Scripture Text: Nahum 2:11-13
Behold, I am against you, declares the LORD of hosts, and I will burn your chariots in smoke, and the sword shall devour your young lions. I will cut off your prey from the earth, and the voice of your messengers shall no longer be heard.
Nahum 2:13 (ESV)
Lions were a symbol of the Assyrian Empire in Bible times. A pair of enormous stone lions, for example, stood on either side of the entrance to a temple dedicated to Ishtar, Assyrian goddess of fertility and warfare. The lions measured eight–and–a–half feet high and more than seven feet across. Their mouths were open, as if they were roaring, and their expressions communicated power and ferocity. Written on one lion was a prayer to Ishtar as well as a record of a particular king’s achievements. The temple was excavated in 1849 in northern Iraq, and today that lion can be seen in the British Museum in London.
Knowing that lions symbolized the Assyrian Empire shows today’s reading to be highly ironic. Like a marauding lion, Assyria had been on the prowl, hunting and conquering other nations. In Nahum’s prophecy the tables are turned and the hunter becomes the hunted; the fearless become the fearful. “Where now is the lions’ den?” (v. 11) is a taunting question. To most of us and perhaps the majority of the world this might sound like something we would describe as unsportsmanlike trash talk, but culturally and literarily it was an appropriate way to highlight the meaning of this significant event. The overthrow of Nineveh meant that God’s words were true and His sovereignty absolute. To look at this in terms of the overall biblical storyline, the supreme lion is the Lion of Judah, Jesus Christ.
Assyria would experience a complete reversal of fortune (v. 12). What a contrast with the Nineveh of Jonah’s day—from hearts open to God’s tender mercies to hearts determined to set themselves up against God Himself. Once powerful, Nineveh would become helpless. Once rich, it would be plundered. Once in pursuit of fresh prey, it would become the prey of others. Once a place of security and stability, it would soon see war refugees fleeing for their lives. How would all this happen? Why would chariots go up in smoke? Why would the army be defeated? Why would the empire’s political power vanish? The reason was God’s fearsome statement, “I am against you” (v. 13).
Reflect
1. How do you see yourself, obeying or opposing God?
2. What is your response to His Word and His gospel, accepting or rejecting it?
Remember
The results of opposing God are always disastrous. To reject His Word and His gospel is to make oneself His enemy. “Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God”. One might expect to lose when opposing human knowledge against God’s wisdom and human power against His might.
So why do people do it?
They are irrational and prideful—sins that can characterize whole societies (like Nineveh) as well as individuals (like Jonah).
Dear reader, as you hear the word of the Lord do not reject it. For it will be blessing or judgment to you.
Read
Genesis 49:9-10; Isaiah 31:8-9; Psalm 46; John 12:48; James 4:4; Revelation 5:5
Pray
Dear LORD, I know that Your Word is absolute truth and You have absolute Sovereign power and rule over everything. Make my heart embrace these realities and truths that I may maintain fear of You and grow in wisdom that also comes from You. This I pray in His name, my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Amen.
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