“Behold, I am against you,” says the Lord of hosts, “I will burn your chariots in smoke, and the sword shall devour your young lions; I will cut off your prey from the earth, and the voice of your messengers shall be heard no more.”

We know from the story of Jonah that God loved the people of Nineveh. Despite their sins being so great that He could no longer ignore them, He still sent a prophet to preach the warning to them and relented as soon as the people repented.

But clearly, their repentance did not last, and many years later, God through Nahum now prophesied their judgment that they would not recover from. And when God judges - even a people of whom He said “And should I not pity Nineveh” in Jonah 4:11 - He does not relent. Even seeing the pain that they will experience as described in Nahum 2:10, God will ensure that they receive their just recompense for their evil deeds.

This reminds me that just because we may have received God’s grace and mercy before, it does not mean that God will always forgive us - especially if we do not repent, and worse still, we take God’s forbearance for granted.

Let us take heed of this passage from Hebrews 10:26-31.

For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. And again, “The Lord will judge His people.” It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Let us remind ourselves always of James 4:4 - that friendship with the world is enmity with God. Looking back at Nahum 2:13, when God is against Nineveh, their chariots and their young lions - symbols of their strength, pride and earthly achievements - are all for naught. If we become enemies of God, just like the Assyrians, of what value are our own earthly achievements before the God who holds our very lives in His hands?

“Behold, I am against you”. Our God is full of compassion towards us. Let us pray that we never force Him to say this to us.