War Poetry – Nahum 2

What this episode covers

Nahum is given the task of delivering the message of the irrevocable judgements of God against a city/nation of infamous war-mongers. God has set the reckoning date for Nineveh's war crimes on His calender and the day is fast approaching. This time no repentance is forthcoming as in the days of Jonah which only renders the city doubly guilty having received the testimony of the Law of God years previously. The audience can change abruptly and frequently in this genre of prophetic poetry. We find Nineveh squarely in the crosshairs in chapter 2. The nation of Assyria and its capital city are the target of pending destruction via war. History records a coalition of the Medes and Babylonians fulfilling these words of Nahum's prophetic war poetry. Scholars have noted a 3 fold division of Nahum's 3 chapters as follows: Judgement on Nineveh Declared (chap 1), Described (2), and Defended (3). The descriptions of Nineveh's demise and catastrophic defeat are vivid indeed in chapter 2 as we behold the Glory of God manifest in the spectacular defeat of His enemies. This is not exclusive to Nahum, rather this account is added to the notable events throughout the course of world history that foretell the ultimate victory of the risen Christ over every principality and power. Nahum teaches us with Psalm 20 that “...some may trust in chariots, and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. They collapse and fall, but we rise and stand up right. Oh Lord save the king, may he answer us when we call..”

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