NOTES for Nah 1:1-15

It is impossible not to notice the prophet Nahum's confidence that the Highest Court is just. The Lord's justice is shown both in His goodness toward those who hope in Him and in the retribution He sends for evil. These are two sides of justice, and without either of them it cannot be realized on earth. But evil exists by parasitizing living people, and therefore it is impossible to defeat it in the earthly world without causing pain to its victims, who have become carriers of evil.

Nahum's reproaches against Assyria might seem merely one expression of national hostility, but such a view would be superficial. Behind his denunciations of a concrete earthly enemy, it is not hard to see a deeper understanding of the meaning of the events unfolding before the prophet's eyes. Assyria in Nahum's day is a real embodiment of evil: not simply a hostile state, but an aggressive pagan empire that not only seeks to conquer neighboring kingdoms but by its very way of life challenges the God of Israel. Its destruction is more than a military defeat; it is the natural end of ungodly claims.

But then, unexpectedly, words are heard about the feet of the herald who proclaims peace, and we see that the enemy's defeat is not an end in itself for the prophet. He rejoices not in that, but in the coming possibility of finally beginning a normal, peaceful life.

The hopes for peace in 1945 must have been much the same. Peace did not come then once and for all: the interval between the defeat of the old enemy and the appearance of new dangers proved short. But by turning to that time, still recent by historical standards, we can better sense what Nahum and his contemporaries felt in the days of Assyria's collapse.