"Are you better than Thebes?...You also will be drunken, you will go into hiding; you will seek a refuge from your enemies" (vs. 8 and 11).
Many times in the Bible, people thought that things could never change, that whatever their circumstances were at the time would last forever. Egypt would always have the Israelite as slaves. Canaan would perpetually belong to the Jebusites and various other tribes. The Assyrian Empire would endure. Solomon's Temple would stand for all time. The Babylonian Empire would last forever. Herod's Temple was sure to always be there. The Roman Empire would be eternal. Etc. Etc. Etc.
The book of Nahum tells of Nineveh's destruction, and, with it, the Assyrian Empire. Chapter three describes the culmination of this devastation. When that happened, the world changed. Yes, Judah was spared. But those who destroyed the Assyrians would one day come knocking on Judah's gates themselves.
I believe the lesson for us today is to remember that nothing lasts forever. At least, nothing of this world. There is something that God has promised us that will endure into eternity. We can lay up a treasure in heaven where thieves do not break in and steal, and moth and rust do not destroy.
In the meantime, everything we see around us is temporary. No matter how strong or great the forces on earth may appear (legal, military, or otherwise), they are only a breath away from being gone. But our Lord and His people? They last forever!
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