The very first verse of this book informs us that the message will be the burden against nineveh nahum 1. The book of nahum is one that is neglected because it is so obscure, and so small that it is seldom read and much less frequently understood. There is remarkably little dispute over the authorship, date and state of the text of nahum which, according to jewish tradition, follows jonah in the canon 12. God rules and he determines the times of all nations. The message of nahum sermon by daniel austin, nahum 1. Nahums mission was to comfort the kingdom of judah, following the. Listen to chuck swindolls overview of nahum in his audio message from the. The discomfiting but urgent message of the prophet nahum. Introduction as i come to each new book and chapter of the bible, some folk kid me that i always say it is the greatest book or chapter.
Instead, nahum was the one pleading with him to save nineveh nation. When the prophets were sent to denounce judgments against a nation, or city, their message, or prophecy, was usually called the burden of that people, or place. I will make your chariots go up in smoke and the sword will devour your young lions. This is apropos because his message of the coming judgment on nineveh comforted judah after their suffering at assyrias hand. Very candidly, i must say that the little book of nahum is not the greatest in the bible, but it is a great book, and it is in the word of god for a very definite purpose. Jonah had already uttered his message of warning, and nahum was followed by zephaniah, who also predicted zephaniah 2. Ninevehs fall, which is nahums theme, would bring comfort to judah.
The book of nahum is gods message of the impending destruction of nineveh. But we dont know where that was because it is not mentioned elsewhere in the bible. A century after the fall of samaria in 722 bc the captivity of the northern kingdom of israel, the book of nahum was written to express a major truth of the prophets. The god of heaven is a god of mercy to the penitent, yet a god of doom to the impenitent. This is all part of my personal ministry and dedication to jesus. Introduction the author the name nahum means comfort or consolation. The prophet nahum full of comfort wrote the book of nahum as stated in nahum 1. Nahum can be identified as prophecy based on nahum 1. When god had a message for the people, he spoke through the prophets. Bible biblestudytools video whats the central theme of the book of nahum. Just 100 years earlier, the prophet jonah had been instructed to. There are many theories as to where that city was though there is no conclusive evidence.
Nahum s singular focus on the impending judgment of nineveh offers a continuation of the story that began in jonah. The book of nahum is a stark reminder that those who plot against the lord, will be brought to complete destruction. Nahum is usually classified with the minor prophets. His book is a message of destruction for nineveh, and that would have been a message of consolation for the nations she had oppressed.
Nahum 1 msg god is serious business a report on bible gateway. In this lesson, we are going to see what we can learn from the book of nahum. Nahum opened his prophecy by announcing that the lord is a jealous god, who takes vengeance on his enemies and is fierce in his anger. This prophetic vision is addressed to the city of nineveh, which happens to be the central hub for the evil and cruel assyrian. And this is not just a warning or speaking positively of the destruction of nineveh, it is also a positive encouragement and message of comfort for israel, judah, and others who had experienced the endless cruelty of the assyrians. He was raised up to preach gods judgment for a second time to nineveh. Nahum in its hermeneutical and missiological context book of nahum.
Nahum was a prophet of god and his message comes in the form of a prophetic vision. The book s title is taken from the prophetofgods oracle against nineveh, the capital of assyria. The writer is nahum, and his name means comforter, but the message that he. Our sermon ideas on the book of nahum will help you preach a powerful message on gods reaction to unrestrained cruelty and evil. The book of nahum is a collection of poems announcing the downfall of assyria, one of israels worst oppressors. Probably the identity of the prophet is obscured so his message can be prominent.
He reminds us of noah, whose name also means rest or comfort. Spronk thinks that the book of nahum was written in jerusalem, by a. The book of nahum presents a sobering graphical depiction of the unleashing of gods wrath against the wickedness of nineveh. To understand the prophets exultant outburst of joy over the impending destruction it is necessary to recall the savage cruelty of assyria, which had made it the scourge of the ancient near east for almost three centuries. Nahum could well have lived there and have prophesied to nineveh, as daniel did to babylon later on. The blue letter bible ministry and the blb institute hold to the historical, conservative christian faith, which includes a firm belief in the inerrancy of scripture. That is my hebrew name, after my mothers father, nahum nathan berman. Comparison between jonah and nahum premium essay writings. The lord may be merciful and slow to anger, but the day of judgment does finally come. The theme of the prophecy is the fate and destruction of nineveh, the onetime capital city of the mighty assyrian empire, which had destroyed israel and taken many inhabitants of the land captive 722 b. This chapter describes the cause of the destruction of nineveh. The book of nahum is prophecy concerning the city of nineveh and reveals a powerful message about gods care for his elect. The lord takes revenge against his foes and is furious with his adversaries. If nahum precedes jonah, the theological message is that, even with the vilest offenders, god has options that humans resist.
All scripture is inspired by god and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for. Ancient assyria stands as a sign of warning to any nation holding power on the world scene. Nahum 3 is the third and last chapter of the book of nahum in the hebrew bible or the old testament of the christian bible. Very little is known about nahum himself and his name only occurs here in the entire old. Nahum, gods oracle against nineveh, destruction in 612 bc.
One such theory is that it refers to the city later called capernaum which literally means the village of nahum at the sea of galilee. The book s author is nahum, whose name means comfort. He stands up against his enemies, fierce and raging. Youll get this book and many others when you join bible gateway plus. The answer is negative if that means violence has the last word. To which city did nahum deliver a message of judgment from god. The days of assyrian rule were coming to an end at the hands of the lord. Following is a suggested outline of the book of nahum. One might even say that the book of nahum is a celebration of the fall of assyria. Though nahum s context is distant, the holy spirit speaks again in a new context that of our modern listeners.
Zephaniah, nahum, and habakkuk book summaries, test. Sometime around 760 bc, god sent jonah to nineveh to preach repentance and hope to the assyrian people, a message they heard and adoptedat least for a time. Shortly before the fall of nineveh, the capital of assyria, in 612 b. Nahum is the seventh chronologically of the minor prophets, and he ministered during the reign of hezekiah. This book contains the prophecies attributed to the prophet nahum, and is a part of the book of the twelve minor prophets. Nahum means comfort or consolation and is a short form of nehemiah comfort of yahweh.
The book of nahum is a book in the old testament, and the seventh of the minor prophets. The next power to rise is the babylonian empire, sometimes ruled by chaldean kings. Believers can, and must, trust in god no matter how tumultuous outward circumstances may become. The book of nahum is one of two books of the minor prophets that centers on nineveh, the capital city of assyria. This is all that is known of the writer of this book.
The message of nahum judging nineveh part 2 011109 pm text. C of uncertain location the lord is angry with nineveh. God judges and blesses our actions according to his will cf. Avoiding the fierce punishment of the lord is not dependent on ethnicity, class, intelligence, skin color, or family history, but on repentance and faith. While nahum is a short book of only three chapters comprised of 47 verses, we would be wise to pay attention to the message of nahum.
This is so contradicting in that the same god who is merciful and of a second chance in the book of jonah is the same god who is wrathful and has no second chances in the book of nahum. To which old testament prophetic book do some scholars say nahum owes a literary debt. The book of nahum kjv audio holy bible high quality and best speed book 34 duration. With bible gateway plus, you gain instant access to a digital bible study library, including complete notes from the niv cultural backgrounds study bible and the new bible commentary. He is one who speaks a message from god to someone else. The book contains the vision of nahum, whose name means comfort and is related to the name nehemiah, meaning the lord comforts or. Referencing daniel, exodus, isaiah and babylon, nahum shows us that the destruction of nineveh and assyria are examples of how god works in history in every age. The book of nahum is the seventh book of the 12 minor prophets of the hebrew bible.
But every portion of scripture is indispensable, each has its own contribution to make. The book of the vision as prophets were of old called seers, so their prophecies were called visions. The book of the vision of nahum the elkoshite nahum 1. It was into this dark period that god thrust the prophet nahum with a message for all involved.
Thus opens nahums prophecy, and this is the message of this book of the bible for the world today. This article will seek to identify the overarching message purpose of the book from which the pericopes derive their unit purposes and outline the book by pericope. Deal justly while it is your time to ride the high places of the earth, is gods message to the nations through nahum. Application of the message of nahum for us begins with understanding the sovereignty of god. His word came in visions, oracles, dreams, parables, and the like. What we do have in the book of nahum is a remarkable prophecy, but one.
And thats another whole study to see how the assyrians. Smith describes nahum as an enthusiastic and optimistic patriot. The authorship remains unchallenged, in part, because not much is known about the man nahum, or about elkosh, the. Most of these book were written to the people of israel and judah, but nahum, obadiah, and jonah are more concerned with surrounding nations. The hebrew name nahum means comfort or consolation. It differs from the other prophetic books in that it doesnt contain detailed prophecies, nor does it upbraid the people for their failings, which are two things that most of the. Thus opens nahum s prophecy, and this is the message of this book of the bible for the world today. Habakkuk is unique in that the prophet is not speaking to gods people but rather to god himself. The major thrust of the book, from beginning to end, is the fall of nineveh, described as the bloody city 3.
The book of nahum is a book of stern warning to the peoples of nineveh of old, but its also, in a larger sense, a warning to the descendants of ancient assyria, many of whom now live in central europe. The burden of nineveh of nineveh, see note on jonah 3. Nahum is closelylinked with jonah, both of whom bring messages of destruction to nineveh, the capital of the assyrian empire. The goal is to 1 understand the overall theme of each book and 2 see what lessons there are for us. The judgment of nineveh and the comfort of judah both reveal the sovereignty, righteousness, and grace of yahweh. While the violence in the text is often difficult to comprehend nahum addresses both the oppressed in judah and the oppressing assyrians. The discomfiting but urgent message of the prophet nahum mosaic. The discomfiting but urgent message of the prophet nahum a voice of blazing heat and pellucid clarity, nahum reminds us that, like justice and love, vengeance is an element of gods being. Some parts of the book of zephaniah predict the coming of a better day, but it seems quite probable that these sections were added by editors who looked at the book as a whole from the perspective of later years. That is habakkuks message for gods people around the world today. Elkosh was a city in assyria, a few miles north of the ruins of nineveh. This summary of the book of nahum provides information about the title, authors, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the book of nahum. Book of nahum overview insight for living ministries. The author of the book of nahum identifies himself as nahum in the hebrew consoler or comforter the elkoshite 1.
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