaces are destroyed,” he said. The reference to “the floodgates open” is not a description of the enemies swarming into Nineveh, but rather a description of the actual water rushing in.
The rivers Tebiltu and Kosher, tributaries of the Tigris, flowed through Nineveh. The adversaries occupied the area where this sluice gate was installed, opened the sluice gate, and caused a flood by releasing huge amounts of water at once.
A part of Nineveh's wall was swept away by a strong river, and while the buildings in the city were submerged, the enemies broke into the city and destroyed Nineveh. The text depicts the actual events of the Medes and Babylonians defeating Assyria and gaining victory.
But it is not their victory that matters. They were merely instruments of God's judgment. Their victories were foretold by God and were accomplished with His permission. Therefore, the believer must have a spiritual eye to understand the providence of God through all the events that occur in history.
2) The inhabitants are taken into captivity (verse 7), and the remnant of the destroyed Assyria are taken into captivity. 3) The soldiers flee (verse 8). When destruction is imminent, the soldiers flee to save their lives. Even the people are rushing to get out of the city of Nineveh. The prosperous city of Nineveh has now lost its many inhabitants.
4) The city is plundered (verse 9), and the conquerors' plunder began when even the inhabitants left the city. Nineveh was like a reservoir of wealth. The wealth raked from the weaker countries was indeed “an uncountable amount”. But now Nineveh's fate has changed from a plunderer to a plunderer.
5) The city is desolate and the inhabitants are in fear (verses 10-13). Nineveh was a safe place for the people, like a lion's den, and at the same time a storehouse full of plunder. Their cruelty, which relentlessly plundered Judah and other neighboring countries like wild beasts, is realistically expressed in the way lions deal with their prey.
Judgment is pronounced against Nineveh, who committed such cruel plunder. Verse 13: “I will be your adversary, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will burn your chariots to smoke, and your young lions with the sword, and I will cut off your prey from the earth; He said he would do it.”
The prophecy of judgment about the destruction of Assyria tells the believer that God is not only a God of love. It also makes it clear that He is the God of judgment. At times, the wicked will die of riches, prosperity, and peace in the world, leading to doubts about God's justice.
But he must stand before the judgment seat of God in the end times. We must be firmly convinced of this fact in order to hold fast to righteousness, without envying the abundance and prosperity of those who do evil. Dear saints, As children of God, we have already planted the banner of Jehovah Nissi and are moving forward in faith.
Therefore, we should not be envious of the temporary prosperity of unbelievers and evildoers around us, but we who fear the Creator God have joys and sorrows, but we respond to Jehovah God with emotion and thanksgiving, so that the new heavens and birds God has prepared for us. I bless you in the name of the Lord that you will become landowners.