This exegesis of Nahum 1 explores the relationship of a poem to subsequent chapters that describe the rise and challenge to Assyrian control of Nineveh. Past scholars debated whether this is actually an acrostic poem and where it should end. Renz proposes that the poem is written in alphabetic sequence, broken symmetrically. Renz argues that the intention is to communicate divine order and chaos. YHWH had a hand in both the destruction and protection of the city, evidenced by the flood motif in Nahum 2.