Nahum 3:1-5 (ESV)

[1] Woe to the bloody city,

all full of lies and plunder—

no end to the prey!

[2] The crack of the whip, and rumble of the wheel,

galloping horse and bounding chariot!

[3] Horsemen charging,

flashing sword and glittering spear,

hosts of slain,

heaps of corpses,

dead bodies without end—

they stumble over the bodies!

[4] And all for the countless whorings of the prostitute,

graceful and of deadly charms,

who betrays nations with her whorings,

and peoples with her charms.

[5] Behold, I am against you,

declares the LORD of hosts,

and will lift up your skirts over your face;

and I will make nations look at your nakedness

and kingdoms at your shame.

There are at least three principle truths in this chapter that we would do well to contemplate. First, sin is enticing. Verse 4 talks about the “the countless whorings of the prostitute, graceful and of deadly charms.” Sin is like that. It has a graceful and deadly charm. It promises what it cannot deliver. Moses chose “to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin” (Heb 11:25). Sin is enticing. It is attractive. It has a graceful charm that offers life, but ultimately delivers death.

Second, our gods give us a false sense of security. A god is anyone or anything that we look to for the provision of that which only God can provide, whether security, joy, fulfillment, purpose, life, a sense of significance, etc. Where we put our trust is our god. Many talk as though their trust is in God, but they live as though their future depends on who is in the White House, what the stock market does, whether they have a secure job, or whether they are able to retain their guns and ammo. Whether our trust is in our health, skills, abilities, training, friends, guns, bank account, credit rating, or government, we have placed our trust in a pretty flimsy hope. “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God” (Ps 20:7). Chariots and horses where the elite weapons of their day, but their hope was in God. The real question is: Do we really trust God? Do we really “trust in the name of the LORD our God?” Our gods give us a sense of security, but it is a false hope. When the economy fails, bank accounts, credit ratings, and good jobs disappear. Every major World Power of the past fell at some point. Verses 7-17 remind us of that very fact. They make it abundantly clear that governments fail. Ultimately there is no secure hope but in God. Every other source of hope will eventually let us down. They give us a false sense of security, but they cannot guarantee delivery.

Third, God’s judgment is payment in kind. Nahum 3:19 warns Nineveh that when they fall, “All who hear the news about you clap their hands over you.” Why? “For upon whom has not come your unceasing evil?” God is not judging Nineveh because he is a violent and vindictive God. He is simply returning back upon their heads their own treatment of others. God’s judgment is always just. We sometimes struggle with the judgment portions of the scriptures. They seem unnecessarily violent to us. But that is only because we do not understand the full extent of the sin that is being judged. We have no problem cheering the death of an especially bad character in a TV show or movie, yet we complain that God is too judgmental. If we really understood the offensiveness of our sin we would wonder not why God is so judgmental, but why God is not more judgmental. His judgment is simply payment in kind, with warning after warning preceding his judgment. He sent Jonah to Nineveh and they repented, but their repentance did not last. His warnings went unheeded. His judgment was well deserved.

Sin is enticing. In the midst of our sin, our gods give us a false sense of security. But judgment is coming unless we throw ourselves on the mercy of a God who will judge. We must never forget that the God who will judge yearns for our repentance and is quick to forgive. May we ignore the enticements of sin, turn our eyes upon Jesus, and rest in his unending grace.