Nahum 3

It is sometimes thought that the God of the Old Testament is somehow different from the loving Father of the New Testament, but that thought is mistaken; God has not changed. Both His love and His wrath are clearly demonstrated in both the Old and New Testaments. For further discussion on the subject of God’s unchanging nature, see Exodus 15:3–5; 34:4–7 and comments.

³ God does not tolerate sin or wickedness; He requires that the guilty be punished. Our modern criminal justice system is based on this truth. Today some people believe that we should “go easy” on criminals, that they are not really to blame. But the Bible does not agree; each person is responsible for his or her own sin and should be punished accordingly. Yes, God does forgive the repentant sinner (and we must personally forgive those who sin against us); but sin will always have consequences—even for the sinner who repents. His soul will be saved and his relationship with God will be restored, but he must still bear his punishment. There is always a cost to sin; it is never free.

⁴ In verse 11, Nahum mentions one who has come forth from Nineveh to plot evil against the Lord; this “one” is probably the last king of Assyria, who briefly captured one of Judah’s kings (2 Chronicles 33:11–13).

⁵ God used the wicked Assyrians to punish His people, but the Assyrians were still responsible for their own wickedness. God did not cause the Assyrians to do evil; rather, it was they who plotted evil against God. God often uses evil people to accomplish His purpose, but the evil is theirs and they will be punished for it.

⁶ God used the Assyrians to punish not only Israel but also, to a lesser extent, Judah. For a time, Assyria (under God’s control) severely afflicted Judah (verse 12) by capturing all of its fortified cities except Jerusalem (2 Kings 18:13–15; 2 Chronicles 33:11–13). Judah basically became a vassal state under Assyria’s yoke; it was that “yoke” that God now promised to break (verse 13).

⁷ The word “gospel” means good news (verse 15). The Gospel of Christ is the “good news” that we can be delivered from the penalty and power of sin through faith in Him.

⁸ Historians have confirmed that Nineveh’s wall was breached by the force of backed-up canal water—just as Nahum had prophesied.

⁹ The ruins of Nineveh were soon buried in sand; for centuries their location was unknown. They were finally discovered in 1845.

¹⁰ In biblical times this was a common punishment for prostitutes and adulteresses; such women were publicly put to shame. In the same way, Nineveh will be put to shame.