The burden of Nineveh. The attributes of the Lord. 2 God is jealous, and the LORD revengeth; the LORD revengeth, and is furious; the LORD will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies. 3 The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the LORD hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet. 4 He rebuketh the sea, and maketh it dry, and drieth up all the rivers: Bashan languisheth, and Carmel, and the flower of Lebanon languisheth. 5 The mountains quake at him, and the hills melt, and the earth is burned at his presence, yea, the world, and all that dwell therein. 6 Who can stand before his indignation? and who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? his fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by him. 7 The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him. 8 But with an overrunning flood he will make an utter end of the place thereof, and dark ness shall pursue his enemies. 10 For while they be folden together as thorns, and while they are drunken as drunkards, they shall be devoured as stubble fully dry. 11 There is one come out of thee that imagineth evil against the LORD, a wicked counsellor. 12 Thus saith the LORD; Though they be quiet, and likewise many, yet thus shall they be cut down, when he shall pass through. Though I have afflicted thee, I will afflict thee no more. 13 For now will I break his yoke from off thee, and will burst thy bonds in sunder. 14 And the LORD hath given a commandment concerning thee, that no more of thy name be sown out of the house of thy gods will I cut off the graven image and the molten image: I will make thy grave; for thou art vile. 15 Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace! O Judah, keep thy solemn feasts, perform thy vows: for the wicked shall no more pass through thee; he is utterly cut off. LECTURE 1429. The manifestation of God's attributes in the day of judgment. The book of Nahum was probably written about one hundred years after that of Jonah, and perhaps about the same length of time before the fulfilment of this prophet's warnings in the fall of Nineveh. That great city was the capital of Assyria, the most ancient and extensive of the early empires of the earth. And it may be presumed, that when this prophecy was written, there had been no instance of such an entire overthrow of a mighty empire as is here foretold. In the prospect of its overthrow the prophet breaks forth into a sublime description of the attributes of God, declaring how signally He takes vengeance on his enemies, how surely, though He be slow to anger, He brings the wicked to judgment at the last. The earth and its high mountains, the sea and its depths, the world and its inhabitants, are described as altogether unable to withstand the shock of his displeasure. But whilst He is thus shewn to be irresistible in his wrath against the wicked, it is added, that "The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him." And this is the aspect in which God delights to be regarded, and in which it ought to be our joy to regard Him, and in which it is our privilege to regard Him constantly, if it were not for our want of faith. From this view of the divine attributes the prophet turns to the proper subject of his book, "The burden of Nineveh." foretells that the Lord will "make an utter end of the place thereof," "with an overrunning flood." In vain do its rulers and inhabitants exalt themselves against Him. He will surely bring them to destruction. He assures his people that they need no more fear affliction or bondage from that quarter. He tells his enemies, his and theirs, that their name shall perish with them, and their idol gods together, in a vile grave which He has prepared for them. And He again turns to give comfort to his people, bidding them look for the messengers of good news in due time, and charging them to keep their solemn feasts, and to perform their religious duties; the enemy who had hindered them being now devoted to destruction. Here then we see the Almighty in the aspect of a God of grace unto his people, as well as in that of a God of vengeance to his enemies. as He made manifest both his goodness and severity, see Rom. 11. 22, in his dealings with Israel and with Nineveh, so will He do hereafter in that day, when all mankind shall be divided into two classes, all be treated either as his wilful enemies, or as his devout people. The world will be no more able to stand before Him, than the great city here doomed to destruction. The disobedient and impenitent and unbelieving, at whatever period or in whatever country they have lived, will find how dreadful is that end which "he reserveth for his enemies;" and for which there is no word in the original, where our translators have written "wrath," as if to shew, that no language can describe it. Whilst they which have loved Him and served Him faithfully, delivered from all fear for ever, will keep an eternal festival in heaven, and be made partakers of the glory of the Lord. The siege of Nineveh; its spoiling, and desolation. 1 He that dasheth in pieces is come up before thy face: keep the munition, watch the way, make thy loins strong, fortify thy power mightily. 2 For the LORD hath turned away the excellency of Jacob, as the excellency of Israel: for the emptiers have emptied them out, and marred their vine branches. 3 The shield of his mighty men is made red, the valiant men are in scarlet the chariots shall be with flaming torches in the day of his preparation, and the fir trees shall be terribly shaken. 4 The chariots shall rage in the streets, they shall justle one against another in the broad ways: they shall seem like torches, they shall run like the lightnings. 5 He shall recount his worthies: they shall stumble in their walk; they shall make haste to the wall thereof, and the defence shall be prepared. 6 The gates of the rivers shall be opened, and the palace shall be dissolved. 7 And Huzzab shall be led away captive, she shall be brought up, and her maids shall lead her as with the voice of doves, ta 8 But Nineveh is of old like a pool of water: yet they shall flee away. Stand, stand, shall they cry; but none shall look back. 9 Take ye the spoil of silver, take the spoil of gold: for there is none end of the store and glory out of all the pleasant furniture. 10 She is empty, and void, and waste: and the heart melteth, and the knees smite together, and much pain is in all loins, and the faces of them all gather blackness. 11 Where is the dwelling of the lions, and the feedingplace of the young lions, where the lion, even the old lion, walked, and the lion's whelp, and none made them afraid? 12 The lion did tear in pieces enough for his whelps, and strangled for his lionesses, and filled his holes with prey, and his dens with ravin. 13 Behold, I am against thee, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will burn her chariots in the smoke, and the sword shall devour thy young lions and I will cut off thy prey from the earth, and the voice of thy messengers shall no more be heard. LECTURE 1430. Of endeavouring to advance in holiness continually. A lively description is here given us of the preparations which the Ninevites would make, when threatened with a siege, of the vehemence with which their chariots of war would be driven to and fro in the streets, of the mustering of their subject princes, many of whom would fail in the time of need, and of the haste with which they would repair their walls, and make ready all their defences. But in vain would all this stir be made, in vain all this trouble taken. For thus runs the sentence of Him, who had turned away the excellency of Israel, and would much less spare the iniquity of Nineveh, "The gates of the rivers shall be opened, and the palace shall be dissolved." Then follows an account of Huzzab led away captive, probably the widow of the king, who perished in the siege. The flight and dispersion of the conquered people is next described. Long as they had been settled, in peaceable possession, like a pool of water in its place, soon would there be none left. Great would be the spoil of gold, silver, and precious goods. Desolate, most desolate, would be the city, so long the seat of empire; and full of pain and anguish the hearts, so lately flushed with power, pleasure, and prosperity. A lion's den could not present a scene of more violence, rapine, and fearlessness in spoiling all around, than Nineveh, in its treatment of the neighbouring nations. But the Lord was resolved to lift up his hand against this tyrannous city, He would give it up to the fire and sword of its enemies; and would thereby put a stop to its oppressive acts, and silence its cruel edicts. When we consider that this was the city, which had repented at the preaching of Jonah, not many generations before Nahum prophesied, we shall be struck by the great change for evil which must have taken place in the meantime; for God to have now pronounced a sentence so terrible, and so express. And yet there can be no doubt that their repentance on Jonah's preaching was sincere; and that it led not only to a remission of their punishment, but to an amendment of their lives. There can be no security then that one generation, however truly penitent and obedient towards God, can transmit its religious impressions to those who come after it. Godly parents cannot indeed fail to do much for their children, by precept, by example, and by prayer. But they cannot do every thing. The son of a devout father, after all that can be done for him by others, must choose for himself, must act for himself: and therefore also must answer for himself. And it is not uncommon either in families, or in nations, to see a generation eminent in piety, or distinguished by the experience of signal mercy, succeeded by one that is thoughtless, graceless, godless, and which is to all appearance given up by God to a reprobate mind. Let us then watch over ourselves, lest we fall short of those who have gone before us. And whilst we thank God for all the good we have received at their hands, which is in truth his gift by their means, let us study to advance through grace in every good word and work, as our best way to avoid falling back unto perdition. So might religion be progressive, both in each single Christian, and in each successive generation; children vying with their parents in true piety, surpassing them in the love of God and man, and to be themselves surpassed by their children after them. The crimes and punishment of Nineveh are declared. 1 Woe to the bloody city! it is all full of lies and robbery; the prey departeth not; 2 The noise of a whip, and the noise of the rattling of the wheels, and of the pransing horses, and of the jumping chariots. 3 The horseman lifteth up both the bright sword and the glittering spear and there is a multitude of slain, and a great number of carcases; and there is none end of their corpses; they stumble upon their corpses: 4 Because of the multitude of the whoredoms of the wellfavoured harlot, the mistress of witchcrafts, that selleth nations through her whoredoms, and families through her witchcrafts. 5 Behold, I am against thee, saith the LORD of hosts; and I will discover thy skirts upon thy face, and I will shew the nations thy nakedness, and the kingdoms thy shame. 6 And I will cast abominable filth upon thee, and make thee vile, and will set thee as a gazingstock. 7 And it shall come to pass, that all they that look upon thee shall flee from thee, and say, Nineveh is laid waste who will bemoan her? whence shall I seek comforters for thee? 8 Art thou better than populous No, that was situate among the rivers, that had the waters round about it, whose rampart was the sea, and her wall was from the sea? 9 Ethiopia and Egypt were her strength, and it was infinite; Put and Lubim were thy helpers. 10 Yet was she carried away, she went into captivity: her young children also were dashed in pieces at the top of all the streets: and they cast lots for her honourable men, and all her great men were bound in chains. 11 Thou also shalt be drunken: thou shalt be hid, thou also shalt seek strength because of the enemy. 12 All thy strong holds shall be like fig trees with the firstripe figs: if they be shaken, they shall even fall into the mouth of the eater. 13 Behold, thy people in the midst of thee are women: the gates of thy land shall be set wide open unto thine enemies: the fire shall devour thy bars. 14 Draw thee waters for the siege, fortify thy strong holds: go into clay, and tread the morter, make strong the brickkiln. 15 There shall the fire devour thee; the sword shall cut thee off, it shall eat thee up like the cankerworm: make thyself many as the cankerworm, make thyself many as the locusts. 16 Thou hast multiplied thy merchants above the stars of heaven the cankerworm spoileth, and fleeth away. 17 Thy crowned are as the locusts, and thy captains as the great grasshoppers, which camp in the hedges in the cold day, but when the sun ariseth they flee away, and their place is not known where they are. 18 Thy shepherds slumber, O king of Assyria: thy nobles shall dwell in the dust thy people is scattered upon the mountains, and no man gathereth them. 19 There is no healing of thy bruise; thy wound is grievous: all that hear the bruit of thee shall clap the hands over thee: for upon whom hath not thy wickedness passed continually? |