The ancient city of Nineveh provides
both wonderful and frightening lessons for us. Historically and culturally, the
Assyrian culture of the
Ninevites was godless, brutal, and fiercely courageous in conquering their
enemies. Yet, God sent fearful Jonah, warning the Ninevites of imminent
judgement; forty days, and Nineveh shall
be overthrown!” And the people of Nineveh believed God (Jonah 3:4-5). The King
issued a decree; Let everyone turn from his evil
way and from the violence that is in his hands (Jonah 3:8). Predictably,
the Lord responded with forgiveness, and judgemental disaster was cancelled. We praise
God for such wonderful grace.
Moving forward about 100 years,
Nineveh has a new King, and a new generation of citizens had grown, reinstating
the former idol worship and butcherous ways, ignoring the God of heaven. One
person’s evil beliefs had influenced the nation back to the darkness of life
without the Lord (Nahum 1:11). In God’s patient grace, He sends the prophet
Nahum to once again warn Nineveh of the consequences. Nahum 1:2-3 reads,
the LORD takes vengeance on his adversaries and
keeps wrath for his enemies. The LORD is slow to anger and great in power, and
the LORD will by no means clear the guilty.
Nineveh
had previously embraced amazing grace, yet the new generation thought they knew
better. Turning away from the God of mercy, they convinced themselves that they
could live independent of Yahweh with no consequences. How wrong they were! Again,
the Lord sends a reminder of His justice, but more than that, it was a reminder
of His grace which was still available to them. Forgiveness was just a
repentant prayer away. Nahum 1:7, The LORD is
good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in
him. Even if the whole nation failed to turn back to the Lord as
they did 100 years earlier, forgiveness and refuge was still available to
individuals.
Sadly,
the new generation of Ninevites learned the bitter lessons of ignored grace. Thinking
Nahum’s warning was nonsense, they were lulled into a false sense of safety by
the window of time and grace between warning and judgement. Just a few years
later Babylon conquered Nineveh fulfilling God’s warning.
The
lessons from Nahum and Nineveh are many. Above all else we see God’s character.
God is good (1:7). God is jealous (1:2). God is powerful (1:3). God is
provident (1:4). God is sovereign (1:2–5). God is wrathful (1:2–3, 6). At a
human level, we see the foolishness of ignoring God’s warnings. We see the
blinding and seductive effects of listening to false counsel that leads away
from God (1:11). We see that every generation is responsible for their own
belief or disbelief in the God of heaven (Deuteronomy 24:16).
The
contrast between Nineveh in Jonah’s time, and Nineveh in Nahum’s time raises
our appreciation for those who repent and turn to the Lord. It is wonderful to
be amongst people who change their
thinking and behaviour towards God. We should never downplay the beauty of a
repentant sinner. Nor should we write people off just because they struggle or
stumble in their faith life. The Lord is the God of many opportunities, of many
gracious invitations to come for forgiveness and cleansing.
Just as Jonah and Nahum were
faithful ambassadors of God, may we be faithful ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us…
(2
Corinthians 5:20). May the goodness and grace of Jesus Christ be seen and heard
through us.
