Nahum 3:1-7: a reflection

1Woe to the bloody city! It is all full of lies and robbery—no end to the prey. 2The noise of the whip, the noise of the rattling of wheels, prancing horses, and bounding chariots, 3the horseman charging, and the flashing sword, the glittering spear, and a multitude of slain, and a great heap of corpses, and there is no end of the bodies. They stumble on their bodies 4because of the multitude of the prostitution of the alluring prostitute, the mistress of witchcraft, who sells nations through her prostitution, and families through her witchcraft. 5“Behold, I am against you,” says the LORD of Armies, “and I will lift your skirts over your face. I will show the nations your nakedness, and the kingdoms your shame. 6I will throw abominable filth on you and make you vile, and will make you a spectacle. 7It will happen that all those who look at you will flee from you, and say, ‘Nineveh is laid waste! Who will mourn for her?’ Where will I seek comforters for you?”

Nahum pronounces woe on the great city built on violence and deceit, and declares that God himself stands against what is founded on cruelty and lies. Woe to the bloody city, Nahum cries; it is all full of lies and robbery. And God says: Behold, I am against you. Nineveh had been built on violence and falsehood, full of bloodshed, lies, and robbery, dominating and deceiving the nations. And God declares himself against it: not neutral, not indifferent, but opposed to what was founded on cruelty and lies. What is built on violence and deceit stands under God's opposition and cannot finally stand. This shows that God stands against what is built on violence and deceit. God stands against what is founded on cruelty and lies. What is built on violence and deceit cannot finally stand. God is not neutral toward bloodshed and falsehood; he opposes them. Do not build your life on what God stands against.

Notice God's declaration against this city: I am against you. Nineveh had made itself great through violence and deceit, full of bloodshed, lies, and robbery, dominating and deceiving the nations to build its power and wealth. And God does not stand neutral or indifferent toward this; he declares himself against it, opposed to what was founded on cruelty and falsehood. And a city that God is against cannot finally stand, however great it has become. This reveals something about God and about what is built on violence and deceit. God is not indifferent to bloodshed and falsehood; he stands against them, opposed to what is built on cruelty and lies. And what is built on such things, however great and secure it seems, cannot finally stand, for God himself is against it. This is a warning against building our lives, our success, or our security on anything founded on violence, deceit, cruelty, or lies, on wronging others, on dishonesty, on trampling the weak; for such things stand under God's opposition and cannot finally last. We do well to build our lives on what is true and just, not on what God stands against, remembering that what is founded on violence and deceit cannot finally stand. God stands against what is built on violence and deceit; do not build on it. What is founded on cruelty and lies cannot finally stand. God is not neutral toward bloodshed and falsehood. Build your life on what is true and just, not on what God opposes.

That is worth taking to heart, for God stands against what is built on violence and deceit, and such things cannot finally stand, so we do well not to build on what God opposes, as God declared himself against the bloody city of lies. We can be tempted to build our success or security on wronging others, on dishonesty, on trampling the weak; but God declares himself against what is founded on cruelty and lies, and it cannot last. Build on what is true. Do not build your life on violence, deceit, or the wronging of others, which God stands against; build on what is true and just, which endures. Build your life on what is true and just rather than on violence and deceit, which God stands against and which cannot finally stand, as Nahum pronounced woe on the great city built on violence and deceit and declared that God himself stood against it, crying woe to the bloody city full of lies and robbery, with God saying, I am against you; for Nineveh had been built on violence and falsehood, full of bloodshed, lies, and robbery, dominating and deceiving the nations, and God declared himself against it, not neutral or indifferent but opposed to what was founded on cruelty and lies, so that what is built on violence and deceit stands under God's opposition and cannot finally stand, which reveals something about God and about what is built on such things, that he is not indifferent to bloodshed and falsehood but stands against them, and that what is built on cruelty and lies, however great and secure it seems, cannot finally stand since God himself is against it, which is a warning against building our lives, success, or security on anything founded on violence, deceit, cruelty, or lies, on wronging others, on dishonesty, on trampling the weak, since such things stand under God's opposition and cannot last, so that we do well to build our lives on what is true and just, not on what God stands against.

Lord, Nahum pronounces woe on the great city built on violence and deceit, and declares that you yourself stand against what is founded on cruelty and lies. Woe to the bloody city, Nahum cries; it is all full of lies and robbery. And you say: Behold, I am against you. Nineveh had been built on violence and falsehood, full of bloodshed, lies, and robbery, dominating and deceiving the nations. And you declare yourself against it: not neutral, not indifferent, but opposed to what was founded on cruelty and lies. What is built on violence and deceit stands under your opposition and cannot finally stand. Show me your declaration against this city: I am against you. Nineveh had made itself great through violence and deceit, full of bloodshed, lies, and robbery, dominating and deceiving the nations to build its power and wealth. And you do not stand neutral or indifferent toward this; you declare yourself against it, opposed to what was founded on cruelty and falsehood. And a city that you are against cannot finally stand, however great it has become. This reveals something about you and about what is built on violence and deceit. You are not indifferent to bloodshed and falsehood; you stand against them. And what is built on such things, however great and secure it seems, cannot finally stand, for you yourself are against it. This is a warning against building my life, my success, or my security on anything founded on violence, deceit, cruelty, or lies, on wronging others, on dishonesty, on trampling the weak; for such things stand under your opposition and cannot last. Take that to my heart, for you stand against what is built on violence and deceit. Keep me from building my life or my security on wronging others, on dishonesty, on anything founded on cruelty and lies; help me build on what is true and just, Lord, which endures, remembering that what is founded on violence and deceit cannot finally stand because you are against it.