Memory Verse
“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”
Nahum 1:2-3
Overview

God spared Nineveh through the reluctant ministry of Jonah. It took Jonah three days to walk across the city and they repented. Now 150 years later, they have reverted to their old ways of ungodliness and brutality. What is the central message of Nahum? God is a jealous God! Nineveh is an example that explains the doctrine of God’s jealousy.

Hymn: Lead On, O King Eternal
Sheet Music
Top 5 Facts to Remember
  1. Nahum prophesied to the Ninevites roughly 150 years after Jonah.
  2. The Lord is slow to anger and great in power and will not at all acquit the wicked (Nah. 1:3).
  3. The terrifying statement, “Behold, I am against you,” occurs twice in the book (Nah. 2:13; 3:5).
  4. Nineveh is called “the bloody city” in Nah. 3:1.
  5. The book ends with the assertion that all who would hear of Nineveh’s destruction would clap their hands, “For upon whom has not your wickedness passed continually?” (Nah. 3:19).
Theme: God Is a Jealous God

In Nahum, God is glorifying Himself through jealousy, so that He might demonstrate His superior goodness in the salvation sinners, the damnation of the wicked, and for the preservation of His people for His eternal glory, and their eternal joy.

Author: Nahum

The author identifies himself as Nahum the Elkoshite (Nah. 1:1).

Time of Writing: 650 B.C.

Nahum wrote after the fall of Thebes in 663 B.C., but before Nineveh’s fall in 612 B.C.

Key Verses:

“The Lord is good,
A stronghold in the day of trouble;
And He knows those who trust in Him.
But with an overflowing flood
He will make an utter end of its place,
And darkness will pursue His enemies.”

Nahum 1:7–8

“ ‘Behold, I am against you,’ says the Lord of hosts;
‘I will lift your skirts over your face,
I will show the nations your nakedness,
And the kingdoms your shame.
I will cast abominable filth upon you,
Make you vile,
And make you a spectacle.
It shall come to pass that all who look upon you
Will flee from you, and say,
“Nineveh is laid waste!
Who will bemoan her?”
Where shall I seek comforters for you?’ ”

Nahum 3:5–7

Lessons:
  1. God is a jealous God and cannot tolerate the worship of false gods in His place.
  2. The Lord is slow to anger.
  3. God will pour out His wrath on His enemies.
  4. The Lord will preserve those who take refuge in Him. 
Christ in Nahum:

In Nahum 1:15, the prophet speaks about those who bring good tidings and proclaim peace. The Apostle Paul quotes this verse in Romans 10:15 and applies it to those who proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

Outline
  1. Nineveh’s Destruction Announced (Nah. 1)
  2. Nineveh’s Destruction Described (Nah. 2)
  3. Nineveh’s Destruction Explained (Nah. 3)
Study Questions

Who was the audience of Nahum’s prophecy?
Nineveh (Nah. 1:1).

When did Nahum prophesy?
150 years after Jonah and the repentance of Nineveh, but before Jeremiah and Ezekiel. 

What had happened to Nineveh since the time of Jonah’s prophecy?
They had returned to their violence (Jon. 3:8; Nah. 3:1–3).

What is the key verse in Nahum?
“God is jealous, and the Lord avenges; the Lord avenges and is furious. The Lord will take vengeance on His adversaries, and He reserves wrath for His enemies” Nahum 1:2.

© 2017 NCFIC