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?
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.