Nahum: A Prophet of Doom (Nahum 1:11) - Worthless Counselors

¹¹ From you came one

    who plotted evil against the Lord,

    a worthless counselor.

Can there be anything worse than a “worthless counselor”? Something you are have seen or heard or experienced has greatly disturbed you. Why has this happened? What should I do? How do I handle it? You need some help, some guidance.

So, you find someone who professes to be a counselor to assist you in sorting out these disturbances in your life. However, your advisor leads you down the wrong path. He gives you a bad interpretation of your situation. You gladly accept his counsel only to find out (much later!), his advice has only created more turmoil for your life. Now, you are worse off than you were.

What a horrible thought! Yet, this happens all the time in our society. People are confused and/or disturbed. They are running to their relatives, friends, government officials, or therapists for help. But, what they receive does nothing to resolve their problems. In fact, their counsel only makes things worse.

Perhaps something similar happened in Nineveh. Destruction is coming, cries the prophet of God. What do we do? How should we live? Some “wicked advisor” (perhaps the king?) appears and offers counsel. However, his counsel is against God’s counsel. His advice is merely an evil rebellion of God’s advice.

Being quite literal, the translation of this one verse would read something like this: “From you one comes out thinking against YAHWEH evil, one advising wickedness.”

Is this not our society today?

“I’m single and pregnant. What should I do?” Our “counselors” tell us “Get an abortion”.

“I’m a woman who loves another woman. What should I do?” “Accept your sexuality. Enjoy your partner. If possible, get married.”

“My parents want me to go to church. But the church is full of hypocrites. What should I do?” “Your parents are from another time and just don’t understand. If you want to hear a preacher, just turn on the TV and listen from home.”

“I’m a woman trapped in a man’s body. What should I do?” “Take any and all steps you need to take in order to live your life as you wish to live it.”

“I’m so bored and depressed with life. I’m useless. What do I do?” “Here are some pills that will help you cope.”

“I’m in love with a woman who is not my wife. What should I do?” “Divorce your present wife so your life can be happy living with your new love.”

On and on it goes in twenty-first century America. Counselors are everywhere offering advice that contradicts the counsel of God. Anyone who offers such counsel is plotting evil against the one true God. They are a worthless counselor.

Have you pursued the wicked counsel of such counselors? Are you listening to society’s advice instead of God’s? The Word of the Lord provides us with the wisdom and guidance we need to live this life. Why seek advice from those who oppose the Lord? Where is the wisdom in such behavior?

God has revealed that each of us is a sinner. We stand condemned in our rebellion against God. Judgment is coming upon us as it did upon Nineveh. We cannot escape that judgment. Heeding the counsel of the wicked will not alter that fact.

But Jesus Christ can change your future! Repent of your sins (turn from them) and trust Jesus and you will be spared from future judgment. Study God’s Word and strive to live your life daily for Christ. God has the solutions for our problems.

And leave the godless counselors behind.

Nahum: A Prophet of Doom (Nahum 1:10) - Thorns, Drunkards, Stubble

¹⁰ For they are like entangled thorns,

    like drunkards as they drink;

    they are consumed like stubble fully dried.

Practical jokes were a common feature of college life. This was especially true for those of us living in the dorms. Our dorm-mates, including our roommates, were constantly plotting harmless pranks against one another. You see, you wanted to pull off the prank but have some way to give yourself an alibi. This way, you could repeat the prank at various times without your victim knowing who was responsible.

Thus, it is with schemers. Some in Nineveh were developing the plans against Yahweh. When His judgment fell, they believed they would, somehow, deceive the Lord and not receive the punishment.

Nahum disagrees. They will not escape. To prove his point, he describes such plotters using three illustrations of such individuals.

First, they are “entangled thorns”. Such thorns are sharp and painful on all sides. No matter how you grab them, they hurt. The contrivers are like that. They are evil, wicked, angry, furious, outspoken at ever turn. Every characteristic of their behavior is like that of a thorn.

Second, they are “drinking drunkards”. A drunkard has already lost all self-control. They can’t even walk across a room in a straight line. Furthermore, they are oblivious to their surroundings. And those in Nineveh devising their plans against the Lord have not only lost self-control and awareness, they continue to drink!

Lastly, they are fully dried stubble. Such matter catches fire quickly and burns completely. It will be fully consumed.

To believe you can escape the Lord’s judgment by some ill-devised plan is foolishness. You may be as wicked (or even more so) than the entangled thorns of the Assyrians, yet you will be consumed. You may have lost all self-control and awareness of your eternal state, but that will not excuse you on that last day. Your thorns and your drunken stupor place you in the condition of fully dried stubble. When God’s judgment falls, you will be consumed.

Some of us are like those in Nineveh. We live our lives every day, oblivious to God and His Word. We do what we want to do and, at times, are aware what we do is wrong or even wicked. Each of us is like a ball of entangled thorns.

From day to day, we stumble through life as though we are drinking drunkards. We are unaware of God, His Word, and His coming judgment. We have lost all self-control and the ability to change our behavior and our future.

If we would look at our lives from God’s perspective, we would see ourselves as fully dried stubble. All that awaits our consummation is a match! That match, God’s fire, is coming. We will burn. We will be punished. We will be destroyed throughout eternity.

Praise God, He has provided us with a way out! Jesus has lived and died for sinners. He has borne the punishment for every sin committed by those given to Him by the Father. Now, He calls on us to repent (turn from our wicked ways) and believe (trust) in Him.

Will you call upon Jesus this day?