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.

If this resonated, tap follow, share it with a friend who needs a boundary of hope today, and leave a quick review so more listeners can find the show. What line do you need God to draw in your life right now?

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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.

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome And Daily Bible Focus
• 0:27 Theme: Justice Has Come
• 0:57 Community And Support Invitations
• 1:17 Setting: Nahum’s Context And Comfort
• 2:51 Reading: Nahum Chapter Three
• 6:05 Why Judgment Follows Long Mercy
• 7:11 History: Assyria, Judah, And Fulfillment
• 8:20 Takeaway: God Our Strong Refuge
• 9:06 Prayer And Final Encouragement

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:01

Hey everyone and welcome to the Bible Breakdown Podcast. In this podcast, we will be breaking down the Bible one chapter a day. Whether you are a new believer or have been following Christ for a while, we believe that you will learn something new and fresh every single day. So thank you for joining us and let's get into breaking down the Bible together.

SPEAKER_01: 0:23

Well, hello everybody. Welcome back to the Bible Breakdown Podcast with your host, Pastor Brandon. Today, Nahum chapter three, and today's title is Justice Has Come. Justice has come. And it's a wonderful reminder to all of us that God has got so much mercy and so much goodness. But just like in the story of Noah back in Genesis, at some point, he closes the door. And that is both a great comfort and it is a scary challenge to all of us as well. So we're going to get on in just a moment. Want to make sure that we are Judah and not Nineveh. And we'll talk about that in just a second. So while we're doing that, make sure you take just a moment to like, share, and subscribe to the YouTube channel and the podcast. Make sure you leave us a five-star review on the podcast. It really does help. And make sure you go into the Bible breakdown discussion on Facebook. They're doing an amazing job over there, just writing these great devotions every day. And you can get all that information at the Biblebreakdown.com. Well, if you've been with us for the past two days, this is a very short book. Nahum is a prophet in Judah, and he is really talking about how God is a strong refuge. He is a place of safety when nothing else makes sense. And I don't know if you ever lived in that kind of world. Some of you be like, Pastor, I'm living in that world right now. I get you. And it can be difficult sometimes to go, okay, so I'm trusting God. I believe God's going to do something, but it's been a minute. I mean, you know, it's been a minute. I've been trusting, been trusting, and I really needed to stop. It reminds me of not too long ago, we were uh trying to go do this thing outside, and the weather said it was gonna stop raining at like, it was like one o'clock, something like that. And we know that that's not perfect, but at the same time, it did say it was gonna stop raining at one. And it got to be 105, 110, 115, and we're like, now wait a minute here. You said, so come on now, and it did eventually stop at like 125. And what was great is when it stopped raining, it didn't just stop raining, but like the sun came 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 this chapter is. God has been merciful. Like for a hundred years, God has been working with Assyria because a hundred years ago is when Jonah went, right? But they've been getting worse and worse and worse. It took over Israel and getting worse and worse and worse. And finally, Nahum is sent to tell Judah, Don't worry, this is the line in the sand, this far no 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. Nahum chapter three, verse one says this What sorrow awaits Nineveh, a city of murder and lies. She is crammed with wealth and is never without victims. Hear the crack of whips, the rumble of wheels, horses' hooves pound, the chariots clatter wildly. See the flashing swords and glittering spears as the charioteers charge past. There are countless casualties, heaps of bodies, so many bodies that people stumble over them. All of this because Nineveh, the beautiful and faithless city, mistress of deadly charms, enticed the nations with her beauty. She taught them all her magic, enchanting people everywhere. I am your enemy, says the Lord of Heaven's armies, and now I will lift your skirts and show all the earth your nakedness and shame. Oh, you gotta love it. Okay. All right, verse six, I will cover you with filth and show the world how vile you really are. All who see you will shrink back and say, Ew, Nineveh lies in ruins. Where are her mourners? Does anyone regret your destruction? Are you any better than the city of Thebes? Situated in the Nile River surrounded by water? She was protected by the river on all sides, walled in by a river. Ethiopia and the land of Egypt gave unlimited act assistance. The nation of Put and Libya were among her allies, yet Thebes fell, and her people were led away as captives. Her babies were dashed to death against the stones of the streets, soldiers threw dice to get Egyptian officers as servants. All their leaders were bound in chains, and you, Nineveh, will also stagger like a drunkard. You will hide for fear of the attacking enemy. All your fortresses will fall. They will be devoured like the ripe figs that fall into the mouths of those who shake the trees. Your troops will be as weak and as helpless as women. The gates of your land will be opened wide to the enemy and set on fire and burned. Get ready for the siege, store up water, strengthen your defenses, go into the pits to trample clay and pack it with mold and making bricks to repair your walls. But the fire will devour you, and the sword will cut you down. The enemy will consume you like locusts, devouring everything they see. There will be no escape, even if you multiply like swarming locusts, your merchants have multiplied until they outnumber the stars, but like a swarm of locusts, they strip the land and fly away. Your guards and officials were also like swarming locusts, that crowd together in the hedges on a cold day. Like but like locusts that fly away when the sun comes up, all of them will fly away and disappear. Your shepherds are asleep, O Assyrian king. Your princes lie dead in the dust, your people are scattered among the mountains with no one to gather them together. There is no healing for your wound. Your injury is fatal. All who hear of your destruction will clap their hands with joy. Where can anyone be found who has not suffered from your continual cruelty? And so that sounds horrible. Like, oh my goodness, why why would God do that? Until you realize the horrible cruelty of the Assyrian people, and that for a hundred years God has had mercy on them. So it's it's almost like with God sometimes it can be difficult because on one end you're like, God, why aren't you doing anything? Then he does something that's like, why aren't you so mean? It's like praise the Lord, you know. But that is that is what's going on here is God has been so merciful for so long, but now he comes to Judah, and through the prophet Nahum, he says, This line, this far, no further. I know you've been pushed around, I know you've been beat up, I know that you're not perfect. You own some of this, but I'm gonna tell you something this enemy will not take you over. And according to history, that's what happens. They they are not defeated. Israel was defeated by Assyria, but Judah was not defeated by Assyria. That they end up falling to the Babylonians, and Judah continues to sin, continues to sin, and then they have to reckon with Babylon, but they don't fall to the to the Assyrians. Nahum prophesied that it wouldn't happen, and it did not happen. God is faithful. And so as we leave the book of Nahum, I want to encourage you with something, and that is this God is faithful. He is a strong refuge, he is a place of peace. There is nothing wrong with finding that stronghold, that place of peace, and running to it. That's what the book of Psalms says. The Lord is a strong refuge. The righteous run into Him, run to Him, and they are safe. There's nothing wrong with having a strong refuge in your life. There's there is no honor in just grinning and burying it in your soul. Now there's there's a there's something to be said for gutting it out and working hard with your hands, but in your soul, you should always be at that settled, confident peace that the Lord is with you. And that I did I don't know if you read this with me, but it didn't say anywhere it was gonna be easy. It didn't say anywhere they weren't gonna have to fight with all they had, and they were gonna have to hold hold the line and hold strong, but they were but what God does say is I'm gonna be there every step of the way and I'm gonna do the things that you can't. If you think about it, imagine imagine a 10-year-old little puny kid goes to fight against the heavyweight champion of the world. You would give zero money to bet on the little kid, but that's what God's saying. He's saying, Little kid, Judah, he's not gonna touch you because I'm gonna be in the ring with you. And that's what happens. And so maybe that's God's word for you today. Maybe it feels like all the enemies in the world are aligned against you, and you say, Hey, I'm not perfect, I got my issues, but I've been trusting the Lord, I've been trying to do better, I've been trying to get where I need to be. But it feels like all of hell's angels are aligned against me. You know what God's Word says? This far and no further. I got you. I'll be with you. Maybe that's God's word for you today. Let's pray together. God, thank you so much that you are faithful. You are faithful beyond what we can imagine. But my prayer today is God that we will experience your presence, experience your fullness, and know that you are a strong refuge in all our different seasons. I'm thankful, God, that you are with us in so many ways. I pray, God, that you will show us who you are, show us what you can do. And I'm thankful that we get to be part of your good earth today. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen. One more time. God's word says in Nahuam 1 verse 7, it says the Lord is good, a strong refuge when trouble comes. He is close to those who trust in him. I love you. I'll see you tomorrow for the next part of the Bible Breakdown Podcast.