Nahum 1

Nahum 1

1:1

The name “Nahum” speaks of comfort and fits appropriately the message of the prophet (see Introduction). His message of the coming destruction of the oppressor, Nineveh, provided comfort for the oppressed people of the ancient Near East suffering under a heavy yoke of tyranny and barbarism. (NAC)

Nahum’s message came to him by means of a “vision.” That is, “the prophet perceived God’s revelation with the mind’s eye.” “A vision is an event through which the Lord spoke to a prophet.… On the one hand, it refers to the thing seen, the vision or the appearance of the vision (Dan 7:1). On the other hand, it shows the effect on the seer: He is encouraged, chosen, shocked, pardoned, et cetera. Not a visual image but a word from God is received.… The prophetic vision primarily involved a revelation of God and his word, and only then a visual impact: God let it be known what he wanted or what he was going to do and showed it to someone whom he had chosen for this purpose.” (NAC)

Nahum 1:2-6

1:2

Jealous- God demands fidelity from His people and He doesn’t tolerate those who vie for the affection of Israel.

Gods jealousy demonstrates that He alone is worthy of adoration and worship. It’s not a petty jealousy, it’s a righteous jealousy.

His jealousy and the vengeance that comes from it leads toward salvation.

1:3

Slow to anger- the wrath of God is not irrational or the result of a quick temper. In the same way the patience that God shows is because of His compassion. God has the power to immediately overthrow all enemies and to vanquish all of those who are against Him. His timing is intentional, but you can trust that He will overcome His enemies.

1:4-5

Baal was a false god that was the god of the storm… Baal was associated with fertility because they believed he made it rain and produced the crops. But, the truth is that God is the one true God and rain and drought are in the hands of Yahweh.

Bashan and Carmel are known as areas of lush vegetation and fertile lands. God is the one who controls the weather. He is the one who causes it to rain or stops up the heavens.

The only solid and unshakeable ground is the Lord. He has the power and might to shake and topple everything… and He does so as an act of His judgement.

Nothing and no one can withstand His wrath, there is no enemy who can match His power.

1:7

In the midst of the declaration of Gods might, power, and judgement we are reminded that He is good. The acts of His judgement are not evil or the result of an immature and reactionary god. No, it’s the opposite, God is good and all that He does is good. His judgments are good, but He is also good for those who trust Him.

Gods actions and relationship with those who have faith Him and seek Him out is radically different from those who are against Him.

God is a safe place, a protector, and a care-giver for those who belong to Him and trust Him.

This is the true message of the book of Nahum. Israel can trust God and find its refuge in Him.

1:8

But, instead of being a refuge He is a destroyer in His relationship with Nineveh. The language used turns the Assyrian language of overwhelming their enemies into the description of God’s judgement on them.

1:9-11

The rulers of Assyria have plotted against the people of Israel, which means they have plotted against the Lord. God is going to consume his enemies like a fire consumes dry straw or a drunkard consumes alcohol…

1:12-13

To Israel God says that He is going to free them from their oppressors. Even though they are strong and mighty He is greater and is going destroy them.

The time of punishment for their sins of rebellion is over… it’s time for freedom to come through judgement on the sins of Ninevah.

1:14

Alan Millard points out that the fear of dying without a namesake was very real in the ancient world, “for that would mean he would be forgotten . . . Moreover, in pagan societies there would be no one to perform the rites that would allow his spirit to rest peacefully in the next world. The names of Assyrian noblemen who fell out of favor were erased from their monuments, and even the names of discredited kings and gods were chipped from carvings in Egypt” (Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary).

The second judgment is that his idols and images would be removed from the temple (Zch 13:2), so that the Assyrian gods would no longer be worshiped and would be angry with him in the afterlife. The statement also implies the Lord’s superiority over the Assyrian gods, from whom kingship was thought to be bestowed.

The third judgment may involve not only the king’s death, but also the desecration of his grave.

1:15

From a place of oppression, almost like being a city under siege look up… for the messenger of the Lord has come to deliver the news and the report that the war is over and your side has won!

Celebrate the victory, praise the Lord for what she has done!

Take away thoughts:

Structure/ Meaning

The first chapter is an incomplete acrostic. This means that each line begins with, or contains, a letter of the Hebrew alphabet. But, not all of the letters are present. If all the letters were present it would represent completeness. But, the absence of some of the letters from the acrostic may have meaning too. It could be that the prophet is indicating the prophecy here at the beginning is incomplete and there is more to come later. Or, the prophet may be indicating that the message and deliverance of the Lord has unsettled and shaken what seems to be solid and sure- namely the Assyrian kingdom.

The first chapter of Nahum describes God and His character.

1. God is righteous and judges the guilty, but He is slow to anger

Slow to anger… This means God reserves his wrath for His enemies. It is not an out of control wrath. Nahum describes God as the master of wrath. God holds his anger in reserve for the proper occasion to display it to his enemies.

Gods timing, even in judgment is perfect.

“God’s government, including His judicial processes, is on schedule, even though to an awaiting mankind His timing may seem to lag.” (NAC)

The quality and character of God is visible through His vengeance.

“He displays a calculated control in his dispensing of vengeance. He never gives way to passions, he never exceeds propriety, he never compromises his ultimate goals because of a reactionary response to current provocations.… God’s mastery of his wrath is seen most clearly in the endurance by Father and Son in the hour of Christ’s crucifixion.” (NAC)

The cross is where vengeance and compassion are displayed! It wasn’t an irrational display of Gods wrath, it was the plan… and it was purposeful.

2. God righteously avenges the oppressed

Salvation and vengeance are interconnected.

The jealousy of God that is described leads toward the salvation of the world.

He is avenging His name and establishing what should be. He does throughout history, and will do it completely in the end.

We don’t always think of judgment and vengeance as a cause for joy. But, Gods vengeance brings about joy. (Psalm 58:11; Deut 32:43)

The vengeance and judgement of God are only intimidating and threatening to those who want to be their own gods and rule the earth in their own ways.

Without God’s vengeance there is no justice (Ps 58:10) and no future (Deut 32:43; Ps 149:7–9). Thus the New Testament also takes up the call for God’s vengeance to replace human vengeance (Rom 12:19; Heb 10:30).”

3. God’s goodness and sovereignty are comfort for the afflicted

To those who trust God, it is a comfort and an affirmation that he is truly sovereign.”

This all means that prayer for vengeance in the Psalms is prayer for the victory of lawfulness and the revelation of God. “The imprecation, in its deepest intention, is a cry for the breakthrough of God’s kingdom in liberation and vengeance.

The central theme of the entire Bible is the redemption narrative. (God’s glory in salvation & judgment, Hamilton) The Bible tells one story, a story of Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Restoration. And, in the story of God’s redeeming work one of the supporting themes of the story is the that God saves through judgment. This theme runs through the entire OT and NT.

But, the cross sits at the center of this display of God’s judgment and salvation. The message and story of Nahum ultimately points us and prepares us for the salvation through judgement that Christ brings.

Jesus Christ has come to bear the wrath of God for all those who believe in Him.

John 3:16–18 (ESV)

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

John states it clearly that Christ came to save the world from its condemnation. And those who are saved from condemnation are those who believe in Christ.

But, salvation comes through judgement because on the cross God judged the sin of those who believe by pouring out His wrath on His Son.

God sent Christ to save the world through the cross and the resurrection.

Luke 9:22 (ESV)

22 saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.”

John 6:51 (ESV)

51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

John 12:27 (ESV)

27 “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour.

As Jon Bloom (Desiring God) writes:

“Jesus had come “for this purpose.” What did he mean? He had come to glorify his Father’s name (John 12:28). He had come “to destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8). He had come to express his Father’s and his own love for sinners like us (Romans 5:8). He had come to draw all people to himself (John 12:32). He had come to take away the sin of the world (John 1:29) by becoming the propitiation for the sins of the world (1 John 2:2)."

1 John 2:2 (ESV)

2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

The language that Nahum uses for the destruction of Ninevah is found in the book of Isaiah concerning the Messiah:

Isaiah 53:5–6 (ESV)

“5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

The judgement, or destruction, of Ninevah is also the salvation of God’s people. This is most true through the cross of Jesus Christ. On the cross God judges sin while at the same time freeing those who believe in Christ from their sin.

We will pick up with Nahum 2 next time and continue digging deep into the main theme of the Bible as well as the message of hope and comfort found in Nahum.