“But with an overflowing flood he will make a complete end of the adversaries, and will pursue his enemies into darkness.” (Nahum 1:8)
In this metaphorical and highly illustrative language Nahum warns God’s enemies of the utter futility of resisting His judgment. Their destruction will be as futile to defend against as a tidal wave. They will be pursued by destruction as relentlessly as night pursues day.
Men can defend themselves against men. Armies can defend themselves against armies. But who could defend himself against the Almighty if He is bent on destruction? He is the ultimate immovable object. He is the ultimate unstoppable force. This realization is rightly a reason for terror to those who choose to be His enemies instead of His friends. Yet this same description of our Savior’s omnipotence is our reason for the greatest comfort.
Commenting on this passage, Calvin points out “we see that when destruction comes on God’s enemies it is not incremental, but is swift and sure.” While corrective punishment is meted out in carefully measure doses, punishment in judgment is as subtle as a tidal wave, and as swift and complete as night encompasses day in a single hour. “As soon as God’s wrath shall break forth or come upon the Assyrians, it will be over, for consummation will immediately follow; by inundation, He passing through, will make a consummation in her place.”
It is reportedly common, when we see these old Hebrew writings, for the passage to only use pronouns throughout most of the literature, then only at the end to define who the passage is specifically about later. This is mentioned to caution care as we interpret and apply scripture. God may use this to make many portions of scripture applicable to many different people in different times because, being no respecter of persons, He often deals with rebellious nation after rebellious nation in very similar ways. However, the specifics of one nation in one time may rightly call for different treatment than another. God surely has destroyed entire nations in a single blast, as He promised to do here through Nahum. He can just as well allow nations to slowly eat themselves alive, whimpering into forgotten history. We are to be wise in application to today’s headlines. As God has in the past destroyed nations in sudden overwhelming floods of justice, He is perfectly justified to do so again. But He is not required to do so, nor if He decides to do so must He hurry or delay on our own estimation of proper timing.
Back to Nahum, their devastation would come suddenly, like a flood, and would be as total and long-lasting as the night.
A second century Greek (secular) author reports “Nineveh has already been destroyed, and there is no visage of it remaining, nor can you say where formerly where it was.”