Prophesies Destruction Against Nineveh
Following closely after Micah and Isaiah is Nahum (1). Nahum is an Elkoshite. He only appears once in the Bible, so we know nothing else about him from Scripture.
We do, however, know his message. He prophesies destruction against the city of Nineveh and the nation of Assyria, just like Jonah did about a century earlier. Back then the people received Jonah’s lackluster message and repented.
This time the people of Nineveh do not.
We know that God used Assyria to punish Israel for them repeatedly turning away from him. This doesn’t suggest Assyria is a good nation or favored by God. In his omnipotence, he uses them to accomplish what he had warned his people would happen.
Though some may think God unfair to punish Assyria for accomplishing his purpose, that’s exactly what he will do. Nahum makes this clear when he declares that God opposes Nineveh, the capital of Assyria.
Just because Assyria fulfilled God’s will doesn’t mean it found favor with him or that he will spare the nation from punishment for the evil it did.
Is it too much of a stretch to consider that we could do God’s will but still fall short of his expectations and therefore receive punishment?
We can’t secure our salvation by what we do. We can’t earn eternity through our behavior.
Instead, we realize salvation when we follow Jesus and believe in him to save us.
What are we doing to try to earn God’s favor and salvation?
Does God owe us anything when we do his will?
[Read about Nahum in Nahum 1:1. Discover more in Ephesians 2:8–9.]
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Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront a status quo faith and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
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