Nahum
Two of God’s prophets dealt with Nineveh, the
great capital of the Assyrian empire. Jonah
prophesied about 785 BC and Nahum about 650 BC.
Hence the prophets were about 150 years apart. In those intervening 135 years the Ten
Northern Tribes had been carried into captivity and God patiently gave the
Ninevites opportunity to repent (1:3), but now the day of grace had ended, and
the moment of doom had arrived (3:19).
Assyria had served God’s purpose (Isa. 10:5) and would be destroyed.
The accuracy of Nahum’s predictions were verified
almost 40 years later, and are historically verifiable. It contains one of the most marvelous
descriptions of Assyria’s siege of Judah, even though it is written before it
happened. Nahum writes in classic Hebrew
poetic style, exceedingly fine and vivid in descriptions. His tone is terrible in the highest
degree.
The name “Nahum” means “comforter” or “consoler,” It’s an odd name for a book about judgment,
except that the comfort is for Israel, not Assyria. Some connect Nahum with “Capernaum” which
means “Village of Nahum.” If so, it
would indicate he founded and lived in that city on the north end of the Sea of
Galilee. He prophesied during the time
of Manasseh, along with Habakkuk, Jeremiah and Zephaniah. The theme of Nahum is that the wrath
of God is slow but certain and devastating.
The key phrase is “utter end” (1:9).
Here is some background information for Nahum. At the time Nahum uttered his prophecy, Assyria
had reached the zenith of its power.
Shalmaneser II and Sargon had laid waste to the Northern Kingdom and
levied a heavy tax on the Southern Kingdom.
The next king, Sennacherib, would have taken Jerusalem but for the
prayers of the godly Hezekiah (cf. Isa. 36-37).
Later, Esarhaddon I led a victorious army into Egypt and enroute stopped
at Jerusalem long enough to make Manasseh his prisoner (2 Chron. 33). Ashurbanipal, the next king, was even more
distinguished than any of his predecessors in extending and strengthening the
empire. Nineveh was the Queen City of
the earth, the very center of the world’s commerce and wealth. Do you suppose Nahum’s predictions of doom
were easy to believe? Nineveh fell in
612 BC!! But about 40 years later they
were fulfilled literally!
The metropolitan
area of Nineveh was 30 miles long and 10 miles wide. It was protected by 5 walls and 3 moats,
built by the forced labor of unnumbered thousands of foreign captives. The main part of the city was 3 miles long
and 1 1/2 miles wide. Its walls were 100
feet high and wide enough on top for four chariots to be raced abreast. Its population had been estimated from
600,000 to 1,000,000.
Here is an outline
of Nahum:
·
Nineveh’s doom declared, Ch. 1
·
Nineveh’s doom described, Ch. 2
·
Nineveh’s doom deserved, Ch. 3
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