Nahum Part One Dive

WHO NEEDS THE AVENGERS? GOD’S BATTLE SPEECH

Are you okay with me saying that God is an Avenger? In some people’s minds, that conjures up a horrible image of a nasty God that destroys people just for fun. But that is not the God we serve. Just as the Avengers movie portrays the team as the ones who step in to save the world, so is our God! We have to remember our God is both ‘slow to anger and abounding in love’ and ‘full of righteousness and justice’. We might think He was a wimp if He didn’t come to the rescue of His nation or enforce the boundaries He had set for them. But our God fights for His people. You might also think that He was a merciless, vengeful god if He quickly enforced the rules without giving opportunity to fix their mistakes, but God is slow to anger and incredibly patient with the Israelites as we read in the Old Testament. That is why it is great to read the whole of the Old Testament, not just verses or sections or even just one or two books. You will get the whole picture of what Father God is like, not just a view of the ‘sword in His hand’ or ‘His heart of love’.

So, in Nahum, we get to see another facet of our incredible Father God. And in this book, he is the God who avenges his people. Yes, just like the Avengers movies, Father God intervenes when someone has taken his people captive and in this period of history it is Nineveh. Wait a second, I know that name! Yes the same Nineveh that Jonah prophesied to and they repented, this is round two with Nineveh and this time God is not preaching to them for repentance he is preaching to Judah to tell them what he is about to do to Nineveh, the enemy that has them surrounded.

This is the ‘hero speech’ in the movies. This is the reason behind the battle, the moment they give the heart of why they are about to go into battle and possibly die. You know the ones I’m talking about – Braveheart “they may take our lives, but they’ll never take our freedom.” There are so many great battle speeches, here’s one of Captain America’s:

“This nation was founded on one principle above all else: the requirement that we stand up for what we believe, no matter the odds or the consequences. When the mob and the press and the whole world tell you to move, your job is to plant yourself like a tree beside the river of truth, and tell the whole world — "No, you move."

What about the movie Independence Day?

“We are fighting for our right to live. To exist. And should we win the day, the Fourth of July will no longer be known as an American holiday, but as the day the world declared in one voice: We will not go quietly into the night! We will not vanish without a fight! We’re going to live on! We’re going to survive! Today we celebrate our Independence Day!”

Or Gladiator:

"My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, Commander of the Armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions, loyal servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife. And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next."

This is what we have in the Book of Nahum. This is Yahweh, Father God’s speech. He has watched His nation Israel time and time again get themselves into trouble, with only Judah left at this point. We know that things won’t go smoothly with them either, with their disobedience and idolatry, but in this story we focus on the thoughts of the God of justice against the actions of Ninevites and the way they have treated His people.

My favourite parts of this speech are as follows:

N 1:3 The LORD is slow to anger but great in power; the LORD will not leave the guilty unpunished. His way is in the whirlwind and the storm, and clouds are the dust of his feet.

Can you feel the way Nahum’s prophecies bring the power of God over nature to show the all-powerful God who is fighting for Judah?

N 1:4 He rebukes the sea and dries it up; he makes all the rivers run dry.
N 1:5 The mountains quake before him and the hills melt away. The earth trembles at his presence, the world and all who live in it.

This reminds me of the movies when the hero is showing off what he can do. This would be like Iron Man blowing up a tank and showing his power. God is declaring His power in these prophecies, so highlight these as you go.

In this speech there is such a beautiful mix of power and love – highlight both in different pens. We have ‘cosmic power’ that melt mountains and the earth trembles and incredible statements like:

N 1:3 The LORD is slow to anger...
N 1:7 The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him, but with an overwhelming flood he will make an end of Nineveh...

I love this book! It shows the power of our God, and He is no push-over. Just because He is good and slow to anger doesn’t mean you can mistreat His people and He will let you! No, our God is an Avenger – the One who jumps in when He is needed. This is the final speech for Judah. For them this is like the end of the movie when everything has gone wrong, the enemy seems like they are winning, there is no hope in sight but wait… You can hear the sound of thunder; you can hear the sound of something powerful coming. Could it be? Would Yahweh really come and save us?

N 1:15 Look, there on the mountains, the feet of one who brings good news, who proclaims peace!
N 2:1 An attacker advances against you, Nineveh. Guard the fortress, watch the road, brace yourselves, marshal all your strength!

No, it’s not Thor, or Iron Man or Captain America – it’s Yahweh, the LORD of all creation Himself. He comes to fight for His people!

Nahum doesn’t just stop with the big build-up of the Avenger coming to help, he describes the battle: galloping horses, piles of bodies – this is a war movie in writing! Notice the Braveheart moment in Chapter 3:5 – this is all the good movies rolled into one! And then, of course, it ends in celebration that the enemy has been defeated by the great Avenger God Himself.

N 3:19 All who hear the news about you clap their hands at your fall, for who has not felt your endless cruelty?

What an ending to an epic tale of the hero, Yahweh, coming to the aid of His people. Jump into Nahum, write all over your Bible the words and imagery that jump out at you and join the epic Avenger Book of Nahum today!

Nahum Part One Dive

WHO NEEDS THE AVENGERS? GOD’S BATTLE SPEECH

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