Nahum | Resources
Introduction to Nahum
The book of Nahum dramatically portrays God overwhelming Assyria to relieve his oppressed people. It was certainly a harsh message for Israel’s enemies, but for the people of Judah it was a message of hope.
Gregory W. Parsons, “Nahum,” in CSB Study Bible: Notes, ed. Edwin A. Blum and Trevin Wax (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017), 1419.
Memory Verse
“The Lord is good, a stronghold in a day of distress; he cares for those who take refuge in him.” Nahum 1:7 (CSB)
Bible Reading
Take time to engage with God’s Word this week. Answer these questions: What is the main idea of this passage? What’s something that stood out? How does this passage point to Jesus? How can I live out what I read?
– Day 1 — Nahum 1
– Day 2 — Nahum 2
– Day 3 — Nahum 3
– Day 4 — Nahum 1–3
– Day 5 — Revelation 17
Discussion/Reflection Questions
1) Summarize the story that is being told.
2) What are three reasons given in Nahum 3 as to why Nineveh deserved to be judged?
3) Try to describe God’s jealousy. How do you feel when you readthat God is jealous?
4) What does this book teach us about God, ourselves, or the gospel?
5) How is the Holy Spirit prompting you to repent or obey?
Devotional
It was a dark day for me as we were counseling a friend and his wife in our church. He was a young man in his 20s. He had one child and one on the way. They were sitting on our couch, trying to repair their marriage.
“You need to tell him what happened,” his wife announced when we had reached an impasse. After a silence, he broke down in tears. He told us how his uncle had sexually taken advantage of him when he was just eight years old.
In the weeks and months that followed in counseling, he repeated a question many have asked when they see evil people carrying out their deeds toward the innocent. That is, why isn’t God carrying out his justice? My friend told me that when he was young, he thought God was going to strike his perpetrator with a car accident or with some disease. He was disappointed when God didn’t come through.
I’m sure it was the same attitude the northern Israelites had as they were staring down the spear of the Assyrians. The Assyrians were known for their brutality, even to the extent that they would rape and murder their enemies. They would have made a Martin Scorsese movie look like Mr. Rogers.
The Israelites watched this, and I’m sure they wondered if that was to be their fate. But more importantly, they asked where their “all-powerful God” was. They wondered what happened to His justice. Or maybe they thought He didn’t care or didn’t have the power to take care of it.
Enter the prophet, Nahum.
God gave him a message that God’s ways are not our ways. His timing is not our timing. He will make it all right.
I asked my friend to memorize Nahum 1:3 and to meditate on it in his darkest hours of frustration. “The Lord is slow to anger but great in power; the Lord will not leave the guilty unpunished.”
One of the hardest things we will ever be asked to do is to trust God when we’ve been wronged.
Perhaps you’ve been wronged by a boss, a co-worker, a spouse, or an uncle. Remember, “the Lord will not leave the guilty unpunished.” I know it can come across as trite, but give it to God and let it go.