Nahum 1:1-8

Nahum, like Jonah and Obadiah, are prophecies directed toward to nations around Israel.  Many consider Jonah and Nahum to be Part I and II.  Jonah, over a hundred years earlier, had been sent by God with a message to Nineveh, calling them to repentance, a message which they received.  But as Nahum writes against Nineveh it is one of impending judgment, thus calling it a burden (1:1).  

As always the preaching of the prophets is ultimately directed to Israel.  Nahum’s name means comfort and this message is comforting in its contribution to the ultimate restoration of Judah and Israel.  This fits well with Nahum’s description of God in Ch. 1 as both jealous and avenging (v2) and as good (v7).

Nahum is unknown in the rest of Scripture as is the city of his birth, Elko.  The Church father Jerome held a theory some have adopted, that Elko was the same as the town of Capernaum (Kephar Nahum, Village of Nahum) prominent in the time of the Incarnation.  Interesting, possible, but not important we would say.  

 Nahum prophesies near the time of the destruction of the army of Assyria in the days of Hezekiah (Isa. 36-37) as Nahum 1:9-13 indicates.  Thus he served alongside Micah and Isaiah.  Charles Feinberg (p188) has noted several passages in Nahum similar to Isaiah, a fact we noted in Micah.  This in no way challenges the authority of Nahum’s prophecy; like the others Nahum speaks for the LORD (e.g. 1:12; 2:13).  The similar terminology came to each from the LORD.

Nahum          Isaiah

1:8-9        8:8; 10:23

2:10          24:1; 21:3

1:15                   52:7

Here is a simple outline of Nahum to help our understanding.

1)    The nature of God the LORD, Nahum 1

a)     The God who is jealous, avenging, 1:1-6.

b)    The God of who is good, 1:7-15.

2)    The work of God the LORD, Nahum 2-3

a)     The prediction of the destruction of Nineveh, Nah. 2

b)    The reassuring reasons for the destruction of Nineveh, Nah. 3.

Now let us consider a few thoughts from the first chapter of Nahum.

·        1:2-3a:  This description of God comes from the name of God in Ex. 34:6-7. 

o   God’s Self-description to Moses is, in part or whole, the most frequently quoted Bible passage IN the Bible.  The Prophets particularly call on this as they preach their message in difficult spiritual times in Israel.  Slow to anger in Nah. 1:3 is the same in Hebrew as longsuffering in Ex. 34:6. 

o   To be jealous means that God has a zeal in standing for the one He loves.  With us jealousy is often petty, more envy than true love.  But with God and all His attributes, they are His perfections!  We should recognize the same thing about vengeance.  As the LORD Himself said (Deut. 32:35) vengeance belongs to Him, not to us (Rom. 12:19).  He is the only One who knows all things, including the hearts of men, and thus is the only One who can be trusted with perfect, just judgment.

Meditate on this aspect of God’s character, something our age discourages, only wanting to think of God as good, loving and merciful.  He is all the above!