Nahum
All we know about Nahum is his name which means consolation or comforter, and that he was from Elkosh. While there is a tomb of Nahum in a city near the Assyrian (Iraqi) city of Mosul revered by both Christians and Muslims, the Jewish tradition about Elkosh points to a city in Galilee as supported by the 4th century’s church father, Cyril.
While the book concerns itself with warnings and rebukes of Nineveh, the Assyrian Capital, its purpose is on giving comfort to Judah in assuring God’s judgment of her cruel and godless enemy. It appears the best dating of this book, judging from its contents, is after the exile of the ten tribes and the defeat of Sennacherib in front of Jerusalem in the latter part of the reign of Hezekiah (see Isa. 37, especially verses 36-38). This likely furnished the occasion of this prophecy that found its fulfillment in the capture of Nineveh by the Babylonians and their allies in 612 B.C.
1:5—The Introduction
(1) Who the Lord is (vv. 2-3a)
a. How does the Lord introduce Himself in v. 2?
b. To whom is this introduction directed? (v. 2b)
c. However, there is another side to Him:
- What is it? (v. 3a; see Exod. 34:6-7)
- Do you think this character of the Lord is meant only for the Israelites? Why or why not?
(2) The God over heavens and earth (vv. 3b-5)
a. The wind, storm and cloud (v. 3b): What does v. 3b seek to convey? (see Ps. 104:3-4; 78:26)
b. The sea and rivers(v. 4a):
- How has God demonstrated this authority in the past? (Exod. 14:21; Jos. 3:14ff)
- Did God only demonstrate His authority over nature in the Old Testament? (see Matt. 8:23ff)
c. Bashan, Carmel and Lebanon (v. 4b)
- What will happen to these three noted regions known for their fruitfulness and beauty?
- By the time of Nahum, these former places of the Northern Kingdom had fallen into the hands of the Assyrians (e.g. 2 Ki. 15:29): What might be the purpose in citing them in this message?
d. Mountains, hills, earth and the world (v. 5)
- The quaking of the mountains: Of which incident would the readers of Nahum be reminded? (Exod. 19:16-18)
- Together with all of the above, what is the message of this introduction? (v. 5b)
1:6-11—The Character of God Applied
(3) V. 3a speaks of God’s great power and His punishment of the guilty: Given His power expressed in His control over nature, what conclusion is drawn concerning those who provoke His anger? (v. 6)
(4) But to those who choose to trust in Him, what will they find in the Lord? (v. 7)
(5) Which side of God’s character have you experienced?
(6) Nineveh—His enemy (vv. 8-11)
a. What images does the Lord use to describe their demise? (v. 8)
b. Who is the one who has openly plotted against God’s people? (v. 11; see Isa. 36:1)
c. What will his plots lead to? (v. 10)
d. What is God’s message to Judah and how was it fulfilled? (v. 9; see Isa. 37:36-38)
1:12-15—The Good News to Judah
(7) Should Judah fear such a formidable enemy? (vv. 12-13) Why or why not?
(8) How utter will the destruction of Nineveh be? (v. 14)
(9) Why does the Lord specifically target their idols and the temple of their gods?
(10) The good news of the complete destruction of the enemies:
a. It is given within the framework of their celebration of festivals and the fulfillment of their vows to God: Why is that?
b. What is the ultimate good news being proclaimed? (v. 15a)
c. What does this good news of “shalom” ultimately point to? (see Isa. 52:7; Rom. 10:15)
(11) What is the message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“Look, there on the mountains, the feet of one who brings good news, who proclaims peace! Celebrate your festivals, Judah, and fulfill your vows. No more will the wicked invade you; they will be completely destroyed.” (Nah. 1:15)
While Nineveh is the target of the prophetic warnings and rebukes in Nahum, the message of the book is directed primarily to Judah. Since this is the case, it is safe to assume that the Northern Kingdom by then is no more, while Assyria is still a dominating world power. That fits quite clearly into the latter part of the reign of the Judean king of Hezekiah in Isaiah 36-37 during which time the Assyrians, under king Sennacherib, besieged Jerusalem only to be defeated by the Lord and Sennacherib was soon assassinated in the temple of his god (Isa. 37:38). Internal strife ensued which led to their defeat by the Babylonians and their allies in B.C. 612. As a result, after the invasion in the time of Hezekiah, the Assyrians posted no significant threat to Judah, fulfilling Nahum’s prophecy that “Whatever they plot against the LORD He will bring to an end; trouble will not come a second time.” (1:9).
Indeed, the message of deliverance by Nahum fits perfectly the meaning of his name, the “comforter”. However, the Lord makes it clear that the “peace” that will be brought upon Judah because of His deliverance is not just the absence of wars or enemies but the “shalom” that comes from the celebration of their festivals and the fulfillment of their vows before the Lord (1:15). This points to the ultimate meaning of peace, which is a restored relationship with their God.
These days, people hunger for freedom and world peace, but the peace and freedom they pursue is one that will enable them to live as they please, to pursue all kinds of indulgence and licentiousness, and worse, to worship whatever gods and idols they prefer, including atheism. Such peace will certainly not last. What is worse is that their peace is only an illusion that ushers them “into the realm of darkness”, following the footsteps of the Assyrians (1:8).
The second chapter continues with a vivid portrayal of both the attacking army of the Babylonians and their allies, and the destruction of Nineveh:
2:1—Taunting the Assyrians
(1) The Lord is obviously taunting the Assyrians:
a. How did they taunt Hezekiah and his people before? (see Isaiah 36:4-10; 37:8-13)
b. Is it not appropriate for the Lord to taunt them in return? Why or why not?
2:2—The Comfort to Israel
(2) What has happened to the Northern Kingdom in the hands of Assyria? (2 Ki. 17:5-6)
(3) What promise does the Lord make to them now?
2:3-4—The Splendor of the Invading Army
(4) What does the description of the colors of the shields, armors and chariots seek to depict about the invading Babylonians and their allies?
(5) What does the movement of the chariot depict?
2:5-10—The Defenseless Assyrians
(6) What resistance will the Assyrians put up? (v. 5)
(7) Will they be able to resist the invading armies? (v. 6)
(8) Why is their fate unavoidable? (v. 7)
(9) What does the imagery of a pool seek to portray of its destruction? (v. 8)
(10) What will happen to the huge wealth of Assyria? (v. 9)
(11) How does v. 10 depict the horror of her destruction?
2:11-13—Mocking Nineveh
(12) What is Nineveh likened to?
(13) How fitting is it given the long and dominating history of Assyria? (see note below)
(14) Why does the Lord specifically make mention about their messengers? (v. 13b; see Isa. 36:11-12)
(15) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
Note:
Assyria is one of the dominating world powers in the ancient Near East, from as early as the 25th century to the end of the 7th century B.C. At its height, the Empire encompassed the whole of the modern nations of Iraq, Syria, Egypt, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain, Palestine and Cyprus, together with large swathes of Iran, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Sudan, Libya, Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan.
“I am against you…I will leave you no prey on the earth. The voices of your messengers will no longer be heard.” (Nah. 2:13)
In the study of the books of prophecy in the Old Testament, we are often confronted with the challenge to discern between prophetic words that speak to the near future and those that point to the End-times. In the book of Nahum, we do not have such a problem. The message deals primarily with the demise of Assyria which would take place within roughly a hundred years (between roughly 700-612 B.C.). As a result, we may find it less relevant to us. However, this is not true.
Apart from the fact that the message must have given great comfort to Judah who had been greatly humiliated by the Assyrians during the reign of Hezekiah (Isa. 36-37), and who had witnessed the total destruction of their Northern Kingdom at their hands (2 Ki. 17:5-6), it also carries a timely message for us today.
The immediate audience of Nahum is being comforted to know that as formidable an enemy as the Assyrians are:
- There are more glorious empires in the world whose splendors are depicted by the colors of their shields, armors and chariots (2:3);
- There are more potent powers in the world whose strength is demonstrated in their well-equipped and more efficient war machines (2:4); and thus,
- Even when Nineveh appears to be invincible and fearless like lions in the lions’ den, they will be plundered and obliterated to the point that they would cease to be a threat to others (with no prey for them on earth) and their bragging voices will be heard no more (2:13).
Such is the fate of Nineveh who has chosen to become an enemy of God. Likewise, to all dictators or world powers, to all extremely successful business entrepreneurs or conglomerates and to all successful sports teams: They should know that there are always powers, businesses or teams more glamorous, more powerful, and more gifted to overtake them. Should they choose to trust in themselves and become enemies of God, they will soon be obliterated from the face of the earth and their bragging voices will be heard no more.