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Nahum, Vengeance

Vengeance is a very common theme in our society. It seems to be the motivation for many of our movie heroes. One of the most profitable franchises around is The Avengers. We cry out for vengeance every time terrorists take innocent lives. We have an innate desire to see evil punished.

This desire for vengeance is often confusing to us Christians. It comes so easily to us yet also feels so wrong. Sometimes we embrace calls for vengeance against evildoers. Other times we try to show grace and mercy. Issues like the death penalty are very divisive amongst Christians as they struggle to balance a hunger for justice and a desire for mercy.

The book of Nahum is all about vengeance; God's vengeance. 

Background

The book of Nahum was written by the prophet Nahum around 645 BC. The book focuses on the inevitable destruction of Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrian Empire. The Assyrians had long been a problem for the kingdom of Judah. During the reign of Hezekiah they had laid siege to Jerusalem and were only defeated by God's intervention. For years they had bullied God's people into giving them tribute.

Themes

The theme of the book of Nahum is simple; God will have vengeance on Nineveh. He will lay waste to its people and will obliterate its walls. The Assyrians will be punished for all the harm they have caused God's people.

This is the entirety of the book. The book of Nahum is only three chapters long and each talks about the destruction of Nineveh. Nahum holds nothing back as he describes the horrors that await the city of Nineveh, and sure enough several decades later this very thing happened.

Theological Point

God will have vengeance on those who do evil. Our own sense of justice and our desire to see evil punished comes from the fact that we are created in the image of God. The problem is that we have been corrupted and twisted by sin. Our sense of justice has been thrown off course. 

God has not been and cannot be corrupted by sin. He is true justice. When God pursues vengeance it is wholly just. It is also completely in line with his mercy and love. God doesn't make mistakes or get carried away. God's vengeance is holy and right.

This makes us uncomfortable. We hear the word vengeance and we think of how sinful and corrupt our own sense of justice is. When we pursue vengeance it often is out of rage or jealousy. So when we hear vengeance applied to God we tend to think the same thing; that God is out of control.

In truth God's vengeance should be seen as a blessing. The promise of vengeance against evildoers is a promise of justice and victory over sin. The threat of vengeance to an evildoer often drives them to repentance and into experiencing the grace of God. Nahum was chosen to deliver this message for a reason. The name Nahum literally means "comfort." 

We should be comforted by the knowledge that God does not let evil stand forever. We should be comforted in the fact that justice and vengeance is not ours to dish out. We should be comforted in the fact that the same God who spoke vengeance through Nahum earlier sent the prophet Jonah to save the very same city. 

Conclusion

My sense of justice and desire for vengeance is twisted. I seek retribution when there is no crime while ignoring the obvious sin around me. I am so thankful that God's sense of justice is always true. I am thankful that when God takes vengeance it is always just. 

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