Nahum 03: Justice Has Come

What if the line between chaos and peace is a sentence from God: “This far and no further”? We dive into Nahum 3 to explore a stark, hope-filled moment when mercy reaches its limit and justice steps in—not as vengeance, but as rescue. With Assyria’s cruelty laid bare and Judah’s fears close to the surface, we trace how a century of patience after Jonah gives way to a decisive end to oppression. The story is raw, vivid, and unexpectedly comforting for anyone who’s waited and wondered if relief will ever come.

We unpack the prophetic images—chariots thundering, locusts swarming, fortresses falling—and show how Scripture uses them to unmask power that feeds on the weak. Then we connect the dots to history: Israel falls to Assyria, but Judah does not, just as Nahum foretells. The takeaway is not triumphalism; it’s trust. Refuge is not retreat. You still repair the walls, hold your ground, and do the work in front of you. But you do it anchored in the promise that God stands with you and does what you cannot. That truth moves this chapter from ancient judgment to present-tense hope.

If you’re facing problems that feel bigger than your capacity—systemic pressure, personal battles, or long waits that drain your faith—this conversation offers sturdy courage. We talk about how to wait without going numb, how mercy and justice fit together, and how to hear the protective cadence of God saying stop over the noise of fear. By the end, Nahum 3 becomes less about destruction and more about deliverance, less about endings and more about the safety of a people God refuses to abandon.

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Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation (NLT).
Copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation.
Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_00 (00:01):
Hey everyone and welcome to the Bible Breakdown
Podcast.
In this podcast, we will bebreaking down the Bible one
chapter a day.
Whether you are a new believeror have been following Christ
for a while, we believe that youwill learn something new and
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(00:22):
Bible together.

SPEAKER_01 (00:23):
Well, hello everybody.
Welcome back to the BibleBreakdown Podcast with your
host, Pastor Brandon.
Today, Nahum chapter three, andtoday's title is Justice Has
Come.
Justice has come.
And it's a wonderful reminder toall of us that God has got so
much mercy and so much goodness.
But just like in the story ofNoah back in Genesis, at some

(00:44):
point, he closes the door.
And that is both a great comfortand it is a scary challenge to
all of us as well.
So we're going to get on in justa moment.
Want to make sure that we areJudah and not Nineveh.
And we'll talk about that injust a second.
So while we're doing that, makesure you take just a moment to
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podcast.
Make sure you leave us afive-star review on the podcast.

(01:05):
It really does help.
And make sure you go into theBible breakdown discussion on
Facebook.
They're doing an amazing jobover there, just writing these
great devotions every day.
And you can get all thatinformation at the
Biblebreakdown.com.
Well, if you've been with us forthe past two days, this is a
very short book.
Nahum is a prophet in Judah, andhe is really talking about how

(01:25):
God is a strong refuge.
He is a place of safety whennothing else makes sense.
And I don't know if you everlived in that kind of world.
Some of you be like, Pastor, I'mliving in that world right now.
I get you.
And it can be difficultsometimes to go, okay, so I'm
trusting God.
I believe God's going to dosomething, but it's been a
minute.
I mean, you know, it's been aminute.

(01:46):
I've been trusting, beentrusting, and I really needed to
stop.
It reminds me of not too longago, we were uh trying to go do
this thing outside, and theweather said it was gonna stop
raining at like, it was like oneo'clock, something like that.
And we know that that's notperfect, but at the same time,
it did say it was gonna stopraining at one.
And it got to be 105, 110, 115,and we're like, now wait a

(02:10):
minute here.
You said, so come on now, and itdid eventually stop at like 125.
And what was great is when itstopped raining, it didn't just
stop raining, but like the suncame out, it was like beautiful.
It was like, oh, okay, well,when you stop, you stop good,
you know.
And that's kind of what thischapter is.
God has been merciful.
Like for a hundred years, Godhas been working with Assyria

(02:30):
because a hundred years ago iswhen Jonah went, right?
But they've been getting worseand worse and worse.
It took over Israel and gettingworse and worse and worse.
And finally, Nahum is sent totell Judah, Don't worry, this is
the line in the sand, this farno further.
They will not take you over.
And they don't.
Okay, they don't.
So this is into chapter three,and then we'll kind of tell you
how this finishes out.
So here we go.

(02:51):
Nahum chapter three, verse onesays this What sorrow awaits
Nineveh, a city of murder andlies.
She is crammed with wealth andis never without victims.
Hear the crack of whips, therumble of wheels, horses' hooves
pound, the chariots clatterwildly.
See the flashing swords andglittering spears as the

(03:11):
charioteers charge past.
There are countless casualties,heaps of bodies, so many bodies
that people stumble over them.
All of this because Nineveh, thebeautiful and faithless city,
mistress of deadly charms,enticed the nations with her
beauty.
She taught them all her magic,enchanting people everywhere.

(03:32):
I am your enemy, says the Lordof Heaven's armies, and now I
will lift your skirts and showall the earth your nakedness and
shame.
Oh, you gotta love it.
Okay.
All right, verse six, I willcover you with filth and show
the world how vile you reallyare.
All who see you will shrink backand say, Ew, Nineveh lies in

(03:55):
ruins.
Where are her mourners?
Does anyone regret yourdestruction?
Are you any better than the cityof Thebes?
Situated in the Nile Riversurrounded by water?
She was protected by the riveron all sides, walled in by a
river.
Ethiopia and the land of Egyptgave unlimited act assistance.
The nation of Put and Libya wereamong her allies, yet Thebes

(04:20):
fell, and her people were ledaway as captives.
Her babies were dashed to deathagainst the stones of the
streets, soldiers threw dice toget Egyptian officers as
servants.
All their leaders were bound inchains, and you, Nineveh, will
also stagger like a drunkard.
You will hide for fear of theattacking enemy.
All your fortresses will fall.

(04:41):
They will be devoured like theripe figs that fall into the
mouths of those who shake thetrees.
Your troops will be as weak andas helpless as women.
The gates of your land will beopened wide to the enemy and set
on fire and burned.
Get ready for the siege, storeup water, strengthen your
defenses, go into the pits totrample clay and pack it with

(05:04):
mold and making bricks to repairyour walls.
But the fire will devour you,and the sword will cut you down.
The enemy will consume you likelocusts, devouring everything
they see.
There will be no escape, even ifyou multiply like swarming
locusts, your merchants havemultiplied until they outnumber
the stars, but like a swarm oflocusts, they strip the land and

(05:26):
fly away.
Your guards and officials werealso like swarming locusts, that
crowd together in the hedges ona cold day.
Like but like locusts that flyaway when the sun comes up, all
of them will fly away anddisappear.
Your shepherds are asleep, OAssyrian king.
Your princes lie dead in thedust, your people are scattered

(05:47):
among the mountains with no oneto gather them together.
There is no healing for yourwound.
Your injury is fatal.
All who hear of your destructionwill clap their hands with joy.
Where can anyone be found whohas not suffered from your
continual cruelty?
And so that sounds horrible.

(06:07):
Like, oh my goodness, why whywould God do that?
Until you realize the horriblecruelty of the Assyrian people,
and that for a hundred years Godhas had mercy on them.
So it's it's almost like withGod sometimes it can be
difficult because on one endyou're like, God, why aren't you
doing anything?

(06:28):
Then he does something that'slike, why aren't you so mean?
It's like praise the Lord, youknow.
But that is that is what's goingon here is God has been so
merciful for so long, but now hecomes to Judah, and through the
prophet Nahum, he says, Thisline, this far, no further.
I know you've been pushedaround, I know you've been beat
up, I know that you're notperfect.

(06:49):
You own some of this, but I'mgonna tell you something this
enemy will not take you over.
And according to history, that'swhat happens.
They they are not defeated.
Israel was defeated by Assyria,but Judah was not defeated by
Assyria.
That they end up falling to theBabylonians, and Judah continues
to sin, continues to sin, andthen they have to reckon with

(07:11):
Babylon, but they don't fall tothe to the Assyrians.
Nahum prophesied that itwouldn't happen, and it did not
happen.
God is faithful.
And so as we leave the book ofNahum, I want to encourage you
with something, and that is thisGod is faithful.
He is a strong refuge, he is aplace of peace.
There is nothing wrong withfinding that stronghold, that

(07:35):
place of peace, and running toit.
That's what the book of Psalmssays.
The Lord is a strong refuge.
The righteous run into Him, runto Him, and they are safe.
There's nothing wrong withhaving a strong refuge in your
life.
There's there is no honor injust grinning and burying it in
your soul.
Now there's there's a there'ssomething to be said for gutting

(07:57):
it out and working hard withyour hands, but in your soul,
you should always be at thatsettled, confident peace that
the Lord is with you.
And that I did I don't know ifyou read this with me, but it
didn't say anywhere it was gonnabe easy.
It didn't say anywhere theyweren't gonna have to fight with
all they had, and they weregonna have to hold hold the line
and hold strong, but they werebut what God does say is I'm

(08:19):
gonna be there every step of theway and I'm gonna do the things
that you can't.
If you think about it, imagineimagine a 10-year-old little
puny kid goes to fight againstthe heavyweight champion of the
world.
You would give zero money to beton the little kid, but that's
what God's saying.
He's saying, Little kid, Judah,he's not gonna touch you because

(08:41):
I'm gonna be in the ring withyou.
And that's what happens.
And so maybe that's God's wordfor you today.
Maybe it feels like all theenemies in the world are aligned
against you, and you say, Hey,I'm not perfect, I got my
issues, but I've been trustingthe Lord, I've been trying to do
better, I've been trying to getwhere I need to be.
But it feels like all of hell'sangels are aligned against me.
You know what God's Word says?

(09:02):
This far and no further.
I got you.
I'll be with you.
Maybe that's God's word for youtoday.
Let's pray together.
God, thank you so much that youare faithful.
You are faithful beyond what wecan imagine.
But my prayer today is God thatwe will experience your
presence, experience yourfullness, and know that you are
a strong refuge in all ourdifferent seasons.

(09:26):
I'm thankful, God, that you arewith us in so many ways.
I pray, God, that you will showus who you are, show us what you
can do.
And I'm thankful that we get tobe part of your good earth
today.
In Jesus' name we pray.
Amen.
Amen.
One more time.
God's word says in Nahuam 1verse 7, it says the Lord is
good, a strong refuge whentrouble comes.

(09:46):
He is close to those who trustin him.
I love you.
I'll see you tomorrow for thenext part of the Bible Breakdown
Podcast.