1 Nahum by Dr. John McRay
2 Nahum Outline Commentary by Dr. John McRay I. Superscription A. Nahum 1:1, An oracle concerning Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite. (NIV) II. Introductory Psalm in Praise of Jehovah: A. Nahum 1:2-8, The LORD is a jealous and avenging God; the LORD takes vengeance and is filled with wrath. The LORD takes vengeance on his foes and maintains his wrath against his enemies. The LORD is slow to anger and great in power; the LORD will not leave the guilty unpunished. His way is in the whirlwind and the storm, and clouds are the dust of his feet. He rebukes the sea and dries it up; he makes all the rivers run dry. Bashan and Carmel wither and the blossoms of Lebanon fade. The mountains quake before him and the hills melt away. The earth trembles at his presence, the world and all who live in it. Who can withstand his indignation? Who can endure his fierce anger? His wrath is poured out like fire; the rocks are shattered before him. The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He
3 cares for those who trust in him, but with an overwhelming flood he will make an end of Nineveh; he will pursue his foes into darkness. (NIV) B. He is awesome in power, jealous and avenging to adversaries. 1. Nahum 1:2-3a, The LORD is a jealous and avenging God; the LORD takes vengeance and is filled with wrath. The LORD takes vengeance on his foes and maintains his wrath against his enemies. The LORD is slow to anger and great in power; the LORD will not leave the guilty unpunished. (NIV) C. He is in control of the entire earth. 1. Nahum 1:3b 5, His way is in the whirlwind and the storm, and clouds are the dust of his feet. He rebukes the sea and dries it up; he makes all the rivers run dry. Bashan and Carmel wither and the blossoms of Lebanon fade. The mountains quake before him and the hills melt away. The earth trembles at his presence, the world and all who live in it. (NIV) D. He is both a just God and a good God. 1. Nahum 1: 6-8, Who can withstand his indignation? Who can endure his fierce anger? His wrath is poured out like fire; the rocks are shattered before him. The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him, but with an overwhelming flood he will make an end of Nineveh; he will pursue his foes into darkness. (NIV)
4 III. Prophetic Doom of Ninevah and Deliverance of Judah: A. Nahum 1:9-15, Whatever they plot against the LORD he will bring to an end; trouble will not come a second time. They will be entangled among thorns and drunk from their wine; they will be consumed like dry stubble. From you, O Nineveh, has one come forth who plots evil against the LORD and counsels wickedness. This is what the LORD says: "Although they have allies and are numerous, they will be cut off and pass away. Although I have afflicted you, O Judah, I will afflict you no more. Now I will break their yoke from your neck and tear your shackles away." The LORD has given a command concerning you, Nineveh: "You will have no descendants to bear your name. I will destroy the carved images and cast idols that are in the temple of your gods. I will prepare your grave, for you are vile." Look, there on the mountains, the feet of one who brings good news, who proclaims peace! Celebrate your festivals, O Judah, and fulfill your vows. No more will the wicked invade you; they will be completely destroyed. NIV B. Nahum 2:1,2, An attacker advances against you, Nineveh. Guard the fortress, watch the road, brace yourselves, marshal all your strength! The LORD will restore the splendor of Jacob like the splendor of Israel, though destroyers have laid them waste and have ruined their vines. NIV C. A judgment oracle against Ninevah. 1. Nahum 1:9-11, Whatever they plot against the LORD he will bring to an end; trouble will not come a second time. They will be entangled among thorns and drunk from their
5 wine; they will be consumed like dry stubble. From you, O Nineveh, has one come forth who plots evil against the LORD and counsels wickedness. (NIV) D. A salvation oracle for Judah. 1. Nahum 1:12-13, This is what the LORD says: "Although they have allies and are numerous, they will be cut off and pass away. Although I have afflicted you, O Judah, I will afflict you no more. Now I will break their yoke from your neck and tear your shackles away." (NIV) E. A judgment oracle against Ninevah. 1. Nahum 1:14, The LORD has given a command concerning you, Nineveh: "You will have no descendants to bear your name. I will destroy the carved images and cast idols that are in the temple of your gods. I will prepare your grave, for you are vile." (NIV) F. A salvation oracle for Judah. 1. Nahum 1:15, Look, there on the mountains, the feet of one who brings good news, who proclaims peace! Celebrate your festivals, O Judah, and fulfill your vows. No more will the wicked invade you; they will be completely destroyed. NIV 2. Nahum 2:1, 2, An attacker advances against you, Nineveh. Guard the fortress, watch the road, brace yourselves, marshal all your strength! The LORD will
6 restore the splendor of Jacob like the splendor of Israel, though destroyers have laid them waste and have ruined their vines. (NIV) IV. Siege of Ninevah: A. Nahum 2:3-13, The shields of his soldiers are red; the warriors are clad in scarlet. The metal on the chariots flashes on the day they are made ready; the spears of pine are brandished. The chariots storm through the streets, rushing back and forth through the squares. They look like flaming torches; they dart about like lightning. He summons his picked troops, yet they stumble on their way. They dash to the city wall; the protective shield is put in place. The river gates are thrown open and the palace collapses. It is decreed that the city be exiled and carried away. Its slave girls moan like doves and beat upon their breasts. Nineveh is like a pool, and its water is draining away. "Stop! Stop!" they cry, but no one turns back. Plunder the silver! Plunder the gold! The supply is endless, the wealth from all its treasures! She is pillaged, plundered, stripped! Hearts melt, knees give way, bodies tremble, every face grows pale. Where now is the lions' den, the place where they fed their young, where the lion and lioness went, and the cubs, with nothing to fear? The lion killed enough for his cubs and strangled the prey for his mate, filling his lairs with the kill and his dens with the prey. "I am against you," declares the LORD Almighty. "I will burn up your chariots in smoke, and the sword will devour your young lions. I will leave you no prey on the earth. The voices of your messengers will no longer be heard." NIV B. Nahum 3:19, Nothing can heal your wound; your injury is
7 fatal. Everyone who hears the news about you claps his hands at your fall, for who has not felt your endless cruelty? (NIV) C. Description of Ninevah s destruction. 1. Nahum 2:3-9, The shields of his soldiers are red; the warriors are clad in scarlet. The metal on the chariots flashes on the day they are made ready; the spears of pine are brandished. The chariots storm through the streets, rushing back and forth through the squares. They look like flaming torches; they dart about like lightning. He summons his picked troops, yet they stumble on their way. They dash to the city wall; the protective shield is put in place. The river gates are thrown open and the palace collapses. It is decreed that the city be exiled and carried away. Its slave girls moan like doves and beat upon their breasts. Nineveh is like a pool, and its water is draining away. "Stop! Stop!" they cry, but no one turns back. Plunder the silver! Plunder the gold! The supply is endless, the wealth from all its treasures! (NIV) D. Impact of Ninevah s destruction. 1. Nahum 2:10-12, She is pillaged, plundered, stripped! Hearts melt, knees give way, bodies tremble, every face grows pale. Where now is the lions' den, the place where they fed their young, where the lion and lioness went, and the cubs, with nothing to fear? The lion killed enough for his cubs and strangled the prey for his mate, filling his lairs with the kill and his dens with the prey. (NIV)
8 E. Jehovah, the Lord of Hosts, is against Ninevah. 1. Nahum 2:13; 3:5, "I am against you," declares the LORD Almighty. "I will burn up your chariots in smoke, and the sword will devour your young lions. I will leave you no prey on the earth. The voices of your messengers will no longer be heard." NIV 2. Nahum 3:5, "I am against you," declares the LORD Almighty. "I will lift your skirts over your face. I will show the nations your nakedness and the kingdoms your shame. (NIV) F. A judgment oracle against Ninevah. 1. Nahum 3:1-7, Woe to the city of blood, full of lies, full of plunder, never without victims! The crack of whips, the clatter of wheels, galloping horses and jolting chariots! Charging cavalry, flashing swords and glittering spears! Many casualties, piles of dead, bodies without number, people stumbling over the corpses- all because of the wanton lust of a harlot, alluring, the mistress of sorceries, who enslaved nations by her prostitution and peoples by her witchcraft. "I am against you," declares the LORD Almighty. "I will lift your skirts over your face. I will show the nations your nakedness and the kingdoms your shame. I will pelt you with filth, I will treat you with contempt and make you a spectacle. All who see you will flee from you and say, 'Nineveh is in ruins who will mourn for her?' Where can I find anyone to comfort you?" (NIV)
9 G. The analogy of the destruction of Thebes. 1. Nahum 3:8-13, Are you better than Thebes, situated on the Nile, with water around her? The river was her defense, the waters her wall. Cush and Egypt were her boundless strength; Put and Libya were among her allies. Yet she was taken captive and went into exile. Her infants were dashed to pieces at the head of every street. Lots were cast for her nobles, and all her great men were put in chains. You too will become drunk; you will go into hiding and seek refuge from the enemy. All your fortresses are like fig trees with their first ripe fruit; when they are shaken, the figs fall into the mouth of the eater. Look at your troops they are all women! The gates of your land are wide open to your enemies; fire has consumed their bars. (NIV) H. Satirical warnings for Ninevah. 1. Nahum 3:14-17, Draw water for the siege, strengthen your defenses! Work the clay, tread the mortar, repair the brickwork! There the fire will devour you; the sword will cut you down and, like grasshoppers, consume you. Multiply like grasshoppers, multiply like locusts! You have increased the number of your merchants till they are more than the stars of the sky, but like locusts they strip the land and then fly away. Your guards are like locusts, your officials like swarms of locusts that settle in the walls on a cold day but when the sun appears they fly away, and no one knows where. (NIV) I. Ninevah s defeat is massive and a source of joy to all.
1. Nahum 3:18-19, O king of Assyria, your shepherds slumber; your nobles lie down to rest. Your people are scattered on the mountains with no one to gather them. Nothing can heal your wound; your injury is fatal. Everyone who hears the news about you claps his hands at your fall, for who has not felt your endless cruelty? (NIV) 10
11 Nahum Commentary by Dr. John McRay Authorship: I. The author of this book is not mentioned anywhere else in the Old Testament. A. He is not called a prophet but the book is called both an oracle and a vision in Nahum 1:1, An oracle concerning Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite. (NIV) Date of Composition: I. No specific dates are given in the book and no kings are mentioned. A. However, two events provide a framework for the composition of the document. 1. One was the conquest of Thebes, the capital of Egypt, by Ashurbanipal, the king of Assyria and the other was the fall of Ninevah, the capital of Assyria. a. Since the destruction of Thebes (in 663 B.C.) is referred to as a past event (Nahum 3:8, Are you better
12 than Thebes, situated on the Nile, with water around her? The river was her defense, the waters her wall. NIV) and the destruction of Ninevah (in 612 B.C.) is prophesied as a future event (Nahum 1:1; An oracle concerning Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite. Nahum 2:8; Nineveh is like a pool, and its water is draining away. "Stop! Stop!" they cry, but no one turns back. Nahum 3:7, All who see you will flee from you and say, 'Nineveh is in ruins who will mourn for her?' Where can I find anyone to comfort you?" NIV), the book must be dated between these two events, perhaps 655-650 B.C. Literary Form: I. The book was written to encourage Judah that judgment was coming on Assyria. A. It is not a product of the personal hatred of a human author for a particular city or nation of people, but stems from the heart of a just and loving God who is jealous for what is right, has dominion over the world, and punishes those nations which interfere with his work among the Jews in history. B. The contrast of 1:2-3(Nahum 1:2, 3, The LORD is a jealous and avenging God; the LORD takes vengeance and is filled with wrath. The LORD takes vengeance on his foes and maintains his wrath against his enemies. The LORD is slow to anger and great in power; the LORD will not leave the guilty unpunished. His way is in the whirlwind and the storm, and clouds are the dust of his feet. NIV) with 1:7 (Nahum 1:7, The LORD is good, a refuge
13 Outline: in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him, NIV) shows that the difference in God's action is dependent on whether people approach him in faith and trust, or stand in rebellion against him. I. Introductory: A. Psalm 1:1-8, An oracle concerning Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite. The LORD is a jealous and avenging God; the LORD takes vengeance and is filled with wrath. The LORD takes vengeance on his foes and maintains his wrath against his enemies. The LORD is slow to anger and great in power; the LORD will not leave the guilty unpunished. His way is in the whirlwind and the storm, and clouds are the dust of his feet. He rebukes the sea and dries it up; he makes all the rivers run dry. Bashan and Carmel wither and the blossoms of Lebanon fade. The mountains quake before him and the hills melt away. The earth trembles at his presence, the world and all who live in it. Who can withstand his indignation? Who can endure his fierce anger? His wrath is poured out like fire; the rocks are shattered before him. The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him, but with an overwhelming flood he will make an end of Nineveh; he will pursue his foes into darkness. (NIV) II. Prophetic Doom of Ninevah and Deliverance of Judah: A. Nahum 1:9-15, Whatever they plot against the LORD he will bring to an end; trouble will not come a second time. They will be
14 entangled among thorns and drunk from their wine; they will be consumed like dry stubble. From you, O Nineveh, has one come forth who plots evil against the LORD and counsels wickedness. This is what the LORD says: "Although they have allies and are numerous, they will be cut off and pass away. Although I have afflicted you, O Judah, I will afflict you no more. Now I will break their yoke from your neck and tear your shackles away." The LORD has given a command concerning you, Nineveh: "You will have no descendants to bear your name. I will destroy the carved images and cast idols that are in the temple of your gods. I will prepare your grave, for you are vile." Look, there on the mountains, the feet of one who brings good news, who proclaims peace! Celebrate your festivals, O Judah, and fulfill your vows. No more will the wicked invade you; they will be completely destroyed. NIV B. Nahum 2:1, 2, An attacker advances against you, Nineveh. Guard the fortress, watch the road, brace yourselves, marshal all your strength! The LORD will restore the splendor of Jacob like the splendor of Israel, though destroyers have laid them waste and have ruined their vines. NIV III. Siege of Ninevah: A. Nahum 2:3-13; The shields of his soldiers are red; the warriors are clad in scarlet. The metal on the chariots flashes on the day they are made ready; the spears of pine are brandished. The chariots storm through the streets, rushing back and forth through the squares. They look like flaming torches; they dart about like lightning. He summons his picked troops, yet they stumble on their way. They dash to the city wall; the protective
15 shield is put in place. The river gates are thrown open and the palace collapses. It is decreed that the city be exiled and carried away. Its slave girls moan like doves and beat upon their breasts. Nineveh is like a pool, and its water is draining away. "Stop! Stop!" they cry, but no one turns back. Plunder the silver! Plunder the gold! The supply is endless, the wealth from all its treasures! She is pillaged, plundered, stripped! Hearts melt, knees give way, bodies tremble, every face grows pale. Where now is the lions' den, the place where they fed their young, where the lion and lioness went, and the cubs, with nothing to fear? The lion killed enough for his cubs and strangled the prey for his mate, filling his lairs with the kill and his dens with the prey. "I am against you," declares the LORD Almighty. "I will burn up your chariots in smoke, and the sword will devour your young lions. I will leave you no prey on the earth. The voices of your messengers will no longer be heard." NIV B. Nahum 3:1, 19,Woe to the city of blood, full of lies, full of plunder, never without victims! The crack of whips, the clatter of wheels, galloping horses and jolting chariots! Charging cavalry, flashing swords and glittering spears! Many casualties, piles of dead, bodies without number, people stumbling over the corpsesall because of the wanton lust of a harlot, alluring, the mistress of sorceries, who enslaved nations by her prostitution and peoples by her witchcraft. "I am against you," declares the LORD Almighty. "I will lift your skirts over your face. I will show the nations your nakedness and the kingdoms your shame. I will pelt you with filth, I will treat you with contempt and make you a spectacle. All who see you will flee from you and say, 'Nineveh is in ruins who will mourn for her?' Where can I find anyone to comfort you?" Are you better than Thebes, situated on the Nile,
16 with water around her? The river was her defense, the waters her wall. Cush and Egypt were her boundless strength; Put and Libya were among her allies. Yet she was taken captive and went into exile. Her infants were dashed to pieces at the head of every street. Lots were cast for her nobles, and all her great men were put in chains. You too will become drunk; you will go into hiding and seek refuge from the enemy. All your fortresses are like fig trees with their first ripe fruit; when they are shaken, the figs fall into the mouth of the eater. Look at your troops they are all women! The gates of your land are wide open to your enemies; fire has consumed their bars. Draw water for the siege, strengthen your defenses! Work the clay, tread the mortar, repair the brickwork! There the fire will devour you; the sword will cut you down and, like grasshoppers, consume you. Multiply like grasshoppers, multiply like locusts! You have increased the number of your merchants till they are more than the stars of the sky, but like locusts they strip the land and then fly away. Your guards are like locusts, your officials like swarms of locusts that settle in the walls on a cold day but when the sun appears they fly away, and no one knows where. O king of Assyria, your shepherds slumber; your nobles lie down to rest. Your people are scattered on the mountains with no one to gather them. Nothing can heal your wound; your injury is fatal. Everyone who hears the news about you claps his hands at your fall, for who has not felt your endless cruelty? NIV
17 Nahum Commentary by Dr. John McRay I. Superscription: A. Nahum 1:1, An oracle concerning Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite. (NIV) B. The superscription of Nahum has two parts. 1. The first part contains the nature of the document, which is stated to be an oracle concerning Ninevah; i.e., information transmitted from a deity to human beings about important current issues or future events. a. In the Old Testament it is used of a prophetic declaration of divine revelation. i. (Cf. Habakkuk 1:1, The oracle that Habakkuk the prophet received. NIV ii. Malachi 1:1, An oracle: The word of the LORD to Israel through Malachi. NIV iii. Isaiah 13:1, An oracle concerning Babylon that Isaiah son of Amoz saw: NIV.
2. The second part of the superscription identifies the oracle as a vision given to the prophet Nahum of Elkosh. C. Nahum is identified as being from a village named Elkosh, the location of which is unknown. 1. Three other prophets of the Old Testament are identified by their hometowns; viz., Amos of Tekoa, Micah of Moresheth, and Jeremiah of Anathoth. II. Introductory Psalm in Praise of Jehovah: A. Nahum 1:2-8, The LORD is a jealous and avenging God; the LORD takes vengeance and is filled with wrath. The LORD takes vengeance on his foes and maintains his wrath against his enemies. The LORD is slow to anger and great in power; the LORD will not leave the guilty unpunished. His way is in the whirlwind and the storm, and clouds are the dust of his feet. He rebukes the sea and dries it up; he makes all the rivers run dry. Bashan and Carmel wither and the blossoms of Lebanon fade. The mountains quake before him and the hills melt away. The earth trembles at his presence, the world and all who live in it. Who can withstand his indignation? Who can endure his fierce anger? His wrath is poured out like fire; the rocks are shattered before him. The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him, but with an overwhelming flood he will make an end of Nineveh; he will pursue his foes into darkness. (NIV) B. The psalm of Nahum 1:2-8 serves as an introduction to the oracles that follow concerning the destruction of Ninevah, although there is 18
19 no specific mention of Ninevah in the oracle which begins Nahum 1:9. 1. Nahum 1:2-8, The LORD is a jealous and avenging God; the LORD takes vengeance and is filled with wrath. The LORD takes vengeance on his foes and maintains his wrath against his enemies. The LORD is slow to anger and great in power; the LORD will not leave the guilty unpunished. His way is in the whirlwind and the storm, and clouds are the dust of his feet. He rebukes the sea and dries it up; he makes all the rivers run dry. Bashan and Carmel wither and the blossoms of Lebanon fade. The mountains quake before him and the hills melt away. The earth trembles at his presence, the world and all who live in it. Who can withstand his indignation? Who can endure his fierce anger? His wrath is poured out like fire; the rocks are shattered before him. The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him, but with an overwhelming flood he will make an end of Nineveh; he will pursue his foes into darkness. NIV 2. Nahum 1:9, Whatever they plot against the LORD he will bring to an end; trouble will not come a second time. NIV 3. Ninevah is mentioned three times in Nahum: first in the superscription (Nahum 1:1, An oracle concerning Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite. NIV), then in the prophetic doom section (Nahum 2:8, Nineveh is like a pool, and its water is draining away. "Stop! Stop!" they cry, but no one turns back. NIV), and last in the siege section (Nahum 3:7, All who see you will flee from you and say,
20 'Nineveh is in ruins who will mourn for her?' Where can I find anyone to comfort you?" NIV). III. The psalm is a theological introduction declaring God s power over all his creation both nature and people. A. He is awesome in power, jealous and avenging to adversaries. 1. Nahum 1:2-3a, The LORD is a jealous and avenging God; the LORD takes vengeance and is filled with wrath. The LORD takes vengeance on his foes and maintains his wrath against his enemies. The LORD is slow to anger and great in power; the LORD will not leave the guilty unpunished. (NIV) 2. Jehovah s love for his people makes him a jealous God and he therefore acts in their behalf in destroying Ninevah, their oppressor. a. Nahum 1:2, The LORD is a jealous and avenging God; the LORD takes vengeance and is filled with wrath. The LORD takes vengeance on his foes and maintains his wrath against his enemies. (NIV) 3. Even though he does not become angry quickly, Jehovah will punish the guilty. a. Nahum 1:3, The LORD is slow to anger and great in power; the LORD will not leave the guilty unpunished. His way is in the whirlwind and the storm, and clouds are the dust of his feet. (NIV)
B. He is in control of the entire earth. 21 1. Nahum 1:3b-5, His way is in the whirlwind and the storm, and clouds are the dust of his feet. He rebukes the sea and dries it up; he makes all the rivers run dry. Bashan and Carmel wither and the blossoms of Lebanon fade. The mountains quake before him and the hills melt away. The earth trembles at his presence, the world and all who live in it. (NIV) 2. In this section Nahum is showing that Jehovah is sovereign over all creation and is capable of exercising authority over it. a. Nahum 1:3b-5, His way is in the whirlwind and the storm, and clouds are the dust of his feet. He rebukes the sea and dries it up; he makes all the rivers run dry. Bashan and Carmel wither and the blossoms of Lebanon fade. The mountains quake before him and the hills melt away. The earth trembles at his presence, the world and all who live in it. NIV 3. Sometimes Jehovah acts through forces of nature to accomplish his will. a. A theophany (appearance of God) in the Old Testament is sometimes accompanied by a storm or whirlwind. b. Nahum 1:3b, His way is in the whirlwind and the storm, and clouds are the dust of his feet. NIV c. Exodus 19:16, On the morning of the third day there
22 was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled. NIV d. Isaiah 28:2, See, the Lord has one who is powerful and strong. Like a hailstorm and a destructive wind, like a driving rain and a flooding downpour, he will throw it forcefully to the ground NIV e. Isaiah 29:6, the LORD Almighty will come with thunder and earthquake and great noise, with windstorm and tempest and flames of a devouring fire. NIV f. Isaiah 66:15, See, the LORD is coming with fire, and his chariots are like a whirlwind; he will bring down his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. NIV g. Jeremiah 23:19, See, the storm of the LORD will burst out in wrath, a whirlwind swirling down on the heads of the wicked. NIV h. Zechariah 7:14, 'I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations, where they were strangers. The land was left so desolate behind them that no one could come or go. This is how they made the pleasant land desolate.'" NIV i. Zechariah 9:14, Then the LORD will appear over them; his arrow will flash like lightning. The
23 Sovereign LORD will sound the trumpet; he will march in the storms of the south, NIV j. Psalm 18:10-15, He mounted the cherubim and flew; he soared on the wings of the wind. He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him the dark rain clouds of the sky. Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced, with hailstones and bolts of lightning. The LORD thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded. He shot his arrows and scattered the enemies, great bolts of lightning and routed them. The valleys of the sea were exposed and the foundations of the earth laid bare at your rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of breath from your nostrils. NIV k. Job 38:1, Then the LORD answered Job out of the storm. NIV l. He rides upon the clouds. m. Nahum 1:3b, His way is in the whirlwind and the storm, and clouds are the dust of his feet. NIV n. Psalm 68:4, Sing to God, sing praise to his name, extol him who rides on the clouds his name is the LORD and rejoice before him. NIV o. Isaiah 14:14, I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High." NIV).
24 4. In addition to the sea and the rivers, Jehovah subjects the mountains to him all the mountains of Bashan which is the territory east of the Sea of Galilee, all of Mount Carmel which is west of the Sea of Galilee on the Mediterranean Seacoast, and the mountains of Lebanon north of Sea of Galilee. He subjects the entire earth and all its inhabitants, to him. a. Nahum 1:4-5, He rebukes the sea and dries it up; he makes all the rivers run dry. Bashan and Carmel wither and the blossoms of Lebanon fade. The mountains quake before him and the hills melt away. The earth trembles at his presence, the world and all who live in it. (NIV) C. He is both a just God and a good God. 1. Nahum 1: 6-8, Who can withstand his indignation? Who can endure his fierce anger? His wrath is poured out like fire; the rocks are shattered before him. The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him, but with an overwhelming flood he will make an end of Nineveh; he will pursue his foes into darkness. (NIV) 2. By asking the questions in verse 6 Nahum is saying that no one can withstand the power of God s anger. Even the rocks are broken apart by him. a. Nahum 1:6, Who can withstand his indignation? Who can endure his fierce anger? His wrath is poured out like fire; the rocks are shattered before him. NIV
25 3. However, Jehovah is not only a God of wrath and judgment, but he is also a good God who cares for those who seek refuge in him. a. Nahum 1:7, The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him, (NIV) 4. The introductory psalm then closes with a word of judgment on God s enemies, whom he will pursue into darkness. a. Nahum 1:8, but with an overwhelming flood he will make an end of Nineveh; he will pursue his foes into darkness. (NIV) IV. Prophetic Doom of Ninevah and Deliverance of Judah: A. Nahum 9:1-15, Whatever they plot against the LORD he will bring to an end; trouble will not come a second time. They will be entangled among thorns and drunk from their wine; they will be consumed like dry stubble. From you, O Nineveh, has one come forth who plots evil against the LORD and counsels wickedness. This is what the LORD says: "Although they have allies and are numerous, they will be cut off and pass away. Although I have afflicted you, O Judah, I will afflict you no more. Now I will break their yoke from your neck and tear your shackles away." The LORD has given a command concerning you, Nineveh: "You will have no descendants to bear your name. I will destroy the carved images and cast idols that are in the temple of your gods. I will prepare your grave, for you are vile." Look, there on the mountains, the feet of one who brings good news, who proclaims peace! Celebrate your festivals, O Judah, and fulfill your vows.
26 No more will the wicked invade you; they will be completely destroyed. B. Nahum 1:2, An attacker advances against you, Nineveh. Guard the fortress, watch the road, brace yourselves, marshal all your strength! The LORD will restore the splendor of Jacob like the splendor of Israel, though destroyers have laid them waste and have ruined their vines. (NIV) C. A judgment oracle against Ninevah. 1. Nahum 1:9-11, Whatever they plot against the LORD he will bring to an end; trouble will not come a second time. They will be entangled among thorns and drunk from their wine; they will be consumed like dry stubble. From you, O Nineveh, has one come forth who plots evil against the LORD and counsels wickedness. (NIV) 2. Jehovah will put a permanent end to any nations who plot against him and they will not, therefore, be able to arise a second time against his people. a. Nahum 1:9, Whatever they plot against the LORD he will bring to an end; trouble will not come a second time. NIV 3. The Hebrew text of Nahum 1:10 contains three figures of speech comparing the approaching disaster of Ninevah to entangled thorns in a brush pile, drinking drunkards, and dry stubble.
27 a. Nahum 1:10, They will be entangled among thorns and drunk from their wine; they will be consumed like dry stubble. NIV 4. Out of Ninevah one had come who plotted evil against Jehovah and counseled wickedness. a. Nahum 1:11, From you, O Nineveh, has one come forth who plots evil against the LORD. NIV b. Compare the Assyrian king Sennacherib in his plot against Hezekiah, king of Judah in II Kings 18 and 19. c. 2 Kings 18:1-37, In the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, Hezekiah son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign. He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother's name was Abijah daughter of Zechariah. He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father David had done. He removed the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke into pieces the bronze snake Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had been burning incense to it. (It was called Nehushtan.) Hezekiah trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him. He held fast to the LORD and did not cease to follow him; he kept the commands the LORD had given Moses. And the LORD was with him; he was successful in whatever he undertook. He rebelled against the king of
28 Assyria and did not serve him. From watchtower to fortified city, he defeated the Philistines, as far as Gaza and its territory. In King Hezekiah's fourth year, which was the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, Shalmaneser king of Assyria marched against Samaria and laid siege to it. At the end of three years the Assyrians took it. So Samaria was captured in Hezekiah's sixth year, which was the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel. The king of Assyria deported Israel to Assyria and settled them in Halah, in Gozan on the Habor River and in towns of the Medes. This happened because they had not obeyed the LORD their God, but had violated his covenant all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded. They neither listened to the commands nor carried them out. In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah's reign, Sennacherib king of Assyria attacked all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them. So Hezekiah king of Judah sent this message to the king of Assyria at Lachish: "I have done wrong. Withdraw from me, and I will pay whatever you demand of me." The king of Assyria exacted from Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold. So Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the temple of the LORD and in the treasuries of the royal palace. At this time Hezekiah king of Judah stripped off the gold with which he had covered the doors and doorposts of the temple of the LORD, and gave it to the king of Assyria. The king of Assyria sent his supreme commander, his chief officer and his field commander with a large army, from Lachish to King
29 Hezekiah at Jerusalem. They came up to Jerusalem and stopped at the aqueduct of the Upper Pool, on the road to the Washerman's Field. They called for the king; and Eliakim son of Hilkiah the palace administrator, Shebna the secretary, and Joah son of Asaph the recorder went out to them. The field commander said to them, "Tell Hezekiah: "'This is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says: On what are you basing this confidence of yours? You say you have strategy and military strength but you speak only empty words. On whom are you depending, that you rebel against me? Look now, you are depending on Egypt, that splintered reed of a staff, which pierces a man's hand and wounds him if he leans on it! Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who depend on him. And if you say to me, "We are depending on the LORD our God"-isn't he the one whose high places and altars Hezekiah removed, saying to Judah and Jerusalem, "You must worship before this altar in Jerusalem"? "'Come now, make a bargain with my master, the king of Assyria: I will give you two thousand horses if you can put riders on them! How can you repulse one officer of the least of my master's officials, even though you are depending on Egypt for chariots and horsemen? Furthermore, have I come to attack and destroy this place without word from the LORD? The LORD himself told me to march against this country and destroy it.'" Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah, and Shebna and Joah said to the field commander, "Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, since we understand it. Don't speak to us in Hebrew in the
30 hearing of the people on the wall." But the commander replied, "Was it only to your master and you that my master sent me to say these things, and not to the men sitting on the wall who, like you, will have to eat their own filth and drink their own urine?" Then the commander stood and called out in Hebrew: "Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria! This is what the king says: Do not let Hezekiah deceive you. He cannot deliver you from my hand. Do not let Hezekiah persuade you to trust in the LORD when he says, 'The LORD will surely deliver us; this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.' "Do not listen to Hezekiah. This is what the king of Assyria says: Make peace with me and come out to me. Then every one of you will eat from his own vine and fig tree and drink water from his own cistern, until I come and take you to a land like your own, a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive trees and honey. Choose life and not death! "Do not listen to Hezekiah, for he is misleading you when he says, 'The LORD will deliver us.' Has the god of any nation ever delivered his land from the hand of the king of Assyria? ere are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena and Ivvah? Have they rescued Samaria from my hand? Who of all the gods of these countries has been able to save his land from me? How then can the LORD deliver Jerusalem from my hand?" But the people remained silent and said nothing in reply, because the king had commanded, "Do not answer him." Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah the palace administrator,
Shebna the secretary and Joah son of Asaph the recorder went to Hezekiah, with their clothes torn, and told him what the field commander had said. NIV d. 2 Kings 19:1-37, When King Hezekiah heard this, he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and went into the temple of the LORD. He sent Eliakim the palace administrator, Shebna the secretary and the leading priests, all wearing sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz. They told him, "This is what Hezekiah says: This day is a day of distress and rebuke and disgrace, as when children come to the point of birth and there is no strength to deliver them. It may be that the LORD your God will hear all the words of the field commander, whom his master, the king of Assyria, has sent to ridicule the living God, and that he will rebuke him for the words the LORD your God has heard. Therefore pray for the remnant that still survives." When King Hezekiah's officials came to Isaiah, Isaiah said to them, "Tell your master, 'This is what the LORD says: Do not be afraid of what you have heard those words with which the underlings of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me. Listen! I am going to put such a spirit in him that when he hears a certain report, he will return to his own country, and there I will have him cut down with the sword.'" When the field commander heard that the king of Assyria had left Lachish, he withdrew and found the king fighting against Libnah. Now Sennacherib received a report that Tirhakah, the Cushite king of Egypt, was marching out to fight against him. So he again sent messengers to Hezekiah with this word: 31
32 "Say to Hezekiah king of Judah: Do not let the god you depend on deceive you when he says, 'Jerusalem will not be handed over to the king of Assyria.' Surely you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the countries, destroying them completely. And will you be delivered? Did the gods of the nations that were destroyed by my forefathers deliver them: the gods of Gozan, Haran, Rezeph and the people of Eden who were in Tel Assar? Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, the king of the city of Sepharvaim, or of Hena or Ivvah?" Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple of the LORD and spread it out before the LORD. And Hezekiah prayed to the LORD: "O LORD, God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. Give ear, O LORD, and hear; open your eyes, O LORD, and see; listen to the words Sennacherib has sent to insult the living God. "It is true, O LORD, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste these nations and their lands. They have thrown their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods but only wood and stone, fashioned by men's hands. Now, O LORD our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all kingdoms on earth may know that you alone, O LORD, are God." Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent a message to Hezekiah: "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I have heard your prayer concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria. This is the word that the LORD has spoken against him: "'The
Virgin Daughter of Zion despises you and mocks you. The Daughter of Jerusalem tosses her head as you flee. Who is it you have insulted and blasphemed? Against whom have you raised your voice and lifted your eyes in pride? Against the Holy One of Israel! By your messengers you have heaped insults on the Lord. And you have said, "With my many chariots I have ascended the heights of the mountains, the utmost heights of Lebanon. I have cut down its tallest cedars, the choicest of its pines. I have reached its remotest parts, the finest of its forests. I have dug wells in foreign lands and drunk the water there. With the soles of my feet I have dried up all the streams of Egypt." "'Have you not heard? Long ago I ordained it. In days of old I planned it; now I have brought it to pass, that you have turned fortified cities into piles of stone. Their people, drained of power, are dismayed and put to shame. They are like plants in the field, like tender green shoots, like grass sprouting on the roof, scorched before it grows up. "'But I know where you stay and when you come and go and how you rage against me. Because you rage against me and your insolence has reached my ears, I will put my hook in your nose and my bit in your mouth, and I will make you return by the way you came.' "This will be the sign for you, O Hezekiah: "This year you will eat what grows by itself, and the second year what springs from that. But in the third year sow and reap, plant vineyards and eat their fruit. Once more a remnant of the house of Judah will take root below and bear fruit above. For out of Jerusalem will come a remnant, and 33
34 out of Mount Zion a band of survivors. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this. "Therefore this is what the LORD says concerning the king of Assyria: "He will not enter this city or shoot an arrow here. He will not come before it with shield or build a siege ramp against it. By the way that he came he will return; he will not enter this city, declares the LORD. I will defend this city and save it, for my sake and for the sake of David my servant." That night the angel of the LORD went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand men in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning there were all the dead bodies! So Sennacherib king of Assyria broke camp and withdrew. He returned to Nineveh and stayed there. One day, while he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer cut him down with the sword, and they escaped to the land of Ararat. And Esarhaddon his son succeeded him as king. NIV D. A salvation oracle for Judah. 1. Nahum 1:12-13, This is what the LORD says: "Although they have allies and are numerous, they will be cut off and pass away. Although I have afflicted you, O Judah, I will afflict you no more. Now I will break their yoke from your neck and tear your shackles away." NIV E. This oracle is introduced as an official proclamation of Jehovah: Thus says the Lord, and assures the people of Judah that even
35 though they have been punished by Jehovah for their sin, he is now going to break the power of Assyria that has oppressed Judah for so long. 1. Nahum 1:12, This is what the LORD says: "Although they have allies and are numerous, they will be cut off and pass away. Although I have afflicted you, O Judah, I will afflict you no more. NIV F. A judgment oracle against Ninevah. 1. Nahum 1:14, The LORD has given a command concerning you, Nineveh: "You will have no descendants to bear your name. I will destroy the carved images and cast idols that are in the temple of your gods. I will prepare your grave, for you are vile." NIV 2. This oracle is addressed to the king of Ninevah who is referred to by the masculine singular pronoun (you, your). a. Jehovah gave Nahum a commandment about Ninevah. b. There are only a few other places in the prophets where they say Jehovah commanded them to do something. i. Isaiah 23:11, The LORD has stretched out his hand over the sea and made its kingdoms tremble. He has given an order concerning Phoenicia that her fortresses be destroyed. NIV ii. Isaiah 34:16, Look in the scroll of the LORD
36 and read: None of these will be missing, not one will lack her mate. For it is his mouth that has given the order, and his Spirit will gather them together. NIV iii. Jeremiah 47:7, But how can it rest when the LORD has commanded it, when he has ordered it to attack Ashkelon and the coast?" NIV iv. Ezekiel 37:10, So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet a vast army. NIV c. The command involved the fact that Ninevah s king would have no descendants and the idols in its temple would be destroyed. d. He would be buried in a grave which God would provide that would be of suitable to his comparative unimportance. G. A salvation oracle for Judah. 1. Nahum 1:15, Look, there on the mountains, the feet of one who brings good news, who proclaims peace! Celebrate your festivals, O Judah, and fulfill your vows. No more will the wicked invade you; they will be completely destroyed. 2. Nahum 2:2, The LORD will restore the splendor of Jacob like the splendor of Israel, though destroyers have laid them
37 waste and have ruined their vines. NIV 3. The results of Jehovah s intervention in history and destruction of the power of Assyria make it possible now for Judah to be free to celebrate her religious feasts and to fulfill the vows she made during her oppression. a. Nahum 1:15, Look, there on the mountains, the feet of one who brings good news, who proclaims peace! Celebrate your festivals, O Judah, and fulfill your vows. No more will the wicked invade you; they will be completely destroyed. NIV 4. Because the Lord is restoring the majesty of Judah, Nahum may have hopes that the northern tribes of Israel which were taken captive in the fall of Samaria in 722 B.C. would also be set free. a. Both Israel and Judah have been stripped and pillaged by plunderers like a vine which has been stripped of its branches. ` i. Nahum 2:2, The LORD will restore the splendor of Jacob like the splendor of Israel, though destroyers have laid them waste and have ruined their vines. NIV V. Siege of Ninevah. A. Ninevah 2:3-3:19, The shields of his soldiers are red; the warriors are clad in scarlet. The metal on the chariots flashes on
38 the day they are made ready; the spears of pine are brandished. The chariots storm through the streets, rushing back and forth through the squares. They look like flaming torches; they dart about like lightning. He summons his picked troops, yet they stumble on their way. They dash to the city wall; the protective shield is put in place. The river gates are thrown open and the palace collapses. It is decreed that the city be exiled and carried away. Its slave girls moan like doves and beat upon their breasts. Nineveh is like a pool, and its water is draining away. "Stop! Stop!" they cry, but no one turns back. Plunder the silver! Plunder the gold! The supply is endless, the wealth from all its treasures! She is pillaged, plundered, stripped! Hearts melt, knees give way, bodies tremble, every face grows pale. Where now is the lions' den, the place where they fed their young, where the lion and lioness went, and the cubs, with nothing to fear? The lion killed enough for his cubs and strangled the prey for his mate, filling his lairs with the kill and his dens with the prey. "I am against you," declares the LORD Almighty. "I will burn up your chariots in smoke, and the sword will devour your young lions. I will leave you no prey on the earth. The voices of your messengers will no longer be heard." NIV B. Nahum 3:1-19, Woe to the city of blood, full of lies, full of plunder, never without victims! The crack of whips, the clatter of wheels, galloping horses and jolting chariots! Charging cavalry, flashing swords and glittering spears! Many casualties, piles of dead, bodies without number, people stumbling over the corpsesall because of the wanton lust of a harlot, alluring, the mistress of sorceries, who enslaved nations by her prostitution and peoples by her witchcraft. "I am against you," declares the LORD Almighty. "I will lift your skirts over your face. I will show the