“oh, my uncle knew exactly what day and what time he was ... · pdf filehe was telling...

Thaddeus M. Maharaj: Sermon – Nahum 1:1-8—A Terrible Comfort

A kid in high school was shocked when his uncle passed away so suddenly in his prime.

He was telling my friend Jonny, how hard it was that it happened so suddenly, when Jonny tells

him, “oh, my uncle knew exactly what day and what time he was going to die!!!” Amazed he

asked, “wow, that’s so cool how did that happen?” Jonny with a mischievous glint in his eye

gave a smirk and replies, “the judge told him!!!”

As humorous as that may be, this is somewhat what we are confronted with in Nahum—

or at least what Nineveh is confronted with! The Judge of all the earth basically tells Nineveh,

"your time is up." However, many feel numb about these types of oracles of judgment despite

their terrifying descriptions. Most seem more impressed by Jesus' love, death and forgiveness

(which are amazing!) but a lack of awe towards God's righteous anger. As a result, many—even

preachers—avoid this book and those like it. G.K. Chesterton once said, “…children are

innocent and love justice, while most of us are wicked and naturally prefer mercy.” So is it a loss

of innocence that leads to our discomfort with Divine justice? What does this book have to teach

us? I believe that ALL scripture is profitable for us—so let's dig in a bit and see what is there.

1 The oracle of Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.

2 A jealous and avenging God is the LORD;

The LORD is avenging and wrathful.

The LORD takes vengeance on His adversaries,

And He reserves wrath for His enemies. 3

The LORD is slow to anger and great in power,


And the LORD will by no means leave the guilty unpunished.

In whirlwind and storm is His way,

And clouds are the dust beneath His feet. 4

He rebukes the sea and makes it dry;

He dries up all the rivers.

Bashan and Carmel wither;

The blossoms of Lebanon wither. 5

Mountains quake because of Him

And the hills dissolve;

Indeed the earth is upheaved by His presence,

The world and all the inhabitants in it. 6 Who can stand before His indignation?

Who can endure the burning of His anger?

His wrath is poured out like fire

And the rocks are broken up by Him. 7

The LORD is good,

A stronghold in the day of trouble,

And He knows those who take refuge in Him. 8

But with an overflowing flood

He will make a complete end of its site,

And will pursue His enemies into darkness.

(Nahum 1:1-8 NASB)

Why don't we connect with or see the comfort in this book?

Perhaps one of the ironies of this book is that Nahum actually means "consoler or

consolation" or "comfort".1 Interestingly, the root has a meaning of 'being relieved by taking

vengeance' (Is. 1:24; 57:6).2 However, it is for the very reason that this book is 'uncomfortable'

that people avoid it. We are uncomfortable with such final and seemingly harsh 'vengeance.'

Why do we have this disconnect?

Maybe the reason lies in our contemporary context. For the majority of us and our

congregants in western culture, the idea of living in exile or being conquered by a ruthless

foreign army is the furthest thing removed from our reality. So before we can appreciate what it

may have to say to us, we should endeavour to figure out what it said to its original audience.

However, beyond that, not just what it said—but also how it was felt—how it would have been

received. What was the weight of emotion of these words both spoken and heard?

1 Elwell, Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible , 1519

2 Carson New Bible Commentary, 834


Historic context of the book – What was Israel's disposition?

Prior to Nahum, the people had endured the reign of 2 evil kings—Manasseh and his son

Amon (2 Kings 21). By the time Josiah had come to the throne, Assyria had brutally dominated

Judah for more than a century.3 Assyria was the symbol of terror and tyranny in the Near East for

more than 300 years.4 The extent of their dominance by the mid-7th century BCE was

unparalleled.5 They were the ruthless superpower of the world at that time and Nineveh was their

capital.

For them it was not enough

to simply conquer people, they also

subjected the inhabitants to all

sorts of suffering and humiliation.

One king, Ashurbanipal, boasted

about tearing out tongues and

smashing people alive with their

own idols. He cut up their flesh

and fed it to dogs, swine, vultures

and fish. Their soldiers would flay

people alive and they made it a

point to remind people often of their cruelty. The British museum has stone carvings which show

them heaping up heads and impaling men on wooden stakes outside the city as visual aids to the

besieged. They often mutilated their captives, dashed infants and disemboweled pregnant

women.6 How would our reading of Nahum change if that woman were your wife? If that child

was yours? God's vengeance would suddenly not seem so 'unpalatable', would it?

We can see why previously, Jonah was less than excited to preach repentance to them.

Imagine being told to go share the Gospel with the people who had oppressed, killed, raped,

pillaged and dominated your people and family for an extended period of time! Also, people

were (and still are) concerned about the idea that God would allow a brutal nation such as the

Assyrians to carry out judgment on his behalf! Nevertheless, the Bible says in several places that

the Assyrians were his instruments of judgment.7 No matter how great the nation, they are still

pawns in the hands of a Sovereign God.

Perhaps there is some irony that the reluctant prophet—Jonah—preaches to Nineveh,

desiring to see its destruction and instead sees it repent. Then about a century later—Nahum who

seems to be pretty willing—gets to preach the message Jonah could only dream about. Maybe

there's a lesson in there somewhere to us as preachers—we don't get to dictate the message or its

3 Barker, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, 141

4 Elwell, Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible, 219

5 Elwell, Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible, 1520

6 Carson, New Bible Commentary, 834

7 Carson , New Bible Commentary, 834


efficaciousness—we're not God's editors—we're called to be His faithful ministers of His Word

in its entirety. Also, Jonah gets rebuked for his unwillingness to preach repentance, as God's

grace is totally undeserved and in reality he was no better than the Assyrians themselves. He had

not done anything to justify himself feeling more deserving of Grace. But that's a message for

another time.

Bringing us in: Global & personal application

Joseph Parker once said, "If you preach to the hurts of people, you will never lack an audience."

Part of the difficulty of preaching this book is finding reference points to this context that

we can relate to. Perhaps the closest thing we have on the world stage right now is ISIS. We've

seen reports of their brutality on news and online articles. I'm sure the people under their

oppression might read Nahum quite differently to us. I won't attempt to put myself in their

position though as that's a world I'm wholly unfamiliar with—and I don't want to feign some sort

of understanding for something I have no clue about personally. Also, it's too far removed from

our context to really hit home. However, I wonder how the persecuted church would read such a

book? Could it be that our own comfort blinds us to see the comfort in a God that avenges?

But how can we connect and empathize with an experience that is totally foreign to our

context? It seems pithy to compare "oppression" under a mean ol' boss with that under Assyrian

dominance. And this is not to minimize our struggles, however, our culture has sheltered us from

the grim face of death. We hide from death's cold stare, bodies are kept from the public at large

and instead our media floods our minds

with images of youth and photoshopped

beauty. Perhaps this has deluded us to

not properly contemplate our own

mortality. I remember years ago seeing

the corpse of a man gunned down in

cold blood not too far from in front of

my doorstep in Trinidad. The image is

still stamped on my brain. That sort of

thing can very quickly change your

perspective. I'm sure for those of us

who have had to confront the grim face

of death, we know this all too well. Especially if it is a death coming from unnatural or violent

causes. Perhaps a personal family story may help bring us into what the readers of this text

would have felt.

My father grew up in poverty. The eldest of seven siblings and son of a simple farmer, he

knew what it was to have rice and sugar as their only meal and see his father cry—not being able

to put food on the table. My dad laboured hard for years to build a business for himself and pull


himself (and our family) out of poverty by the grace and blessing of God. In 1990, the Jamat al-

Muslimeen staged a coup in Trinidad to overthrow the government. Fortunately, all of my family

was safe, but my dad's business was ransacked. Looters seized the opportunity for anarchy. The

city was pillaged and parts were burnt.

I remember as a little boy going with him after the situation settled to the ruins of his

store and walking through the overturned isles of everything he had worked for which now lay

destroyed on the floor. I wonder how much did that cry for justice well up inside him? At these

moments, when this world's evil has a personal touch, the desire for justice is not just some mere

abstract virtue we wish for—it is a deep born, throat scratching, snot nosed desperate cry which

seems to erupt from depths we never knew existed. I

can imagine, perhaps to some slight degree, this may

have been what the hearts of the Israelites felt at that

moment. How long O Lord will your justice tarry!?

How long will the wicked prosper and the innocent

only see bloodshed? How long will a terrorist state

slay your faithful? How long will corrupt politicians

rob the public? How long will those who have

cheated, lied, stolen, broken marriage vows, abused, violated, swindled… how long, how long!?

I don't know your history, but I reckon that this cry for justice is one we are all familiar

with to some extent. This world is not fair. Business deals go sour. Friends backstab. Children

die. Robbers mug. Rapists violate. Terrorists threaten. And all the while, the just are slaughtered

and the wicked seem to go unpunished. Well do we resonate with the Psalmist's cry for justice,

"O Lord, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked exult? They pour out their

arrogant words; all the evildoers boast. They crush your people, O Lord, and afflict your

heritage. They kill the widow and the sojourner, and murder the fatherless; and they say,

'The Lord does not see; the God of Jacob does not perceive.'" (Psalm 94:3-7 ESV)

Well can we understand the weight of emotion in those words from the martyrs in

Revelation 6:10, who cry out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long

before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” But the Lord's

reply to them is interesting—to wait a little longer until the appointed number of martyrs have

died. Wait. What?

Robert Jordan said, “…men often mistake killing and revenge for justice. They seldom have the

stomach for justice.” Maybe this book yet still can speak to us today…

THE TEXT ITSELF: Structure & analysis

Verses 2–8 have the form of an acrostic—each line starts with the following letter in the

Hebrew alphabet. In acrostic poems, the form required in the Hebrew can take precedence over


the flow of thought. So in translation the form is lost, and as a result the flow of thought may

seem erratic or even illogical.8 However, I believe there is a rhyme to this text. It is not totally

without structure or theological meaning. In fact, quite the opposite.

It is the "affirmation that God is the Lord of history. History is the arena of his activity.

God is not merely an abstract concept to the prophet, nor is he a disinterested deity. He

brings nations into being and down to defeat. History is not under the control of godless

nations or fortuitous events; it is under the control of the Creator."9

This strong affirmation of God's total sovereignty is where Nahum's comfort comes from.

Three diamond verses in the rough

Amidst the darkness of these 8 verses, three glimmers catch our gaze—the shadow

creating enough contrast for them to stand out. I see this opening 'poem' like a painting, and any

good artist knows the value of utilizing light and dark to create contrast to highlight points of

interest. They draw the eye to focus and meditate on them. Let's investigate these glimmers a bit

further…

Verse 2:

A jealous and avenging God is the LORD;

The LORD is avenging and wrathful.

The LORD takes vengeance on His adversaries,

And He reserves wrath for His enemies.

God identifies himself as jealous (קנא, kona) many times in the OT (Ex. 20:5, 34:14,

Deut. 32:21). However, God's jealousy is different to ours. Our jealousy is not right, as we are

not properly the true owners or creators of anything. We are not the creators of all things, nor do

we hold inherent rights to anyone else. But God is jealous to preserve that which is rightly His.10

Note that it is the same God—Whose way is in the whirlwind, Who rebukes the sea, to Whom

mountains tremble and hills melt—Who is jealous (v.4-6). It speaks to God's desire to be the

exclusive object of His people's affection and worship so that He will be the defender of His own

glory. Therefore, to those who recognize their helplessness and weakness, their status as utter

beggars not owning anything of their own, a sovereign and powerful God who is jealous for

them is very comforting. Verses 4-6 confirm just how powerful and sovereign our God is.

Verse 3:

The LORD is slow to anger and great in power,

And the LORD will by no means leave the guilty unpunished.

8 Clark, A Translator’s Handbook on the Book of Nahum, , 5

9 Elwell, Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible, 1520–1521

10 Clark, A Translator’s Handbook on the Book of Nahum, 6; Calvin, Commentaries on the Twelve Minor Prophets, ,

419–420


In whirlwind and storm is His way,

And clouds are the dust beneath His feet.

This verse opens off with a curious phrase. "The opening words say literally that the Lord

is 'long of nostril.' In Hebrew the nostrils are associated with anger, and to be 'long of nostril'

means to be slow to anger."11

Repeatedly we see in the OT that the Lord, though He takes

vengeance on His enemies, He withholds his judgment for a long time (cf. Ex. 34:6; Num. 14:18;

Neh. 9:17; Pss. 86:15; 103:8; 145:8; Joel 2:13; Jonah 4:2).12

In other places where the Lord is

spoken of as slow to anger, the companion usually is that He is “of great mercy” (For example,

Neh 9:17; Psa 86:15; 103:8; Joel 2:13; Jonah 4:2).13

However, what we see following instead is

that He is "great in power".

Spurgeon commented on this that, "The Lord is slow to anger; and he is slow to anger,

because he is great in power. “How say you so?”—says one. I answer, he that is great in power

has power over himself; and he that can keep his own temper down, and subdue himself, is

greater than he who rules a city, or can conquer nations."14

You see, true greatness is not just

unrestrained show of force, but power

under control.

We sometimes can characterize

people by one particular virtue, such as,

"Peter is bold." "John is kind." "Tristan is

unwavering in zeal for truth." However, it

becomes perhaps a bit more tricky when

we talk about God. Even the commonly

quoted (half) verse "God is love" (1 John

4:8), while true, is only a part of the

picture. Perhaps we can more readily boil our fellow men down to a single defining virtue

because of their lack in others. It's like the shadows provide sufficient contrast for that one

particular virtue to shine brighter than others and so provide a synopsis for them. With God

though, as He is perfect in character in ALL His attributes—there is no shadow. There is no

attribute in which He is less than another. He is perfectly loving, just, merciful, wrathful,

righteous, etc. He is perfect—light in all His ways. Unlike any of us. Perhaps that's where the

disconnect lies.

11

Clark, A Translator’s Handbook on the Book of Nahum, 7 12

Johnson, “Nahum,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary, 1497 13

Clark, A Translator’s Handbook on the Book of Nahum, 7–8 14

Spurgeon, The New Park Street Pulpit Sermons, 245


Spurgeon said, "we are not able very easily to perceive where the shadows and the lights

blended, where the meekness of Christ blended into his courage, and where his loveliness

blended into his boldness in denouncing sin."15

The tendency to boil God down to ONLY one attribute we like—such as love, mercy,

grace, forgiveness—robs ourselves of seeing ALL His grandeur. I contest further that it robs us of

the true depth of comfort in knowing that THAT type of God—one who is not a sissified and

censored Disney version—is violently for us! Perhaps C.S. Lewis captured this aptly in "The

Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe."

“Aslan is a lion- the Lion, the great Lion." "Ooh" said Susan. "I'd thought he was a man.

Is he-quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion"..."Safe?" said Mr

Beaver ..."Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the

King, I tell you.”16

We must not try to domesticate Aslan. In times of trouble, we need His roar. His strength is a

comfort who know they rest in Him.

A Tale Told by an Idiot

Shakespeare said that the human story is "a tale

told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying

nothing."17

I wonder if this is along the lines of what the

Israelites may have thought at that moment? Or what

might have crossed my dad's mind? The sense of

hopelessness is one which touches us and our

congregants, and is exactly where I think Nahum could

speak comfort. We all struggle with this frustration of

life—of which the Preacher in Ecclesiastes lamented,

"Vanity of vanities!"

An appeal to humanity's own capacity to save

itself will not do. The ultimate solution to injustice cannot

be found within our own reach. It is not to be found in

wealth or fame or personal achievement. We've seen time and time again how man's attempts—

law systems, health care, programs, new leaders, etc—all fail miserably at saving ourselves.

Death strikes us all, and where there is no hope in death, its cold breath inevitably invades our

15

Spurgeon, The New Park Street Pulpit Sermons, 241–242 16 C.S. Lewis, The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, chapter 8 17

Shakespeare, Macbeth, Act 5, Scene 5


life sending that uncomfortable shiver down our spines. "Pascal knew whereof he spoke when he

said that he had learned to define life backwards and live it forwards."18

This desire for that final eschatological hope is in all of us. C.S. Lewis said in The Weight

of Glory that we speak of it as a desire for a far-off country which we have never visited. It slips

in unconsciously into our conversations, a desire for something that has never actually appeared

in our experience, but one for which we cannot hide. The longing for final justice and

redemption. We cannot hide it because our own experience is constantly suggesting it and our

outcry against the lack of it betrays ourselves, like "lovers at the mention of a name."19

Nahum

promises that day will come for the Israelites—and the Bible promises that similarly for us that

Day shall come. However, what do we do in the meantime?

Allow me to close with 2 points.

1. Let God be Judge

“If you spend your time hoping someone will suffer the consequences for what they did to your

heart, then you're allowing them to hurt you a second time in your mind.” ― Shannon L. Alder

God is a far better Judge than any of us

can be. However, not only that, He is the only

rightful Judge. The book of Jude is a very

helpful cross reference to me in our reading of

Nahum. The whole point of Jude is to point to

the times when God did judge, showing how

complete His judgment was, and for us to

realize that He alone is the One who has the

right to execute final judgment. There is a guilty

pleasure in knowing that the wicked are going

to get what's coming to them. And more so,

perhaps there lies in us the proclivity to want to help God out in being the dispenser of final

judgment.

At first reading, we may think that's what Jude is exhorting us to do—go get those false

teachers and teach them a lesson! However, in the whole book of Jude, the only part for us as the

reader to respond is to remember, build yourselves up in the faith, pray, keep yourself in the love

of God, wait for the mercy of God and extend mercy on those who doubt (Jude 1:17-23). Quite

antithetical to our own desires to be the ultimate vindicator. This is why it ends with a doxology

"to the only God, our Saviour, through Jesus Christ our Lord…" Let us not undermine God's

rightful place as Judge.

18

Zacharias, Can Man Live Without God?, 53 19

Lewis, The Weight of Glory, 4


"For we know Him who said, 'VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY.' And again, 'THE LORD WILL

JUDGE HIS PEOPLE.' It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God." (Hebrews

10:30-31 NASB)

"The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the

day of judgment to be punished" (2 Peter 2:9 KJV – because who doesn't love quoting KJV for

these types of verses!?)

May we find comfort that there will be a Day when the wrongs of this life will be finally

righted and we will be forever contented in the love of our Lord. May we continue in humble

faithfulness as we eagerly await the coming of our Lord and Saviour. May we trust that He who

we know has been faithful in our own lives, will also be faithful in judgment as well. "Shall not

the Judge of all the earth do what is just?" (Genesis 18:25b)

2. The God who is there

Lastly, while we wait for the Judge to execute final justice in His right time, though it

may sometimes seem afar off—God does not leave us as orphans alone in the interim. God is

there. In fact, He's right there in the text! Where you might ask? Well—aside from the fact that

it's an oracle FROM THE LORD, let's look at the third glimmer—verse 7:

"The LORD is good,

A stronghold in the day of trouble,

And He knows those who take refuge in Him."

He is a stronghold IN the day of trouble. When we need Him most, in that day of trouble

and trial—He KNOWS the ones who take refuge in that stronghold! He is Emmanuel—God with

us. As NT believers, the incarnation of Christ speaks

volumes which cannot be fully expounded here. However,

James Steward sums this up very well. Listen to his words:

"The very triumphs of His foes, it means, He used for

their defeat. He compelled their dark achievements to

subserve His end, not theirs. They nailed Him to the

tree, not knowing that by that very act they were

bringing the world to His feet. They gave Him a

cross, not guessing that He would make it a throne.

They flung Him outside the gates to die, not knowing

that in that very moment they were lifting up all the

gates of the universe, to let the King come in. They

thought to root out His doctrines, not understanding

that they were implanting imperishably in the hearts

of men the very name they intended to destroy. They

thought they had defeated God with His back to the

wall, pinned and helpless and defeated: they did not know that it was God Himself who


had tracked them down. He did not conquer in spite of the dark mystery of evil. He

conquered through it."20

God has not remained aloof, but has entered into our suffering.

Though Nahum's message to our ears may seem harsh, this is what God invites us into—

to take a hold of Him in the midst of our suffering, hanging on to His promises for a future hope

and resting in His presence presently.

A sailor in a shipwreck was thrown upon a rock where he clung in great danger until the

tide went down. Later a friend asked him, “Jim, didn’t you shake with fear when you

were hanging on that rock?”

“Yes, but the rock didn’t,” was the significant reply. Christ is the Rock of Ages.21

May we cling to Him.

The words from a hymn written by Martin Luther (c.1529 CE) aptly conclude:

A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing;

our Helper He amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing.

For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe;

his craft and power are great, and armed with cruel hate, on earth is not his equal.

Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing,

were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God's own choosing.

Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He; Lord Sabaoth, His Name,

from age to age the same, and He must win the battle.

And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us,

we will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us.

The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him;

his rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure; one little word shall fell him.

That word above all earthly powers, no thanks to them, abideth;

the Spirit and the gifts are ours, thru him who with us sideth.

Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also; the body they may kill;

God's truth abideth still; His kingdom is forever!

20

Stewart, The Strong Name, , 55 21

Tan, Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations, 501


BIBLIOGRAPHY

Barker, Kenneth L. Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, vol. 20, The New American

Commentary. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999.

Calvin, John and John Owen, Commentaries on the Twelve Minor Prophets, vol. 3. Bellingham,

WA: Logos Bible Software, 2010.

Carson, D. A. et al., eds., New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition, 4th ed. Leicester,

England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press, 1994.

Clark, David J. and Howard A. Hatton, A Translator’s Handbook on the Book of Nahum, UBS

Handbook Series. New York: United Bible Societies, 1989.

Elwell, Walter A. and Barry J. Beitzel, Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible. Grand Rapids, MI:

Baker Book House, 1988.

Johnson, Elliott E. “Nahum,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the

Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 1. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985.

King George VI, in Leonard Griffith, Reactions to God, Toronto: Anglican Book Centre, 1979.

Lewis, C.S. The Weight of Glory and Other Essays, Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1979.

Shakespear, William. Macbeth

Spurgeon, C. H. The New Park Street Pulpit Sermons, vol. 3. London: Passmore & Alabaster,

1857.

Stewart, James. The Strong Name, Grand Rapids: Baker, 1972.

Tan, Paul Lee. Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations: Signs of the Times. Garland, TX: Bible

Communications, Inc., 1996.

Zacharias, Ravi. Can Man Live Without God?

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