Nahum 1:1-8

Context

1. Time Period: Nahum likely prophesied in the 7th century BCE, around the time of the fall of Nineveh in 612 BCE. His prophecy is dated to a period after the fall of Thebes (No-Amon) in Egypt in 663 BCE but before the destruction of Nineveh.

Key Events

• Fall of Thebes (No-Amon): In Nahum 3:8-10, he references the fall of Thebes, which occurred in 663 BCE. This event helps date Nahum’s prophecy, placing it after 663 BCE but before the fall of Nineveh in 612 BCE.

• Destruction of Nineveh: Nahum’s primary focus is on the impending destruction of Nineveh, which was fulfilled historically when the city fell to a coalition of Medes, Babylonians, and Scythians.

1. Chapter 1: This chapter sets the stage with a hymn celebrating God’s power and justice. It portrays God as a divine warrior who is slow to anger but great in power, capable of avenging His enemies. It also offers comfort to Judah, emphasizing God’s protection over those who trust in Him.

• Key Verses:

• Nahum 1:2-3: “The Lord is a jealous and avenging God; the Lord takes vengeance and is filled with wrath. The Lord takes vengeance on his foes and vents his wrath against his enemies. The Lord is slow to anger but great in power; the Lord will not leave the guilty unpunished.”

• Nahum 1:7: “The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him.”

The Wrath of God

1. Nahum’s Message: Nahum’s prophecy focuses on the imminent destruction of Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrian Empire, as a demonstration of God’s justice and wrath against sin and wickedness. Nahum vividly describes God’s anger and judgment:

2. The hope of safety

Passage overview verse by verse

Nahum 1:1 “1 The oracle of Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.”

“Burden” in related texts using this term for oracle they are always in the context of judgement. The weight of God’s judgement is a burden to the prophet who must deliver the Word of the Lord.

Jeremiah 20:8–9 “8 For each time I speak, I cry aloud; I proclaim violence and destruction, Because for me the word of the Lord has resulted In reproach and derision all day long. 9 But if I say, “I will not remember Him Or speak anymore in His name,” Then in my heart it becomes like a burning fire Shut up in my bones; And I am weary of holding it in, And I cannot endure it.”

The name “Elkosh” is often interpreted to mean “God is my bow” or “God is my strength.” This interpretation comes from the Hebrew roots:

• El: A common prefix in Hebrew names, meaning “God.”

• Kosh: Can be related to a Hebrew root meaning “bow” or “strength.”

Nahum 1:2 “2 A jealous and avenging God is the Lord; The Lord is avenging and wrathful. The Lord takes vengeance on His adversaries, And He reserves wrath for His enemies.”

Nahum begins to articulate the terrifying Holiness of God and his anger toward His enemies.

Same view as the rest of the Bible. Old and New. John 3:36 “36 “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.””

Nahum 1:3 “3 The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, And the Lord will by no means leave the guilty unpunished. In whirlwind and storm is His way, And clouds are the dust beneath His feet.”

The Lord in his theophanies has a way of using the most powerful natural phenomena to reveal himself. Think of the way he guided Israel out of egypt, in a Pilar of fire by night and a storm cloud by day, in Job he speaks out of the whirlwind Job 38:1 “1 Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said,”

Nahum 1:4 “4 He rebukes the sea and makes it dry; He dries up all the rivers. Bashan and Carmel wither; The blossoms of Lebanon wither.”

Sovereignty over creation is magnified, he speaks and the sea listens. This rebuke of the sea reminds the reader of the parting of the red sea where he parts it for Israel and they walk through on dry land TURN TO EXODUS 14:15ff

Nahum 1:5–6 “5 Mountains quake because of Him And the hills dissolve; Indeed the earth is upheaved by His presence, The world and all the inhabitants in it. 6 Who can stand before His indignation? Who can endure the burning of His anger? His wrath is poured out like fire And the rocks are broken up by Him.”

A gospel turn. We see here that the day of God’s judgement is a day of trouble and redemption. Terrifying judgement to His enemies but glorious redemption to His elect. Matthew 27:50–55 “50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. 51 And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook and the rocks were split. 52 The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; 53 and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection they entered the holy city and appeared to many. 54 Now the centurion, and those who were with him keeping guard over Jesus, when they saw the earthquake and the things that were happening, became very frightened and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!”

In the greatest day of God’s judgement, God turned off the sun, shook the earth, brought saints back to life. Creation was terrified at the wrath poured out on Jesus at the cross, never had the earth seen such judgment in its history, The fall in the garden, the flood of Noah, the scattering of Babel, the killing of the firstborn in Egypt, the fire and brimstone on Sodom and Gomorrah, all these acts of judgement couldn’t hold a candle stick beside the eternal wrath of God being poured out upon His son on the Cross, and the creation knew it.

Nahum 1:7 “7 The Lord is good, A stronghold in the day of trouble, And He knows those who take refuge in Him.”

A fortified city is the most vivid picture the ancient mind can conceive of and Nahum pictures the inner stronghold of a fortified city to the protection God provides for his people.

He knows all who are His and he will protect them. As has been said before, God saves us from God, for God.

Nahum 1:8 “8 But with an overflowing flood He will make a complete end of its site, And will pursue His enemies into darkness.”

Again harkening back to the terrifying wrath of the flood of Noah we are given a vivid picture of the wrath and judgement that will be poured out on Nineveh, and ultimately on Christ. He pursued Jesus in holy judgment and turned off the Sun and worse than that Turning His face from the Son in order that He would suffer in utter darkness completely alone.