And this is a stretch for me because I don't particularly like the book of Nahum. Martin Luther didn't like the book of James and would have liked to remove it. And if I were king of the world, I'd order the book of Nahum to be stricken but I'm not and it isn't, so there we are.
But I don't think I'm alone in my discomfort with the prophet Nahum. He's not included in any of the various church lectionaries. There probably aren't many preachers preaching from Nahum. It's part of what James McGrath might call the "Shadow Bible".
I don't know why those who developed the lectionaries chose to leave out Nahum but I usually avoid him because he's so bitter. His name, ironically, means "comfort" (like Noah) but there's precious little comfort in the book.
Nahum delivered his prophecies to the Assyrians in Nineveh, warning them of the imminent destruction of their city and of their empire. But he didn't just warn them of their coming comeuppance. He reveled in it. You can almost hear Nahum squealing with delight as he describes the carnage and devastation and slaughter. He seems to enjoy the fact that they're about to get what's coming to them.
And while I can recognize the desire for righteous justice, isn't there something in the bible about loving one's enemies, and love not delighting in evil....
I don't like Nahum. I think he obscures as much (if not MORE) than he reveals about God.
So why am I preparing to preach from him?
1- I don't want to get too comfortable preaching my favorite six parts of the bible.
2 - I want to help my congregation have a more complete understanding of what is in the bible - even the ugly bits.
So I'm working with Nahum, at least for one week.
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