Nahum 2
Nahum calls out in a mocking voice, like the watchmen on the walls who see the approaching hordes. He warns Nineveh to do all she can to prepare for the coming battle. Yes, for a time the Lord used Assyria to humble His rebellious people, but now it is time for vengeance on the one who enjoyed a little too much wielding that rod. So, indeed, let the Ninevites glory in their military might one last time. We are treated to the image of a well oiled machine of war, frightening to see, but unable to turn aside the wrath of God.
For, in the very middle of all this, the Lord opens the floodgates and the river washes away the very palace itself. Then the city is flooded with Babylonian and Persian troops, and the population is led into the same kind of exile she wrought on so many other nations. Like a refreshing pool in a desert land, Nineveh once held great treasures, the very symbol of man conquering his environment. But all too soon she will be no more than a place to plunder. Those who pass by will be shocked at the ruins.
Again, we are reminded why Nineveh must fall. God’s Laws forbade such a rapacious predatory spirit, and Assyria worshiped it. Her art work often featured variations on the theme of the mighty lions, ravaging beasts. So they were in this world, and God will not long tolerate such. So the Lord decreed He was Himself, His own hand, against Nineveh. There was nothing which could protect her, and all the things on which her pride rested would be destroyed.
