“Behold upon the mountains, the feet of Him who brings good news, who publishes peace!”
– Nahum 1:15
I should have read that with more zeal, with more enthusiasm, because that’s really what this verse is all about. So the context here in Nahum 1:15 is, here’s a prophet who is proclaiming God’s judgment. God’s coming wrath, specifically on the people of Nineveh, which was the capital of Assyria. And the Assyrians had waged a war and wreaked havoc on God’s people, specifically the Northern kingdom of Israel. Keep in mind, this is the same city where Jonah had gone to preach about God’s coming judgment. And the people of Nineveh had repented; had turned from their sin. And we actually prayed through Jonah chapter three, how God relented of the disaster He had said He would bring upon Nineveh, because of their repentance.
Since Jesus Christ has overcome the adversary, we should go to the mountains bringing the good news to those who have not heard it.
Nahum 1:15 Reminds Us of God’s Coming Judgement
But here in Nahum, the message is clear. God’s judgment is coming, and the people of Nineveh have not repented; are not repenting. And God is making clear that they will experience… They will not escape His judgment. And specifically, God’s judgment for the way the Ninevites, the Assyrians had ravaged His people. And so, in this sense, when you get to Nahum 1:15, the prophet, Nahum says, “Behold upon the mountains, the feet of Him who brings good news, who publishes peace.” So, Nineveh’s downfall, God’s judgment upon Assyria, was good news for the people whom the Assyrians were attacking. This was good news for God’s people.
This Verse Reminds Us That Peace is Coming
Now, as we think about how this verse leads us to pray, I just want to say it one more time. And now that you know the context, hear these words, “Behold upon the mountains, the feet of Him who brings good news, who publishes peace.” Basically saying, picture somebody running over the mountains saying, “War against you is over. Your enemies will not be attacking you anymore. Peace will reign in the land.” When you see somebody running and proclaiming that, that’s good news. That’s cause for celebration, an exclamation point at the end of it. So when we think about that picture, and then, just take it to a whole other level.
We Are in a Spiritual Battle
We are engaged in a spiritual battle in every single one of our lives. There is an adversary in this world, who is warring against your soul, my soul, our hearts, our minds today. Trying to pull us away from God. There is an adversary in this world, John chapter 10 makes clear. His aim is to kill, steal and destroy. And what is the gospel, but good news? That adversary has been conquered. That Jesus has come, and lived a life of perfect obedience to God. Never once giving in to temptation from the adversary. He has conquered sin. Then, He died on a cross to pay the price for sin. And when it looked like all was lost, and He had been defeated, three days later, He rose from the grave in victory over sin, in victory over Satan, in victory over death itself.
Nahum 1:15 Reminds Us to Publish Peace
This is the gospel. And behold, upon the mountains, the feet of Him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who says that peace with God is possible through faith in Jesus, and victory over sin. In this world, the enemy has been defeated. Salvation is a reality for all who trust in the Victor, for all who trust in Jesus. So let’s celebrate this gospel with an exclamation point in our minds and hearts today. And let’s proclaim this gospel. Let’s go to the mountains, to use language from Nahum 1:15. Let’s go to people right around us, and peoples around the world, and let’s proclaim good news. And let’s publish peace.
It’s the same language that’s used in Isaiah chapter 52; publish peace. Tell people that peace with God is possible through faith in Jesus. That the victory over the adversary in this world who desires to kill, steal and destroy life from you, that victory is possible through faith in Jesus. That one day, we will be in a new Heaven and a new earth, and there will be no more sin, no more struggle with sin at all. Total peace as the glory of the Lord fills the earth, as the waters cover the sea. Let’s publish that good news. Let’s bring that good news. And let’s publish that peace.
Nahum 1:15: Praising God For Bringing Peace
Oh God, we praise you. Jesus, we praise you as the one who brings us peace. Who makes peace with you possible. We praise you for your victory over temptation and we praise you for your death on the cross for our sins. And we praise you for your resurrection from the grave. We praise you for those who have proclaimed good news, and published peace to us that we might know you.
That we might commune with you right now in prayer. That we might walk with you today. We might know you and worship you. Thank you, thank you, thank you. And we thank you specifically for the feet of those who brought this good news to us. And we pray that you would cause our feet to do the same today; to bring good news to people around us, to publish peace to people around us, and to peoples around the world.
I think about the Berbers of Morocco today; almost three million of them, just a handful of believers. I think about being in Morocco, and standing on the top of a mountain, and looking around, and seeing mountains everywhere. And knowing, that as far as I could see, far as I knew, we knew, we were spending time with the one follower of Jesus in that entire area, amidst all those mountains.
Asking God to Help Us Spread the Gospel
So God, we pray for him right now. I’m not going to use specific names. You know his name, oh God. The one believer in that entire region. God, we pray that you’d bless him, as he brings good news and publishes peace on those mountains. God, we pray that you would cause the gospel to spread through him. And God, we pray that you would raise up more laborers to go alongside him. God, we pray for all of those mountains across Morocco, that the good news, and the peace that comes in Jesus would be made known all throughout those mountains. And God, that you would open eyes, ears, hearts, to believe. We pray for the spread of peace and good news in the gospel, all throughout the mountains of Morocco, among the Berber people. And God, we pray that right around us.
God, we pray this over our neighbors. We pray this over our friends. We pray this over our co-workers. And we pray this over our family members. God, we pray this over people we’ll meet today that we didn’t even plan on meeting today. Lord, help us to bring good news, and to publish peace, and to lead people. Lord, use our feet to lead people to know, and enjoy, and worship you, and find their rest in you. Oh God, we look forward to the day when peace will be complete. When there will be no more war with the adversary in this world. Come Lord Jesus. Come quickly. We pray in your name. Amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
