The Pulpit Commentary — Nahum — Section 54

fornishetl UB i11 Lhese verses an illustration of hnman effort as directed against tho accomplishment of the purpose of God. S,,metimes this course is ta.ken by men unconsciously, but it w!LB scarcely so in this instance. We know that the Assyrian power in the time of Sennacherib boldly defied the God of heaven, and it seems with the !Bpse of time to have gone from bad to worse. It was the Divine will that at length the arm of Assyria should be broken, and that it.~ hanght.y and oppressive rule should ceo.se; and the prophet here set forth how that, in the day of trial, human strength should do its best in order to avert the destruction divinely intended to be wrought. Some regard ver. 14 as simply indicating the fact that the Assyria1. power would maintain a prolonged defence; whilst others view the prophet as speaking ironically, and as mocking the vain endeavours of the defenders of Nineveh, just a.a Isaiah ridiculed the makers of idols (xliv. 9-20). Be this as it may, he certainly declared here prophetically that human effort should be enlisted against the overthrow divinely purposed, and that this should utterly fail; the fire should devour, and the sword should cut them off; yea, as destructive as the locusts should the instrument.~ of the Divine vengeance prove (ver. 15). We may find all this suggestive as applied to man's hostile action in relation to the Divine working in the spiritual realm. }. IT 18 AN UNDOUBTED l'AOT THAT HUMAN EFFORT 18 DIRECTED AGAINST THE ACCOMPLISHMENT OF THE DIVINE PURPOSE IN GRACE. That purpose is the entire subjugation of evil-the recovery of a lapsed world to allegiance to Heaven, and hence its restoration to holiness and happiness. This benevolent purpose of our God is repeatedly expressed in his Word (Pa. ii. 6; Isa. Iii. 10; John xii. 32; Rev. xi. 15). The redemptive plan rests upon it, the unfailing consciousness that he was fulfilling the Divine counsels sustained the Christ as he pressed on with his glorious toil (Heb. xii. 2), and the mighty hope supports bis followers in all holy service. Yet such is ihe a.version of the hearts of men by nature, that agaiDllt this glorious and loving will of our God human effort has from age to age been directed. The antagonism has taken various forms-persecution, idolatry, scepticism, worldliness; all these forces have been employed in order to bring the counsel of God to nought. Note- II. THE WEAKNESS OF HUMAN EFFORT AB THUS DIRECTED. So weak, indeed, are such endeavours, that in spite of them the Supreme Ruler sits on the throne of his majesty in perfect repose. He views with calm composure and without even a momentary apprehension and with scornful contempt, this plotting and working of i,vil-doers (Ps. ii. 4, 5). III. THE VANITY OF ALL sucH ENDEAVOURS. They must inevitably prove ineffectual. So has it been, and so shall it be. Monumental pillars were raised to the memory of Diocletian, in that" be had everywhere abolished the superstition of Christ, and b~d exlended the worship of the gods;" yet to-day this "superstition of Christ," a.s they called it, is everywhere spreading. The crescent shall wane before the cross; and despite the baneful influences of scepticism and worldliness, the Christ shall become enthroned in every heart. "The burial-place of Christianity cannot be pointed out ; it is not; for the living have no tomb." Its adversaries may "draw waters for the ~iege, fortify their strongholds," etc. (ver. 14), but they shall surely be defeated (ver. 15), for "the Lord God omnipotent reigneth."-S. D. H. Vers. 16-18.-The instability of material greatness. We have vividly described h3re- I. MATERIAL GREATNESS. This consisting in: 1. .Extensive commercial relations. "Thou hast multiplied thy merchants," etc. (ver. 16). "The point at which Nineveh was situated was certainly the culminating point of the three quarters of the globe- Europe, Asia, and Afrioa; and from the very earliest times it was just at the crossing of the Tigris by Nineveh that the great military and commercial roads met which led into the heart of all the leading known lands" (Strauss, quoted by Keil and Delitzscb, 'Commentary on Minor Prophets,' vol. ii. note p. 38). "The lists of plunder or of tribute carried off during the world-empire of Egypt, before it was displaced by Assyria, attest the extensive imports or manufactures of Nineveh; the titles of 'A8syrian nard, Assyrian amomum, Assyrian odours, myrrh, frankincense, involve ilJ trade with the spice countries; domestic manufactures of hers apparently were purpltt  THE BOOK OF NARUM'. [OH, Ill, 1-19,