It’s a National Shame

 

There is no easing your hurt; your wound is grievous. All who hear the news about you clap their hands over you. For upon whom has not come your unceasing evil? Nahum 3:19

 

Nahum is clear that God’s judgment on Nineveh would not be reversible (Nahum 1:8, 14).  They have had their warnings. The judgment will be complete (Nahum 1:9). And, those whom they have oppressed, overtaken, plundered, robbed, and killed many in their cities, will not be sad to see them go (Nahum 3:19). They will, in fact, applaud at the destruction of Nineveh.

This prophecy comes one hundred years after Nineveh was visited and convicted by the words of Jonah, and turned from their evil ways. How quickly things must have gone downhill.

The Blame

The leaders of Nineveh are given most of the blame. As they were terrorizing other cities and nations (Nahum 2:12, 3:1,4), taking what they wanted for themselves, others were taking advantage of the wealth they were accumulating. Merchants came in to sell their wares where the money was flowing, even though it was flowing from theft and murder of its original owners.

The verse that was so clear about what else God was doing in His judgment is Nahum 3:5, “Behold, I am against you, declares the LORD of hosts, and will lift up your skirts over your face; and I will make nations look at your nakedness and kingdoms at your shame.”

On the exterior, Nineveh looked wealthy, well governed,  and apparently, physically beautiful. Other people and nations respected them or feared them because of their outward appearance.

In this verse God said He was going to “lift their skirt” so others would see the truth of what was underneath that beautiful, outward, presentation. God was putting them to shame before the world.

And Us?

Has this happened to the United States? We do not “enjoy” the respect we used to have among nations of the world. We are criticized by the world because of the things God has exposed.

These are some things that have been exposed over the last few years (for all the world to see):

• Many are being graduated from public schools with little or no understanding of the world (lacking in history, economics, politics, mathematics, and even the English language).
• Our sexual immorality is no longer hidden, but legislated as something we, by law, must accept.
• Marriage and the family have been attacked and not defended by our political or religious leaders. (No society thrives without the family as its backbone.)
• Our politics are funded by evil people and organizations with impunity.
• The Church sits quietly by as the nation ignores, and even shakes her fist, at God.
• The number of babies murdered in the womb is world-wide common knowledge, and growing. Innocent blood.
• Sadly, many in our nation are proud of all these evils This, too, is exposed.

Individually we cannot change it all. As the Church of Jesus Christ, we can repent and make our own efforts to turn back, seek God, and proclaim the truth.

Let’s do this before we have let it go further and the LORD says to us, “What do you plot against the LORD? He will make a complete end (Nahum 1:9a),” as the nations applaud.