This week, we shall finish the study of the book of Nahum and the book of Habakkuk, and begin the study of the book of Zephaniah the Old Testament.
The oracle against Nineveh concludes with vivid depictions of her fate and a reiteration of her sins:
(1) The sinful city (v. 1)
a. What are the marks of Nineveh?
b. Which country in recent history might bear the same marks?
(2) The sound and sight of her destroyers (vv. 2-3)
a. In his vision, what does the prophet hear concerning the destroyers?
b. What does the prophet see?
c. How fitting is it when you consider the marks of this city?
(3) The double sins of prostitution (harlotry) and witchcraft are pointed out (v. 4)
a. The sin of prostitution in the OT often refers to the unfaithfulness of Israel in the breach of her covenantal relationship with God: Since Gentile nations do not have such a covenantal relationship with God, how did Nineveh “enslave nations by her prostitution”?
b. If prostitution is a metaphor for enslavement, what does witchcraft point to?
(4) Fitting punishment of a whore (vv. 5-7)
a. As a metaphor, what kind of punishment will she receive that befits her sins?
b. What in fact will Nineveh face as her punishment?
(5) Thebes—her example (vv. 8-10; see Note below)
a. How does the Lord describe the apparent invincibility of Thebes?
b. What fate did she meet with?
(6) Nineveh’s fate will be the same (vv. 11-13)
a. In telling Nineveh that she is no better, what image does the Lord use to show her weakness? (v. 12)
b. Will Nineveh believe that will be her fate, given the fact the Thebes was basically wiped out by their Assyrians forefathers in 661 B.C.?
(7) Taunting of Nineveh (vv. 14-17)
a. How does the Lord taunt Nineveh once again? (v. 14)
b. What is the metaphor used to describe the futility of their effort to defend the city? (v. 15)
c. What is one of the prideful successes of Nineveh highlighted here? (v. 16)
d. What does the Lord use to tell of the scattering of their merchants and even their guards and officials? (vv. 16-18)
(8) Her wounds will be fatal (vv. 18-19)
a. While their merchants, guards and officials flee, what about their shepherds (i.e. rulers who should gather the scattered flock) and their nobles?
b. Since even Israel has hope for their return to their own land (as prophesied by numerous prophets), will Assyria have similar hope?
c. What does Isaiah say about the eventual future of Assyria? (see Isa. 20:23-25) What does Isaiah mean?
(9) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
Note:
Thebes was the city in Upper Egypt in which the Pharaohs of the 18th and 20th dynasties resided. This former Royal city of Egypt was known for her works of architecture admired by the Greeks and Romans and her fortified cities which fell to the Assyrian king, Ashurbanipal in 663 B.C. Nineveh fell eventually to the Babylonians and her allies in 612 B.C.
“Nothing can heal your wound; your injury is fatal.” (Nah. 3:19)
As I was reading the oracle of Nahum against Nineveh, I could not help but wonder why God would bother to sound out warnings to the Assyrians? Are they not idol-worshippers? Is their fate not sealed anyway?
Perhaps, since the Lord, the God of human history, has allowed Assyria to dominate the civilized world for such an unusually long period of time, He feels the need to show that after all He is the one who is in complete control of history. As much as we may not understand all the reasons behind each successive era in history, the book of Nahum does clearly show that God is indeed in complete control. Kingdoms do rise and fall at His command.
Since Assyria has put an end to the unfaithful Northern Kingdom of Israel and has continued to threaten the Southern Kingdom of Judah, taunting not only King Hezekiah, but God Himself (Isa. 36-37), it is only fitting that they meet their just end as God’s enemy. This book, therefore, serves as a comfort to God’s Chosen people and as a warning to all nations and their leaders, reminding them of the need for them to humble themselves before God and even turn away from their gods and trust in Him.
This is always the desire of God not only to sound out stern warning, but to draw even the most heart-hardened people to Him. He did this about a century ago before Nahum, through the prophet Jonah sent to the very city of Nineveh causing their king to repent (see the book of Jonah and the reference to Jonah in 2 Ki. 14:25). Who knows if the words through Nahum might produce the same result?
As it turned out, the Assyrians did not repent, thus they met their fate in 633 B.C. and fell in the hands of the Nebuchadnezzar and his allies. However, Isaiah prophesies that one day, even Assyria, (i.e. the region of modern-day Iraqi and its neighbors) will turn to God, obviously through faith in His Son Jesus Christ with these words:
“The Egyptians and Assyrians will worship together. In that day, Israel will be the third, along with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing on the earth. The Lord Almighty will bless them, saying, ‘Blessed be Egypt my people, Assyria my handiwork, and Israel my inheritance'.” (Isa. 19:23-25)