Dive into the captivating world of Nahum, a prophetic book that serves as a sequel to Jonah’s story. Allen J. Huth explores Nahum’s role as God’s messenger announcing the irreversible fall of Nineveh, bringing comfort to Judah. Through in-depth exploration and personal anecdotes from decades of Bible journals, this episode unveils the profound messages and vivid imagery presented in Nahum’s prophecy.
Welcome to ADDBIBLE, an audio daily devotion from the Ezra Project. We join Allen J. Huth as he shares Bible passages and comments from over 30 years of his personal Bible reading journals.
SPEAKER 01 :
Today we begin the book of Nahum. I will use my English Standard Version Study Bible book introduction to introduce us to the book of Nahum. The book of Nahum is named after its author, Nahum, which means comfort. The message given to Nahum by God that Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, would be destroyed brings comfort to Judah. Nahum was God’s messenger to announce the fall of Nineveh, the arrogant capital of the Assyrian Empire. This message of coming judgment from the Lord was certain and irrevocable. Nineveh does fall to a coalition of Medes and Babylonians in 612 BC. Therefore, the book was likely composed after 660, but before 630 BC. Nahum is a sequel to the book of Jonah. Remember, Jonah went to Nineveh, declaring God’s impending judgment, but they repented and were spared to Jonah’s dismay. However, the repentance didn’t last very long. The Assyrian Empire was established by bloodshed, massacre, cruelty, torture, destruction, and plundering like seldom seen in history. It ended the northern kingdom of Israel and captured the southern kingdom of Judah. But just because God uses ungodly people as an instrument of His judgment doesn’t mean He excuses their conduct. Don’t be confused with being used by God, with being right before God. Nahum is one of the most colorful prophetic writings in the Old Testament, with his graphic images and descriptions. So let’s enjoy the three chapters of this book, a chapter a day. We will listen to Faith Comes by Hearing’s readings of chapters 1 and 3, and I look forward to sharing chapter 2. So let’s begin with Nahum chapter 1.
SPEAKER 03 :
Nahum. Nahum 1. An Oracle Concerning Nineveh. The Book of the Vision of Nahum of Elkosh.
SPEAKER 05 :
The Lord is a jealous and avenging God. The Lord is avenging and wrathful. The Lord takes vengeance on His adversaries and keeps wrath for His enemies. The Lord is slow to anger and great in power. And the Lord will by no means clear the guilty. His way is in whirlwind and storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet. He rebukes the sea and makes it dry. He dries up all the rivers. Bashan and Carmel wither. The bloom of Lebanon withers. The mountains quake before him. The hills melt. The earth heaves before him. The world and all who dwell in it. Who can stand before his indignation? Who can endure the heat of his anger? His wrath is poured out like fire, and the rocks are broken into pieces by him. The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble. He knows those who take refuge in him. But with an overflowing flood, he will make a complete end of the adversaries and will pursue his enemies into darkness. What do you plot against the Lord? He will make a complete end. Trouble will not rise up a second time, for they are like entangled thorns. Like drunkards as they drink, they are consumed like stubble fully dried. From you came one who plotted evil against the Lord, a worthless counselor.
SPEAKER 04 :
Thus says the Lord, Though they are at full strength in many, they will be cut down and pass away. Though I have afflicted you, I will afflict you no more. And now I will break his yoke from off you and will burst your bonds apart.
SPEAKER 05 :
The Lord has given commandment about you. No more shall your name be perpetuated. From the house of your gods, I will cut off the carved image and the metal image. I will make your grave, for you are vile. Behold, upon the mountains, the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace. Keep your feasts, O Judah. Fulfill your vows, for never again shall the worthless pass through you. He is utterly cut off.
SPEAKER 01 :
To help us through the book of Nahum, I have selected three of my personal Bible reading journals. One from 1991, the next 10 years later in 2001, and the last one another 10 years later, 2011. So three different journals in three different decades. In 1991, I read Nahum all chapters on one day. So I summarized the whole book of Nahum as follows. Nineveh, the great city, is in panic. What was stable is shaken. What people hold on to doesn’t matter anymore. So it will be when God shakes a person, a people, a nation, a world. The best thing to do is keep God on your side by obeying his word and worshiping him. Ten years later, in 2001, I also read Nahum, all chapters on the same day, and I summarize the book this way. Who would know this verse is in Nahum? The Lord is slow to anger and great in power. And that’s verse 3. Or, behold, on the mountains the feet of him who brings good tidings, who proclaims peace. And that’s verse 15. Another ten years later, in 2011, I also read all the chapters of Nahum in one day. And I wrote characteristics of God. Jealous, avenging, wrathful, slow to anger, great in power. He no way clears the guilty. He chases his enemies. And then I wrote 115 is like Romans 10.15. The Lord is against Nineveh. Let’s take a look at Nahum chapter one. And let’s start with that first verse. There’s two key words here. One is oracle and one is vision. What is the difference? According to my English Standard Version Study Bible footnote, Oracle denotes a prophetic utterance or proclamation, and vision indicates how God communicated the contents of the book to Nahum. This description of an oracle and a vision to introduce a book in the Old Testament is unique. No other book starts this way. So oracle is the utterance given to Nahum by the method of a vision. In one of my journal entries, I referred to the characteristics of God. We can see some of those in verses 2 and 3. He is jealous. He’s avenging. He’s wrathful. He takes vengeance. He keeps wrath for his enemies. He’s slow to anger. He has great power. And the Lord will by no means clear the guilty. Understanding this part of God is what we get from the Old Testament. Certainly from the New Testament, we understand God’s characteristics of love and mercy and grace. But the Word of God says God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. So He is still jealous, He is still wrathful, and He’s still slow to anger. He still has great power, and He will still never clear the guilty. Nahum describes the power of God. He says His ways are in whirlwind and storm, the clouds are the dust of His feet. He rebukes the sea and makes it dry. He dries up all the rivers. The mountains quake before him. The hills melt. The earth heaves before him. Who can stand before his indignation? Who can endure the heat of his anger? His wrath is poured out like fire, and the rocks are broken into pieces by him. Yes, God is powerful, and let’s not forget that. Those characteristics are balanced by verse 7. The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble. He knows those who take refuge in Him. So though God is jealous, He’s avenging, He’s wrathful, He is also slow to anger, and He is good. Part of the reason that we spend time in God’s Word, the whole counsel of the Bible, is to learn about God. And here we’re learning more of his characteristics. In verse 14, Nahum turns his sights directly on Nineveh, the capital of Assyria. The word says, The Lord has given commandment about you. No more shall your name be perpetuated. From the house of your gods I will cut off the carved image and the metal image. I will make your grave, for you are vile. Yes, the book of the prophet Nahum is directed directly at Nineveh, the capital of Assyria. But verse 15 talks to those in Judah. It says, Behold upon the mountains the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace. Keep your feasts, O Judah, fulfill your vows, for never again shall the worthless pass through you. He is utterly cut off. As in most prophetic books, there is judgment, but there’s also good news. Nahum brings good news to Jerusalem and the people of Judah. Verse 15 is quoted in Romans 10, 15. Romans chapter 10 starts with this verse in verse 1. Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. Romans 10 goes on to say how people can be saved, and it quotes this wonderful verse out of Nahum. Let’s look at Romans 10 14. How then will they call on him in whom they’ve not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, and here’s that verse out of Nahum, how beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news. But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us? So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. So Romans 10 is about salvation, and so is the book by the prophet Nahum. For Jerusalem is going to be saved from the wicked empire of the Assyrians. Father, we thank you that whether it’s in the Old Testament or the New, you are a God of salvation. You are a God who keeps your promise and you are a God of deliverance. Thank you that you are a God who will by no means clear the guilty. You are good. You are a stronghold in the day of trouble. And you are the one who brings good news, both in the Old Testament and in the New. Bless us, Holy Spirit, as we read through the book of Nahum. Touch our hearts with the oracle given to Nahum by a vision from you. In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen. Thanks for listening to AdBible today. Artificial intelligence is man’s attempt to imitate God’s special gift to man. He created us. Only the human race is in his image, not birds, fish, plants, or animals. His image includes intelligence. I tackle the subject of artificial intelligence in a teaching called A.I., capital A, small i. It is an insightful message on the first discovery of AI out of the book of Joshua and the battle for the small town called AI after the walls of Jericho fell down. This was the second conquest in the Promised Land. I offer a better alternative than artificial intelligence. I know you’re going to like it and want to share it with others. If you’re worried about the moral decline, let not your heart be troubled. Remember when God unleashed ten plagues on Egypt? None of them affected the Israelites. No flies, no bloody water, no hail, no death angel. Though they lived in Egypt, they lived under God’s protection in Goshen. As you consume the news of our day to day, you may become hopeless. So visit EzraProject.net and read Living in Goshen. It will brighten your countenance and renew your trust in God. Even as plagues rain down all around us, you can live in Goshen and not be affected. Visit EzraProject.net and read Living in Goshen today. I know you’re going to enjoy it and want to share it with others.
