Four weeks ago, Hurricane Helene dumped massive amounts of rain in western North Carolina, destroying communities like Chimney Rock and Swannanoa, carrying away houses and vehicles, making impassable hundreds of roads, disrupting water and electric service, and trapping many thousands on rooftops or high ground. Weather forecasters accurately predicted the hurricane’s track and were not far off in rainfall estimates – but residents had lived through numerous times of heavy rainfall. Few anticipated accurately the danger, the destruction.

What would you do if caught in an overwhelming flood?

The prophet Nahum employs this imagery. Writing during the early decades of Jeremiah’s ministry or slightly before, God shows the prophet His coming judgment on the Assyrian empire, which had dominated the region for well over a hundred years. Here is the ESV of Nahum 1:7-8:

The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him. 8 But with an overflowing flood he will make a complete end of the adversaries, and will pursue his enemies into darkness.

Consider the opening phrase of verse 8 – with (or “in”) an overwhelming/overflowing flood. The Hebrew is ambiguous: Does the phrase modify how God will make a complete end of His adversaries (as reflected in the ESV), or does it continue the thought of verse 7 (“He knows those who take refuge in Him in an overwhelming flood”)?

It is not uncommon in Hebrew for a phrase to look forward and backward (this is called a Janus phrase, after the Roman god whose name gives us “January;” Janus has two faces, one looking forward, the other back.) Thus some scholars suggest that the author intends the phrase to modify both verses: “He knows those who take refuge in him in an overwhelming flood, but with an overwhelming flood he will make a complete end of His adversaries.”

With that rendering, what lesson do these verses hold for us?

We all will face an overwhelming flood. For some – such as our neighbors in western North Carolina – the flood will be literal. For the rest, the flood may concern our health, or our relationships, or our finances, or our country falling apart. Then all of us will face an overwhelming flood at the time of death.

What will you do when, inevitably, you are caught in such an overwhelming flood?

Nahum assures us: Our God is good. He always displays compassion and mercy to His people, especially in times of trouble. He is our stronghold, our fortress, our Deliverer and Savior. So when the flood comes, we must run to that fortress; we must seek refuge in Him through Jesus. Nahum tells us God “knows” those who do this – He knows our trials and troubles, He knows our weaknesses and sorrows, He cares for us and watches over us.

Verse 8 then shows us what happens to the others, to those who do not take refuge in Him. That overwhelming flood makes a complete end of them. The flood plunges them into darkness: without light, without hope, without relief.

Imagine a man in western NC whose house overlooks a lovely, bubbling brook. As Helene intensifies, the waters rise – but still do not look overly threatening. But little does he know that fallen trees are collecting against a bridge a quarter mile upstream. In a moment, the bridge collapses and the waters rise to the second floor of his house. He climbs to the roof as the current beats against the house. He knows that soon the force will rip the house off its foundation and sweep it downstream.

Just then, he hears a rumbling above him. He looks – a helicopter! And the pilot is lowering a harness to save him from the flood!

Will he put on the harness? Will he trust the rescuer?

Or will he turn away – and have the flood carry him away into darkness?

That is our situation. We will face a flood. We cannot predict exactly when it will come or what it will look like, but it is inevitable. We cannot protect ourselves. Will we depend on our one and only possible rescuer – Jesus – or will the flood carry us away into darkness?

Furthermore, our Rescuer is not only our fortress, our protector. He is also good. He is also gracious. He is also merciful. He is worth more than all the world has to offer.

So take refuge in Him! Today!

Then you will know what to do when the overwhelming flood comes upon you.

(A footnote to Nahum 1:8 in the NET was especially helpful in prompting these thoughts.)