Old Testament survey (34): Nahum

The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him. (Nahum 1:7)

And the LORD hath given a commandment concerning thee, that no more of thy name be sown: out of the house of thy gods will I cut off the graven image and the molten image: I will make thy grave; for thou art vile. Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace! O Judah, keep thy solemn feasts, perform thy vows: for the wicked shall no more pass through thee; he is utterly cut off. (Nahum 1:14-15)

Behold, I am against thee, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will burn her chariots in the smoke, and the sword shall devour thy young lions: and I will cut off thy prey from the earth, and the voice of thy messengers shall no more be heard. (Nahum2:13)

There is no healing of thy bruise; thy wound is grievous: all that hear the bruit of thee shall clap the hands over thee: for upon whom hath not thy wickedness passed continually? (Nahum3:19)

Overview

[1] Nahum, from Thru The Bible Radio with Dr. J. Vernon McGee ©, with free downloads Notes & Outlines (PDF), Complete 5-Year Study (MP3)

What we do have in the Book of Nahum is a remarkable prophecy, but one which seems very much out–of–date. To begin with, we know very little about Nahum personally, and he has just one theme: the judgment of Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrian Empire. This is all his prophecy is about, and it has already been fulfilled; so how can this book be meaningful to us today? How can it fit into our common and contemporary culture? Does Nahum have a message for us? The remarkable thing about the Word of God is that no matter where we turn we find a message for us. Some is specifically directed to us, but all of it is for us—that is, it has a message for us.

This is the picture that is given of Nineveh, and this is the message of Nahum. A great world power, Assyria, with Nineveh as its capital, had a message from God. They turned to God and served God for a period of time. I do not know how long they served Him, but after 100 to 150 years had gone by, they were right back where they were before. Now God is going to judge them. The question arises: Is He right in doing it? Nahum will say that He is not only right in doing it, but that He is also good when He does it. Some folk think the Book of Nahum should be called “Ho hum”! However, Nahum is a thrilling book to study because it reveals the other side of the attributes of God. God is love, but God is also holy and righteous and good. And God still moves in the lives of nations; therefore, this book speaks right into where we are today. (Read the complete article)

[2] Book of Nahum, from gotquestions.org (this website is also available in Afrikaans, Arabic, Bengali, Burmese-Myanmar, Cebuano, Chinese - Simplified, Chinese – Traditional, Hausa, Hindi, Indonesian, Japanese, Khmer, Korean, Malaysian, Persian-Farsi, Portuguese, Quechua, Sesotho, Spanish, Swahili, Tagalog, Tamil, Thai, Urdu, Vietnamese, Zulu, and 70 other languages)

Nahum did not write this book as a warning or “call to repentance” for the people of Nineveh. God had already sent them the prophet Jonah 150 years earlier with His promise of what would happen if they continued in their evil ways. The people at that time had repented but now lived just as bad if not worse than they did before. The Assyrians had become absolutely brutal in their conquests (hanging the bodies of their victims on poles and putting their skin on the walls of their tents among other atrocities). Now Nahum was telling the people of Judah to not despair because God had pronounced judgment and the Assyrians would soon be getting just what they deserved.

God is patient and slow to anger. He gives every country time to proclaim Him as their Lord. But He is not mocked. Any time a country turns away from Him to serve its own motives, He steps in with judgment. (Read the complete article)

[3] Nahum, from Scofield Reference Notes (1917 Edition)

Nahum prophesied during the reign of Hezekiah, probably about one hundred and fifty years after Jonah. He has but one subject--the destruction of Nineveh. According to Diodorus Siculus, the city was destroyed nearly a century later, precisely as here predicted. The prophecy is one continuous strain which does not yield to analysis. The moral theme is: the holiness of Jehovah which must deal with sin in judgment.

Discussion

[1] The term or expression “wrath of God” occurs in ten verses in the KJV:

“The wrath of God came upon them, and slew the fattest of them, and smote down the chosen [men] of Israel.” (Psalm 78:31)

“He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” (John 3:36)

“For the wrath of God is Revelationealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness.” (Romans 1:18)

“Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.” (Ephesians 5:6)

“For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience.” (Colossians 3:6)

“The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb.” (Revelation 14:10)

“And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast [it] into the great winepress of the wrath of God.” (Revelation 14:19)

“And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God.” (Revelation 15:1)

“And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever.” (Revelation 15:7)

“And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.” (Revelation 16:1)

[2] The anger of God, from Torrey’s New Topical Textbook

• Averted by Christ (Luke 2:11,14; Romans 5:9; 2 Corinthians 5:18,19; Ephesians 2:14,17; Colossians 1:20; 1 Thessalonians 1:10)
• Is averted from them that believe (John 3:14-18; Romans 3:25; 5:1)
• Is averted upon confession of sin and repentance (Job 33:27,28; Psalm 106:43-45; Jeremiah 3:12,13; 18:7,8; 31:18-20; Joel 2:12-14; Luke 15:18-20)
• Is slow (Psalm 103:8; Isaiah 48:9; Jonah 4:2; Nahum 1:3)
• Is righteous (Psalm 58:10,11; Lamentations 1:18; Romans 2:6,8; 3:5,6; Revelation 16:6,7)
• The justice of, not to be questioned (Romans 9:18,20,22)
• Manifested in terrors (Exodus 14:24; Psalm 76:6-8; Jeremiah 10:10; Lamentations 2:20-22)
• Manifested in judgments and afflictions (Job 21:17; Psalm 78:49-51; 90:7; Isaiah 9:19; Jeremiah 7:20; Ezekiel 7:19; Hebrews 3:17)
• Cannot be resisted (Job 9:13; 14:13; Psalm 76:7; Nahum 1:6)
• Aggravated by continual provocation (Numbers 32:14)
• Specially reserved for the day of wrath (Zephaniah 1:14-18; Matthew 25:41; Romans 2:5,8; 2 Thessalonians 1:8; Revelation 6:17; 11:18; 19:15)

Further study (Be like the Bereans! Acts 17:11)

[1] When God Is Your Enemy – Commentary On The Book Of Nahum, by Paul G. Apple,

[2] Materials by David Malick

• An Argument of the Book of Nahum (download Word doc)
• An Introduction to the Book of Nahum (download Word doc)

[3] The Book of Nahum, by Greg Herrick (this study also includes a teaching outline at the end; download Word doc)

[4] Nahum, by Richard D. Patterson

[5] The Minor Prophets, by J. Hampton Keathley III

Sermons on Nahum (Be like the Bereans! Acts 17:11)

[1] God is Love .. but that’s not all - Living in Light of His Wrath and Love, by Philip G Layton, Gold Country Baptist Church

[2] A Recipe for Thankfulness, by Bruce Goettsche

[3] The Holy Wrath of God, by Richard D. Williams

[4] Sermons by Paul Hawkins

• Nahum 1, Nah 1:1–15
• Nahum 2, Nah 1:1–15
• Nahum 3, Nah 2:1–13
• Nahum 4, Nah 3:1–7
• Nahum 5, Nah 3:8–19, Rev 18:10–20

[5] Seeing God In a Summer Storm, by Robert L. Cobb

For other available sermons, please surf to Sermon / Preaching resources. Sermons are also available from South McGehee Baptist Church, McGehee, Arizona; Central Baptist Church, Lowesville; First Baptist Church, Mountain View, Missouri; Swift Creek Baptist Church; Word of Life Baptist Church, Pottsville, Philadelphia; Palm Springs Baptist Church, California; South Woods Baptist Church; Grove Baptist Church, Ulster; Dudley Baptist Church, United Kingdom; Independent Fundamental Baptist Sermons, Fundamental Christian Radio Broadcasts, Off-Site Audio Page and The Christian Radio Tuner

Notes: (1) This ministry does not necessarily endorse or share all the views and opinions expressed in the materials, resources or links mentioned in these posts. Please always refer to the Articles of Faith and Biblical distinctives of Baptists when you study these materials. (2) This lesson is part of the projected 300 plus lessons. From time to time, the lessons will be updated, revised, combined, formatted, and edited to comply with the VOA Simplified English word list. Later on, these lessons will be categorized, numbered sequentially, and made available as PDF downloads.