Daily EncouragementSample

The brief and dramatic prophecy of Nahum is a declaration of the Lord’s final judgement of Nineveh, capital of Assyria. This was carried out to the letter in 612 BC, and the world rejoiced in the demise of that ruthless power: “Everyone who hears the news about you claps his hands at your fall, for who has not felt your endless cruelty?” (Nah. 3:19).

God is willing to forgive even Nineveh - the book of Jonah testifies to that. However, when Nineveh reverts to and persists in her evil ways, God is against her. “The Lord is slow to anger and great in power; the Lord will not leave the guilty unpunished” (Nah. 1:3). Again, “The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him, but with an overwhelming flood he will make an end of Nineveh” (Nah. 1:7-8).

There is great comfort in knowing that the Lord is against Nineveh. “Endless cruelty” - history testifies that that is an apt description of that ruthless empire, and when God’s wrath is poured out upon her, we say, “Amen!” That “the wrath of God is being revealed from heaven” (Rom. 1:18) is a solemn thought, and yet it is a source of deep satisfaction, for it spells the doom of every Nineveh.