Study of the Book of Nahum (Part 2)
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Introduction:
So we have studied other books leading up to the study of Nahum. The main idea or the main theme of the book of Nahum is the prophecy concerning Nineveh.
Nineveh is the capital city of Assyria. The Assyrians have been constant enemies of both the Israelites and the Jews. But the LORD uses Assyria as a rod of correction to judge the Israelites for their idolatry:
O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is mine indignation.
And again:
Shall I not, as I have done unto Samaria and her idols, so do to Jerusalem and her idols? Wherefore it shall come to pass, that when the Lord hath performed his whole work upon mount Zion and on Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his high looks. For he saith, By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom; for I am prudent: and I have removed the bounds of the people, and have robbed their treasures, and I have put down the inhabitants like a valiant man: And my hand hath found as a nest the riches of the people: and as one gathereth eggs that are left, have I gathered all the earth; and there was none that moved the wing, or opened the mouth, or peeped.
So number one, the Assyrians who God allowed and God used to execute judgement fail to humble themselves and acknowledge God. They are proud, they are unrepentant, they are idol worshippers and fail to give glory to God.
The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.
Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.
A man’s pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit.
Define “Pride” and or “Proud”
Ans: The lifting up of ones self. Arrogance, haughtiness, swelling. The New Testament describes it as appearing to be above others. A swollen estimation of one’s self in comparison to others.
Examples:
You look better than others.
You dress better than others.
You sing better than others.
You know more than others.
You are more holy than others.
You have more money than others.
And because of this swollen estimation of one’s self in comparison to others, you look at others as less than you, you’re insolent, you’re trying to be better than others, you’re trying to out-do others.
And the worst of the worst is when you put yourself above God or you think that what you have, what you have achieved in life is because of all the hard work you’ve done, but in reality if you are successful in anything it is only because of the grace of God!
They rejoiced not only over conquering God’s people, but they rejoiced over conquering other lands as well. They were a strong, militaristic, vast empire that was on the brink of collapse and the LORD was going to bring them down.
God used the Assyrians to execute his judgement on Israel.
So what is the purpose of God doing this to Israel?
We find the answer in verse 20:
And it shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and such as are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more again stay upon him that smote them; but shall stay upon the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, in truth. The remnant shall return, even the remnant of Jacob, unto the mighty God. For though thy people Israel be as the sand of the sea, yet a remnant of them shall return: the consumption decreed shall overflow with righteousness. For the Lord GOD of hosts shall make a consumption, even determined, in the midst of all the land.
Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD of hosts, O my people that dwellest in Zion, be not afraid of the Assyrian: he shall smite thee with a rod, and shall lift up his staff against thee, after the manner of Egypt. For yet a very little while, and the indignation shall cease, and mine anger in their destruction.
Let’s deal with Nahum chapter 1:
The burden of Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.
God is jealous, and the LORD revengeth; the LORD revengeth, and is furious; the LORD will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies. The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the LORD hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet. He rebuketh the sea, and maketh it dry, and drieth up all the rivers: Bashan languisheth, and Carmel, and the flower of Lebanon languisheth. The mountains quake at him, and the hills melt, and the earth is burned at his presence, yea, the world, and all that dwell therein. Who can stand before his indignation? and who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? his fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by him.
These verses deal with the character of God. If we are to know who God is, we need to know what God is like.
Just like there are many sides to us, because we are complex creatures, there are many sides to God.
Everyone is different:
For example, I’m usually a quiet reserved person. But I can talk if the right conversation engages me. I can be quiet, but when I preach or teach I’m anything but quiet.
I’m easy-going and usual patient, but when my patience is tested you’ll see a side of me that you did not think was there.
Nahum writes about the characteristics of God. Often times as leaders we describe God as loving, kind, patient, peaceable. But you need to know that there too is another side of God that commands FEAR......not cowardice but reverence.
Nahum begins to list the qualities of God the command reverence of God:
The Lord is a jealous God, filled with vengeance and rage. This jealousy is not the same as human jealousy which has the ability to hurt and harm. When God says he is jealous, it means that he desires to have an exclusive relationship with that nation (Israel, Judah, the Church) or that individual person. He won’t tolerate the worship of other gods, He won’t tolerate that nation or that person placing their trust in another nation or another person. Concerning “filled with vengeance and rage” it means that God is not going to tolerate anyone or anything that does something to destroy that in which He loves.
The LORD takes vengeance on His adversaries, and he reserves wrath for His enemies.
The LORD is slow to anger and great power (God never loses his temper), and he never lets the guilty go unpunished. God is patience, He allows a person to come to their senses before he releases his anger. He allows a person a whole life time to get it right with Him before He sentences them to the Lake of Fire. He allows us to come to our senses before He allows disaster to strikes, He’s not willing that any should perish but that all come to repentance.
He displays his power in the whirlwind (tornado or hurricane), the billowing clouds or storm clouds are the dust beneath his feet.
He has power to yell at the sea and the sea dries up, all the rivers run dry.
God has power to make the mountains shrivel, God has power to make the mountains quake in their roots, and hills to dissolve into mud flats.
The world is upheaved by His presence, who can stand before His indignation? Who can endure his burning anger?
His wrath is poured out like fire or a river of lava and his fury shatters rocks/boulders.
What we see happen in nature, what we see happen in space is nothing but a glimpse of the power that God has. HE HAS GREAT POWER!!! When you consider the POWER God has.....it ought to create a sense of awe, it ought to bring you to a place of reverence. Consider all of creation, how everything continues by the power of his word.
He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names. Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.
Hebrews 1:3 declares that the LORD upholdeth everything by the word of his power!
From verse 7-10 Nahum then switches and describes some of the good qualities of God:
The LORD is good, a stronghold (hiding place) in the day of trouble.
What does it mean that the LORD is good? We say it, but do we understand what we are saying when we say the LORD is good?
Ans: Good is defined as “to do well”, “well pleasing”, “it is a quality of moral goodness or uprightness”
Come on, lets have church real quick testify why the LORD is good.
He is a hiding place in tough times. The NLT says He is close to those who trust in Him.
He knows those who take refuge in Him, he recognizes and welcomes anyone looking for help, no matter how desperate the trouble.
Then in verse 8 he switches back to the doom of those who oppose Him:
with an overflowing flood, he will make a complete end of its site, and will pursue His enemies into darkness.
There is no where to run, you can escape to a cozy island but He’ll send a flood to wipe off the map. Nahum declares that no one gets away from God.
Then in the next verse, Nahum says “whatever you devise against the LORD, He will make a complete end of it.” You see, when you are in God and when you are in the will of God and people plot and scheme against you......they aren’t just plotting against you.
Nineveh had been plotting against Israel, they had been plotting against Judah, but they were really plotting against God. The threats, the intentions, the mechanisms, the plots......and then God says “BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD!”
Nahum tells Nineveh that God is putting an end to all the scheming!!! You need to tell the devil that God is going to put an end to all your scheming!!! NO WEAPON FORMED AGAINST ME SHALL PROSPER!!!
Nahum then declares in verse 9 that all of those plans, all you doing, when God strikes, He only has to do it once.....there will be no second chances, He will make a complete end of it. Distress will not rise up a second time. And this is why we have to warn those who are not saved, those who are operating out of the will of God, THERE WILL BE NO SECOND CHANCES!
End with verses 12-15