Nahum 1

1-11 12-15

Not much is known for sure about the man Nahum, but he was given this prophecy by God sometime in the mid 7th century B.C, 600s. There is no direct reference to a king in Israel in the writing of Nahum that would give a good time reference, but the time frame of this prophecy can be narrowed down with the implied historical information contained in it. He mentions the fall of Thebes, also called No Amon, which fell in 663 B.C. in chapter 3 but not its rekindling ten years later, and this prophecy takes place when Nineveh and Assyria were at full strength per 1:12. As Assyria’s power declined rapidly after the death of king Ashurbanipal in 626 B.C this prophecy can be said to have been given sometime between about 660 to 630 B.C. This book in a sense is a sequel to Jonah. Jonah was, rather reluctantly, sent to preach repentance to the people of Nineveh, the capital city of the Assyrians, in the first half of the 8th century B.C., 790s to 750s. His message was fruitful and the people of Nineveh did repent, much to the displeasure of Jonah. But this repentance did not last very long, as less than 100 years later they were back to their idol worship and cruelty. The book of Nahum is not God once again sending a prophet to call for the repentance for the people of Nineveh but a prophecy to Israel, and specifically to Judah foretelling of the downfall and destruction of Nineveh. Nahum is not quoted in the New Testament but there is a passage in Romans that is directly quoted from Isaiah that bears an strong resemblance to a verse in Nahum. Romans 10:15 “And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”” which is quoted from Isaiah 52:7 “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”” and that verse is very similar to Nahum 1:15 “Behold, upon the mountains, the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace! Keep your feasts, O Judah; fulfill your vows, for never again shall the worthless pass through you; he is utterly cut off.” Isaiah and Nahum were written around the same time frame, during the reign of Manasseh in 695-642 B.C. Spoilers Nineveh was destroyed just as God prophesied through Nahum in 612 B.C. by the Babylonians, by king Nabopolassar and his son Nebuchadnezzar.

1-11

1

Right up front we learn that this oracle, or prophecy from God given to Nahum is concerning Nineveh. Nahum also says he is of Elkosh, no one is certain if Elkosh is the city where Nahum is from or if this is his family name.

2

Nahum begins with extolling God, his power and sovereignty. Starting out with Yahwe is a jealous and avenging God. God is avenging and wrathful. God is jealous, He does not abide with His creation worshiping false idols of wood or stone, after all it was God who created the wood and stone, MacArthur says that God has a burning zeal for His wife Israel and does not abide with spiritual adultery. Vengeance is of the LORD and He will take vengeance on his adversaries. God’s common grace is shown on all in that he does not immediately strike us down the moment we sin, he stores up his wrath, he keeps his wrath held back even for his enemies but when the time has come, when God determines and declares it, his wrath will be poured out for eternity on his enemies.

3

The holding back his anger and wrath, is being slow to anger, but God is great in power, God has all the power and the only power man has is granted by God. The wages of sin is death and this punishment will be extracted on the guilty or it has been laid on Jesus in our place. The elect in a sense have been forgiven of our sins, in that we did not suffer the wrath of God for them, but the punishment did take place. God does not clear the guilty without any punishment. God’s judgement is compared to a tornado or a major storm like a hurricane. Our feet will bring up little puffs of dust from the ground, but God’s movements are huge and the dust of His feet are like the storm clouds in the sky.

4

God commanding, or rebuking the sea, calls into mind the parting of the Red Sea so that Israel could walk through it on dry ground. God can command the rains to stop and dry up the rivers. Bashan was near the Jordan river and was known for lush pasture lands Micah 7:14 “Shepherd your people with your staff, the flock of your inheritance, who dwell alone in a forest in the midst of a garden land; let them graze in Bashan and Gilead as in the days of old.”, Carmel on the coast and was synonymous with fruitfulness Song of Solomon 7:5 “Your head crowns you like Carmel, and your flowing locks are like purple; a king is held captive in the tresses.”, Lebanon well known for its choice cedar trees that were used to build David’s house and the temple. 1 Kings 5:8–9 “And Hiram sent to Solomon, saying, “I have heard the message that you have sent to me. I am ready to do all you desire in the matter of cedar and cypress timber. My servants shall bring it down to the sea from Lebanon, and I will make it into rafts to go by sea to the place you direct. And I will have them broken up there, and you shall receive it. And you shall meet my wishes by providing food for my household.”” These were lush fertile places, but one word from God and they would all wither and fade away.

5

All of creation does or should quake before our Holy God.

6

After telling about God’s awesome power and wrath Nahum ask rhetorically, who can stand before his indignation? Who can endure the heat of His anger? No one and nothing, the very rocks of the earth are broken into pieces by God. And remember this all is in context of verse one, an oracle concerning Nineveh.

7

Verse 7 is a short break from the fire and brimstone of God’s wrath and judgement to remind us that God is good, to those who trust in God he is a safe place, a stronghold when we need help, and God knows who are his, he picked them and put their names in the book of life before the foundations of the world.

8

Back to brimstone, God’s vengeance is like a overflowing flood, imagine a huge tsunami like flood wiping clean all traces of anything in its path. He will make a complete end of the adversaries. The destruction of Nineveh was so total and complete any trace of the city were lost until the 1800s. This was not a small city, Nineveh’s walls were 100 feet tall and there was a moat surrounding the city that was 150 feet wide and 60 feet deep, yet God washed it away like an overwhelming flood.

9

The Assyrians would not plot or scheme there way out of this destruction, no alliances to be made to save them from the wrath of the Lord. They will be thrown down and will not rise up to trouble Israel again.

10

Even though Nineveh and the Assyrians are like entangled thorns, hard to handle, prickly and poisonous, they will be like drunk men, incapacitated and weak and they will be burned up like completely dried grass.

11

Verse 11 could be in reference to Sennacherib, the king of Assyria that invaded Judah in 701 B.C. Wicked counselor literally means “counselor or Belial” or counselor of the Devil.

12-15

12

Here in verse 12 we see the prophets motto, Thus says the LORD, Yahwe gave this information directly to Nahum. Even though Nineveh and Assyria at the time of this prophecy are at full strength and they are a very populous people they will be destroyed and be no more. Through the sovereignty of God had allowed Judah to be afflicted by the Assyrians, that time is over and they will trouble them no more. Notice God says I have and I will, reminding Judah and all of us that he is in control and his will is always done.

13

God will remove any burdens placed on them from Assyria and burst their bonds apart, imagery of them being suddenly and spectacularly removed as Nineveh and Assyria are brought to ruin.

14

Verse 14 sums up the totality of the judgement against Assyria in this prophecy, Nineveh and Assyria will no longer be a name or a place. Their idol worship, their carved images and the metal images, will be cut off, done away with. God will make their grave, what a powerful and terrifying thing to hear from God. The all powerful and sovereign God will put you in your grave never to rise again. The reason He gives is complete and succinct as well, for they are vile.

15

As I mentioned earlier the first part of verse 15 echos Isaiah 52:7, and is spoken to Judah about Nahum’s prophecy. The content and subject of the prophecy does spell doom and destruction for Nineveh and Assyria, but it is good news to Israel and Judah, and how beautiful is the word of God delivered by His prophets. God tells Judah to keep their feasts and fulfil their vows. During the seige by the Assyrians Judah had been unable to travel to Jerusalem to celebrate and partake in the annual feasts, God here also reminds them to fulfill all that they vowed to give and do to for God when they were under that seige. Because never again will the Assyrians, whom God calls worthless, travel into their land, God will cut them off, utterly and totally.