Today, we continue our journey through the Bible with today’s study of Nahum. I pray God shows us what He wants us to learn.
“May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock, and my Redeemer.”
Psalm 19:14
As we study the Bible alone or in a group setting, there are several questions we can ask ourselves to help us dig deeper. The five questions are:
- What does the scripture say about God?
- Then what does the scripture say about me?
- Does something in this passage challenge me?
- What gives me hope in this passage?
- Is anything unclear to me?
I hope these questions help you as much as they help me.
Book of Nahum
- Author: Nahum.
- Audience: Ninevah and Judah.
- Date Written: between 663 and 612 BC.
- Length: 3 Chapters.
- Keywords: comfort or full of comfort.
- Key Verses: The Lord is good, a strong refuge when trouble comes. He is close to those who trust in him. (1:7).
- Key People: People of Ninevah and Nahum.
Summary of Nahum:
Nahum’s singular focus on the impending judgment of Nineveh offers a continuation of the story that began in Jonah. The book looks at the Lord’s judgment on Nineveh’s oppression, cruelty, idolatry, and wickedness. The book ends with the destruction of the city. God is not only slow in anger and a shelter for those who trust in God, but he also does not leave sin unpunished.
Sections of the Book:
The book of Nahum contains nine significant themes, which are:
- The Judge of Ninevah (Chap1).
- Judgement of the city (Chap 2).
- Destruction of the city (Chap 3).
Messages in Nahum:
Nineveh once had responded to the preaching of Jonah and turned from their evil ways to serve the Lord God. But 150 years later, Nineveh returned to idolatry, violence, and arrogance, showing that God’s people must continue to work on their faith daily. Once again, God sends one of His prophets to Nineveh warning of judgment as the destruction of their city and exhorting them to repentance. Sadly, the Ninevites did not heed’s Nahum’s warning, and Babylon destroyed the city. We too can still fall under the control of sin if we don’t stay active in our faith.
Final thoughts:
And like so many other books in the Bible, we see God’s character on display in this book. They are:
- Good–1:7.
- Jealous–1:2.
- Powerful–1:3.
- Sovereign–1:6.
Nahum also portrays the future arrival of Christ. The Book describes the protection of the faithful God by revealing “The Lord is Good, the Fortress of the Day of Trouble”. But this will not last forever and Christ will take revenge on his enemies with the Second Coming of Christ as his judgment.
All Lessons from the Bible
Each book of the Bible contains lessons for us to learn and historical information. We must study God’s Word to see what to do and what not to do in life. Paul reminds us of the importance of the words within the text in 2 Timothy 3.
2 Timothy 3:14-17; “14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15 and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
Prayer
Please grant me the understanding and knowledge of You and Your word. As I open my Bible to read the scriptures, it gives me wisdom and discernment. And even as I sit and listen to the pastor, preacher or apostle reveal what Your Holy Book is speaking into my life, help me see and understand. Help me know Jesus Christ and how He lived His life so I can follow in His precious footsteps.
Grace and Peace to you,
Yvonne M. Morgan is a Christian #author, #blogger, and #speaker. #BibleGatewayPartner
Matthew 28:19 “Therefore, GO and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”
Additional Resources:
Excellent post. God is good, God is sovereign. May we hear and listen to His Word.
Amen Priscilla. God bless
We can learn valuable lessons from Nahum. I hope and pray we will. Thank you for sharing your wisdom, Yvonne.
Thanks Katherine. Blessings
I’m enjoying reading these blog posts. I always learn something from you. Thank you. 🙂 Have a blessed day!
Thanks and you too Melissa
Sorry I’m late again this week in responding Ms. Yvonne. I so enjoy these insightful reviews of God’s Word. In Nahum, my take away has been, “God’s action is dependent upon our reaction to His call.”
Thank you JD. No worries. May the Lord bless you
Nahum isn’t a book I’m familiar with so I really enjoyed reading this. I find it interesting that this is a continuation of what happened in Jonah.
Thank you Terri. It is very interesting to read it. Blessings
That summary is a great one — “God is not only slow in anger and a shelter for those who trust in God, but he also does not leave sin unpunished.” Great job with this!
Thank you Jessica. Blessings to you ❤️
Enjoyed your accurate summary of Nahum. I have been studying Revelation with references to the OT prophets. God is patient and merciful, but He judges the unrepentant.
Thank you Carol. God is so patient and merciful with us. We are undeserving of it too. God bless.
Thank you for these key points about Nahum. I think I can be like Ninevah sometimes. I can struggle with something, have victory, then later struggle with the same thing. I am glad that God continues to work on me and I pray I can represent Him well.
Thank you Stephen. I think we can all relate. Blessings to you
Thank you for leading us through the Bible, Yvonne. I appreciate how you highlight various attributes of God’s character. Very helpful!
Thank you Melissa. God bless
Yvonne, love how faithful you are to doing these on the books of the Bible. Nahum is a book not often read or reference, but God’s character and our spiritual lessons still ring true. Amen to this, “God is not only slow in anger and a shelter for those who trust in God, but he also does not leave sin unpunished.”
So very true Karen. Each book serves a Godly purpose. Blessings to you