The Book of Nahum
Lesson 37
Nahum:
Nahum prophesied about one hundred and fifty years after Jonah. Ha has the same subject as Jonah, “the destruction of Nineveh”. There is little known about the prophet Nahum. It is only surmised that he was from Galilee area and the area of Capernaum, the name (Kapher-Nahum) means Village of Nahum. Nahum addressed Judah (1:15).
Central Message:
The Lord is slow to anger, great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked (1:3).
The Structure of the Book:
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The Certainty of Nineveh’s Doom Chapter 1
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The Siege and Capture of Nineveh Chapter 2
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The Reasons for Judgment Chapter 3
The Certainty of Nineveh’s Doom Chapter 1
Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, was the world’s greatest city in Nahum’s day. It is interesting to note that two of the Minor Prophets are devoted to this city, Jonah, and Nahum. A century before, Jonah had preached to them, and now they had gone deeper in sin. In reading the two books we see the goodness of God in Jonah and His severity (strictness) in Nahum.
Note: Chapter 1:2-3, 1:6-8
Note: 1:15 and compare with Isaiah 52:7, also look at Romans 10:15
The Siege and Capture of Nineveh Chapter 2:
Nineveh is pictured as making preparation (2:1) for the attack from an alliance of the Medes, Babylonians, Scythians, and others. The battle is vividly described, the river gates opened, and the palace dissolved (2:6).
The Reasons for Judgment Chapter 3:
The chapter shows that Nineveh’s sins (v.4-60 are the causes of her judgment. Nineveh fell in 608 B.C. according to the prophecy of Nahum. So completely was Nineveh destroyed that in the 2nd Century A.D., even the site of it become uncertain. There is some comfort here (and the name Nahum means “comfort”). As we think of how the ungodly flourish and beat down the innocent, we know that God has pledged Himself to avenge in a day to come.
Note: Luke 18:7-8 and Romans 12:19