"7" Questions to Ponder (Nahum)

On the SEVENTH day of Christmas we look at seven questions the brief prophetic book of Nahum invites us to ponder. Nahum is unique because it invites readers to reflect on their present moment through the lens of a historical event: the fall of Nineveh, the great city of the Assyrian empire. The downfall and doom coming to Assyria is, at times, gloomy in Nahum. And the reader can be tempted to find themselves excited at the downfall of this evil nation. However, what we will see in the prophet Jonah is that even this “evil” nation is beloved and redeemed by God. 

The seven questions I think Nahum invites us to reflect on are the following: 

1.  Is there hope?

2. Will God ever show up? 

3. Is violence the only way? 

4. Does God know and experience our suffering? 

5. Does God actually orchestrate things in history?

6. Who are our Nineveh’s today?

7. How are we like Nineveh today? 

For most of the questions, I will not seek to give answers or clarity. The point, I think, is that we ponder them. And modern faith has relied far too long on certainty as its strength, leaving our ability to doubt and wonder in crippled states. Nahum is an acrostic poem, that is a poem that starts with each letter of the (HEBREW) alphabet. God appears and appears to be bringing justice on evil. Nineveh and Assyria were brutal in the way they treated those they conquered. Violence was central to their tactics. So the questions arise: Is there hope beyond the present sufferings? Will God ever show up in the face of extreme violence and evil? Is violence the only thing we can expect from the world? Does God know what our suffering is like? Often times, when I listen to NPR or read headlines, I often think, “no” to these questions.  When I hear of another school shooting or see leaders prioritizing the wealthy over the vulnerable, I can’t help but wonder: is there any hope? It feels like the answer is no. Is violence the only way? We offer up the “right” to defend ourselves when provoked or attacked. We live in a cycle of violence, afraid maybe to break out of it, afraid to ask the question if it is the only way. When major events like political upheavals, wildfires, or the bombing of refugee camps occur, we might ask: did God orchestrate these? I hope not. But Nahum invites us to wonder. 

The last two questions are the ones I sit with the longest. Where do I see modern Ninevehs? Nations, organizations, groups, people who are, “[cities] of crime, Utterly treacherous, Full of violence, Where killing never stops!” (Nahum 3:1). Where are there institutions of violence and systems of oppression? The mistreatment of LGBTQ+ people within faith communities? Yes. The abuses of power and covering up of those abuses with money and NDA’s, intimidation and empty promises of change? Yes.  Mass shootings that happen again and again in a country that prides itself on being “Christian”? Yes. This is actually a really easy question, and convenient when it lines up with the people in power that I don’t particularly like. The bigger question, the harder question, is when am I  like Nineveh? When do I prioritize my comfort over justice? When do I perpetuate harm, intentionally or unintentionally? Every time I dehumanize someone for what they do, how they vote, who they treat differently. Every time I tune out the angst and pain of someone going on and on. I am empire far too often. 

So is there hope? The Christian story is one that invites us to see that the Cross is the ending of systemic violence. And the Resurrection is the final word on how God plans to deal with all the empires we build up. God will bring down empires in every time and every place through our action, advocacy, and care for those on the margins. God does orchestrate things in history, through the very people that are hungry and thirsty for righteousness and justice. The prophets of the Hebrew bible, the early church, the civil rights leaders, the labor unions, the human rights advocates, the teachers, the parents, the ones who see and know that those on the outskirts deserve to be celebrated. 

Let us challenge the status quo of empire and seek to liberate all from the exiles we have made for ourselves and others.