Study on the Book of Nahum
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Chapter 1:
Chapter 1 deals with the anger of the LORD against Nineveh.
Question 1: Who and what is Nineveh?
Answer: Nineveh was the capital of Assyria. Assyria was a known constant enemy of both Israel and Judah.
And it came to pass in the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin the king of Syria, and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up toward Jerusalem to war against it, but could not prevail against it.
King Rezin is the king of Syria and King Pekah is the king of Israel. Why would they rejoice over the king of Israel. Because believe it or not, there were times that Israel and Judah went to war against one another.
Let’s look at another scripture:
And Pul the king of Assyria came against the land: and Menahem gave Pul a thousand talents of silver, that his hand might be with him to confirm the kingdom in his hand.
In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.
Until the LORD removed Israel out of his sight, as he had said by all his servants the prophets. So was Israel carried away out of their own land to Assyria unto this day.
So these are the scriptures that led up to Israel going into captivity.
Question: Why does the LORD allow Israel to go into captivity?
Answer: Because of their unfaithfulness. They worshipped idol gods.
How did the Israelites arrive here in the first place? What led them to their unfaithfulness?
Ans:
But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites; Of the nations concerning which the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love. And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart. For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father. For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. And Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and went not fully after the LORD, as did David his father. Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon. And likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods.
And the LORD was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the LORD God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice, And had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods: but he kept not that which the LORD commanded. Wherefore the LORD said unto Solomon, Forasmuch as this is done of thee, and thou hast not kept my covenant and my statutes, which I have commanded thee, I will surely rend the kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy servant. Notwithstanding in thy days I will not do it for David thy father’s sake: but I will rend it out of the hand of thy son. Howbeit I will not rend away all the kingdom; but will give one tribe to thy son for David my servant’s sake, and for Jerusalem’s sake which I have chosen.
Let’s look a little further:
And Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephrathite of Zereda, Solomon’s servant, whose mother’s name was Zeruah, a widow woman, even he lifted up his hand against the king. And this was the cause that he lifted up his hand against the king: Solomon built Millo, and repaired the breaches of the city of David his father. And the man Jeroboam was a mighty man of valour: and Solomon seeing the young man that he was industrious, he made him ruler over all the charge of the house of Joseph. And it came to pass at that time when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, that the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him in the way; and he had clad himself with a new garment; and they two were alone in the field: And Ahijah caught the new garment that was on him, and rent it in twelve pieces: And he said to Jeroboam, Take thee ten pieces: for thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, Behold, I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to thee: (But he shall have one tribe for my servant David’s sake, and for Jerusalem’s sake, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel:) Because that they have forsaken me, and have worshipped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the children of Ammon, and have not walked in my ways, to do that which is right in mine eyes, and to keep my statutes and my judgments, as did David his father. Howbeit I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand: but I will make him prince all the days of his life for David my servant’s sake, whom I chose, because he kept my commandments and my statutes: But I will take the kingdom out of his son’s hand, and will give it unto thee, even ten tribes. And unto his son will I give one tribe, that David my servant may have a light alway before me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen me to put my name there. And I will take thee, and thou shalt reign according to all that thy soul desireth, and shalt be king over Israel. And it shall be, if thou wilt hearken unto all that I command thee, and wilt walk in my ways, and do that is right in my sight, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did; that I will be with thee, and build thee a sure house, as I built for David, and will give Israel unto thee. And I will for this afflict the seed of David, but not for ever. Solomon sought therefore to kill Jeroboam. And Jeroboam arose, and fled into Egypt, unto Shishak king of Egypt, and was in Egypt until the death of Solomon.
So what happens then, it comes to past. Solomon’s son Rehoboam becomes king and when Jeroboam hears that Rehoboam is at Shechem getting ready to become the next king, the leaders of Israel summoned him, and Jeroboam and the whole assembly of Israel to speak with Rehoboam.
They told Rehoboam that “your father was a hard task master, and he imposed harsh labor demands and heavy taxes on us. Lighten it, and we will be your royal subjects.”
But when Rehoboam consults not with the his fathers’ advisers but some young ones he replaced, they told him to make their load even heavier.
As a result, Israel rebelled and made Jeroboam king of Israel.
But there was a problem that had arise. Many of the Israelites were going to Judah to worship because the Temple was in Jerusalem. Jeroboam thought that:
When these people go to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices at the Temple of the Lord, they will again give their allegiance to King Rehoboam of Judah. They will kill me and make him their king instead.”
Look at what verse 28 says:
Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And he set the one in Bethel, and the other put he in Dan. And this thing became a sin: for the people went to worship before the one, even unto Dan. And he made an house of high places, and made priests of the lowest of the people, which were not of the sons of Levi. And Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like unto the feast that is in Judah, and he offered upon the altar. So did he in Bethel, sacrificing unto the calves that he had made: and he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places which he had made. So he offered upon the altar which he had made in Bethel the fifteenth day of the eighth month, even in the month which he had devised of his own heart; and ordained a feast unto the children of Israel: and he offered upon the altar, and burnt incense.
So Jeroboam introduces the worship of Baal and Asthroth who were regional gods of the Canaanites, Amorites, and the surrounding nations.
And from that point on.....Israel stopped worshipping the one true God and every king that sat on the throne in Israel worshipped idol gods and refused to worship the One True God Yhwh/Jehovah.
The Lord sends his prophets to preach......they preach.....they warned......they pleaded......and the people refused to listen to them.
And now judgement has come......The LORD allows the Assyrians to come in and take them into captivity.
Now......Judah who was also guilty from time to time of idol worship sees this. God allows the Assyrians to come against Judah....but he doesn’t allow them to take Judah. Why?
Ans:
Now it came to pass in the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign. Twenty and five years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name also was Abi, the daughter of Zachariah. And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that David his father did. He removed the high places, and brake the images, and cut down the groves, and brake in pieces the brasen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan. He trusted in the LORD God of Israel; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him. For he clave to the LORD, and departed not from following him, but kept his commandments, which the LORD commanded Moses. And the LORD was with him; and he prospered whithersoever he went forth: and he rebelled against the king of Assyria, and served him not. He smote the Philistines, even unto Gaza, and the borders thereof, from the tower of the watchmen to the fenced city.
So when Assyria comes to invade Judah, Hezekiah out of fear.....scrambles to obtain gold to give to the Assyrians but it is not enough.
Hezekiah is afraid and he seeks the LORD’s help.
And it came to pass, when king Hezekiah heard it, that he rent his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the LORD.
Hezekiah received a threatening letter from the King of Assyria trying to discourage him, telling him not to trust in his God, and that God was not going to hear him or save him.
But the Bible says that Hezekiah took the letter and went to the Temple and spread it out on the floor (verse 14)
And Hezekiah......the first thing he does is.......WORSHIP!!!
And Hezekiah prayed before the LORD, and said, O LORD God of Israel, which dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; thou hast made heaven and earth.
He acknowledged God for who He is......He recognizes the power and the authority that God has. He doesn’t came out the gate and praise what his enemy is doing......worships God and magnifies God over the problem that he is facing.
And that is what we have to do.
He says:
LORD, bow down thine ear, and hear: open, LORD, thine eyes, and see: and hear the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent him to reproach the living God.
He said it is true that the kings of Assyria have destroyed all these nations. They were a military giant, but Hezekiah knew that he served a God that could bring down any giant.
Then Hezekiah prays this prayer:
Now therefore, O LORD our God, I beseech thee, save thou us out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the LORD God, even thou only.
And after he prays that prayer.....the prophet Isaiah shows up with a word from the LORD.
I can’t go over everything.....but lets summon it up with this one scripture:
By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and shall not come into this city, saith the LORD. For I will defend this city, to save it, for mine own sake, and for my servant David’s sake.
And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the LORD went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses. So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh.
So we see here that, according to the scriptures that the Assyrians are in constant odds against both Israel and Judah.
There’s more......but I wanted to get the inception of the contention between Israel/Judah and Assyria.
This is why the prophet Jonah.....that’s another minor prophet book......see all of these books go hand in hand. When you start understanding the background of these books and the purpose and flow.....then you start understanding the scriptures more clearly.
Jonah did not want to prophesy to Nineveh. He wanted Nineveh destroyed.....it was the capital city of their chief enemy.
So Nahum deals with the prophesy concerning the destruction of Nineveh.