by: Suzi Visser
As I continue through the closing chapter of Nahum, the prophet is speaking specifically of Assyria and the certainty of God’s judgment upon its cruelty. Yet, as with so many prophetic texts, I cannot help but see echoes that foreshadow the final fate of all who persist in rejecting the Lord and His Light.
This morning one particular image captured my attention.
Nahum compares Assyria’s officials to locusts: “Your courtiers are like locusts, your officials are like a swarm of locusts! They encamp on the walls on a cold day, yet when the sun rises, they fly away; and no one knows where they are.”
Nahum 3:17 (NET)
The timing of this passage could not have been more striking. Over the past several days I have repeatedly discovered cicada shells clinging to the plants in our Brassica house. While cicadas are not locusts, they are among their closest relatives in our region, and their remarkable life cycle immediately came to mind.
For years, a cicada nymph lives hidden beneath the surface of the earth. It grows in the unseen world until the appointed time arrives. Then it climbs a tree or other vertical surface, splits its rigid shell, and emerges as a winged adult, leaving behind nothing but a hollow, brittle exuvia—the empty shell of its former life.
As I considered that transformation, the imagery became deeply thought-provoking.
Something hidden beneath the surface quietly develops, unseen by most. Then, at the appointed moment, it emerges suddenly, filling the air with its persistent noise and leaving its mark on everything around it.
It reminded me of the unseen work of the spiritual realm. Evil often advances quietly and unnoticed before it suddenly manifests itself in ways that are impossible to ignore. We tend to focus on what is visible, yet Scripture repeatedly reminds us that there is an unseen battle taking place behind the scenes.
Nahum adds another fascinating detail. These locusts gather while it is cold, but when the sun rises they disappear. Whether intended symbolically or not, it caused me to reflect on a timeless biblical truth: darkness never prevails in the presence of light.
Jesus Himself declared:
“For nothing is hidden that will not be revealed, and nothing concealed that will not be made known and brought to light.” Luke 8:17 (NET)
What is concealed will one day be exposed. What flourishes in darkness cannot withstand the Light forever.
Jesus is the Light of the world—and He is our Living Hope.
Nahum then returns to the king of Assyria with words that carry an eerie parallel for every generation that chooses to ignore God’s warnings:
“Your shepherds are sleeping, O king of Assyria! Your officers are slumbering! Your people are scattered like sheep on the mountains, and there is no one to regather them! Your destruction is like an incurable wound; your demise is like a fatal injury! All who hear what has happened to you will clap their hands for joy, for no one ever escaped your endless cruelty!”
Nahum 3:18–19 (NET)
Sleeping shepherds. Slumbering leaders. Scattered people.
It is a sobering picture of what happens when discernment is lost and truth is abandoned.
As I walked through the Brassica house, those empty cicada shells hanging beneath the leaves became more than remnants of an insect’s life cycle. They became a quiet reminder for my own heart.
Wake up.
Remain spiritually alert.
Discern the times.
Walk in the Light.
Father, open the eyes of my understanding and grant me revelation through Your Word. Sharpen my discernment by the constant indwelling and leading of Your Holy Spirit. Help me to recognize both the opportunities You place before me and the schemes of the enemy that seek to distract or deceive. Clothe me each day with the full armor of God so that I may stand firm, walk faithfully, and bring glory to Your name. By Your grace alone, prepare me for whatever this day, this week, and the years ahead may hold.
Amen ~ Let It Be So!
#JesusIsOurLivingHope
