01 January 6, 2012, Nahum 1-3 A Message Of Gods Judgment

NAHUM: A MESSAGE
OF GOD’S JUDGMENT
NAHUM 1-3
JANUARY 6, 2013
FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH
JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI
USA

Reference material:

LifeWay
Christian
Resources
of the SBC

JANUARY BIBLE STUDY
Greatest Week in History:
Luke’s Account of the
Passion Week
January 7-9, 9:15 - 11:30am
CLC Dining Room
Teacher: Dr. Ivan Parke

Why this lesson is
important:
Many believers see God
only in terms of their
personal relationship with
Him; however, God is also
concerned about nations.

Therefore, just as He
judges sinful individuals,
God will judge wicked
nations.

This lesson serves as a
warning that
disobedience to God at
any level will not prevail
but will be exposed and
severely punished by a
holy and righteous God.

*God had chosen Jonah
about 150 years prior to
Nahum’s time to deliver a
message of "repent or
perish" to the Assyrians in
Nineveh.
*Surprisingly, they did!

But now, around 650 B.C.,
instead of asking for
repentance, God chose
Nahum to take His
frightening message of
impending doom to
Nineveh, their capital city.

Nahum ranks among the
great communicators of
the Old Testament and is
considered the greatest
poet of the Old
Testament.

Scholars hail his work as a
literary masterpiece that
compares with the great
literary works of all
nations and of all times.

God always raises up
individuals with the gifts
He needs to accomplish
His purposes.

When He needed an
incomparable poet with
consummate skill to
communicate His coming
judgment against Nineveh
and Assyria, He selected
and empowered Nahum.

Nahum’s words still ring
today with the sure
knowledge that those who
oppose God will face His
judgment.

*Chapter 1 –

We see that God hates evil
and that Nineveh would
experience His wrath.

*Chapter 2 –
Nahum’s prophesies
speak of impending siege
and plundering (as
fulfilled by the
Babylonians in the not too
distant future).

*Chapter 3 –

The plundering would be
a punishment for their sin
and could not be averted.

What can Christians learn
from the book of Nahum?

Great, seemingly
invincible nations fall:
Hittites, Assyrians,
Babylonians, Greeks,
Romans, Ottoman
Empire, British Empire,
Nazi Germany, and the

Soviet Union, just to name
a few.
*We live in times of
political and economic
uncertainty and the USA
could easily fall just as
other superpowers have.

Christians must remain
faithful to God regardless
of the political conditions
under which we live
(Luke 20:19-26;
Rom. 13:1-7;
1 Pet. 2:13-17).

The Sign of Jonah
Matthew 12:38-41
38 “Then some of the
scribes and Pharisees said
to Him, “Teacher, we
want to see a sign from
You.”

39 But He answered them,
“An evil and adulterous
generation demands a
sign, but no sign will be
given to it except the sign
of the prophet Jonah.

40 For as Jonah was in the
belly of the huge fish
three days and three
nights, so the Son of Man
will be in the heart of the
earth three days and three
nights.

41 The men of Nineveh
will stand up at the
judgment with this
generation and condemn
it, because they repented
at Jonah’s proclamation;

and look—something
greater than Jonah is
here!”

Matthew 12:38-41

Unlike Nineveh,
Christians can avert final
punishment for their sins
and be forgiven, although
they may suffer lasting,
negative consequences
from their sins (e.g., social

diseases, unwanted
pregnancy, lost jobs,
weakened influence).

This Lesson Is About:

How God judged Assyria
and its capital city,
Nineveh, because of their
wickedness, rebellion, and
acts of injustice.

*When Chuck Missler was
asked, “Why hasn’t God
judged the United
States?”
*His reply was, “Because
God has honored His
covenant with Abraham”.

Genesis 12:3
3 “I will bless those who
bless you, I will curse
those who treat you with
contempt, and all the
peoples on earth will be
blessed through you.”

God has not judged the
USA yet because until
now, we have blessed
Israel and His hand of
protection has been on us.

This lesson teaches that
God judges any nation
that departs from His
way.

How This Lesson Can
Impact Our Lives:
This lesson will help us:
1) understand God’s
judgment and
2) pursue His
righteousness.

The book of Nahum is
considered as one of the
“minor prophets”.

In the Hebrew Bible the
“minor prophet” books
were written on one scroll
and called the
“Book of the Twelve.”

The Minor Prophets
make up the last twelve
books of the Old
Testament:
Hosea, Joel, Amos,
Obadiah, Jonah, Micah,
Nahum, Habakkuk,

Zephaniah, Haggai,
Zechariah and Malachi.

The 12 books apparently
acquired the nickname
“Minor Prophets” because
the written amount of
their prophecies were
smaller than that of Isaiah,
Jeremiah, and Ezekiel.

*In reality, there is nothing
“minor” about their
prophecies and teaching.
*They may be called the
Minor Prophets, but their
messages are indeed
“major.”

These twelve prophets
lived through difficult
and foreboding times and
often spoke of God’s
judgment and wrath.

*They called for justice
and declared God’s
mercy.

*They also spoke of the
love of God and of hope.

*Individuals living in the
Northern Kingdom of
Israel and in the Southern
Kingdom of Judah wrote
the books.
*Some were penned
during and after the exile.

*God inspired all of them
for our growth and
benefit today.

*Next Sunday we will
study Habakkuk.
*On January 20th we will
study Obadiah and
*On January 27th we will
cover Haggai.

*These short prophetic
books tackle major themes
that are especially
relevant for the church
and the world today.
*Such is the case with the
Book of Nahum.

*Nahum contains a
message of judgment
against Assyria and its
capital city, Nineveh.
*Assyria was a
superpower (like us) that
was not on God’s path.

Focal Passages:
*God Tempers Judgment
with Mercy
Nahum 1:7-9,12-13

*God Judges Evil
Nahum 2:8-13

*God Judges Sinful
Leaders
Nahum 3:18-19

Nahum 1:7-9,12-13

7 “The Lord is good,
a stronghold in a day of
distress;
He cares for those who
take refuge in Him.

8 But He will completely
destroy Nineveh
with an overwhelming
flood,
and He will chase His
enemies into darkness.

9 Whatever you plot
against the Lord,
He will bring it to
complete destruction;
oppression will not rise
up a second time.

12 This is what the Lord
says:
Though they are strong
and numerous,
they will still be mowed
down,
and he will pass away.

Though I have afflicted
you, I will afflict you no
longer.
13 For I will now break
off his yoke from you
and tear off your
shackles.” Nahum 1:7-13

Nahum 2:8-13
8 “Nineveh has been like
a pool of water
from her first days,
but they are fleeing.
“Stop! Stop!” they cry,
but no one turns back.

9“Plunder the silver!
Plunder the gold!”
There is no end to the
treasure,
an abundance of every
precious thing.

10 Desolation,
decimation, devastation!
Hearts melt,
knees tremble,
loins shake,
every face grows pale!

11 Where is the lions’
lair, or the feeding
ground of the young
lions, where the lion and
lioness prowled, and the
lion’s cub, with nothing
to frighten them away?

12 The lion mauled
whatever its cubs needed
and strangled prey for its
lionesses.
It filled up its dens with
the kill, and its lairs with
mauled prey.

13 Beware, I am against
you. This is the
declaration of the Lord
of Hosts. I will make your
chariots go up in smoke
and the sword will devour
your young lions.

I will cut off your prey
from the earth, and the
sound of your
messengers will never be
heard again.”

Nahum 2:8-13

Nahum 3:18-19
18 King of Assyria, your
shepherds slumber;
your officers sleep.
Your people are scattered
across the mountains
with no one to gather

them together.
19 There is no remedy for
your injury; your wound
is severe.
All who hear the news
about you will clap their
hands because of you,

for who has not
experienced your
constant cruelty?”

Nahum 3:18-19

About 150 years before
Nahum, God called Jonah
to preach against Nineveh
because the city’s
wickedness had
“confronted” Him
(Jonah 1:1-2; see 3:2-4).

Even in Jonah’s day, the
Assyrians were notorious
for their brutality and
cruelty.

Miraculously, the
Ninevites received Jonah’s
message and responded
with sackcloth, ashes, and
fasting (Jonah 3:4-9).

God saw that the people
of Nineveh “had turned
from their evil ways”, so
He “relented” and did not
send judgment against
them (v. 10).

Unfortunately, the
Ninevites soon returned
to their idols, cruel
treatment of other nations,
and wicked ways.

After Jonah, Assyria rose
to prominence as a
superpower in ancient
Mesopotamia under the
powerful leadership of
Tiglath-Pileser III
(745-727 B.C.).

After this notorious king,
the great Neo-Assyrian
Empire lasted for another
115 years until the
Babylonians and the
Medes destroyed the city
of Nineveh in 612 B.C.

Sometime between 630
B.C. and 626 B.C., God
gave Nahum a vision of
the utter destruction of
the city and the empire
associated with it.

The message of Nahum
was that the Lord was
“slow to anger,” but He
would “not leave the
guilty unpunished”
(Nahum 1:3).

God revealed to Nahum
what would happen to
Nineveh; because of their
sin, He would revisit His
judgment against that
great city.

The historical period of
Nahum was evil both
outside and inside of
Judah.

Not only did the
Assyrians worship a
multitude of gods, the
people of Judah did not
remain faithful to the
Lord either.

What Nahum did was to
offer hope to Judah and
Jerusalem that the
oppression would end
and God would comfort
His people.

The enemy, symbolized
by the city of Nineveh,
would be utterly and
totally destroyed.

It was!

Seven Lessons from the
Seventh Century

What can we learn from
the seventh century B.C.?

*First, God’s people are
subjected to the powers of
this world and must find
ways to be loyal to the
Lord within the context of
subservience to others.

*Second, the Lord is
sovereign over all nations
and kings.

*He uses them for His
purposes.

Proverbs 21:1
1 “A king’s heart is like
streams of water in
the Lord’s hand:
He directs it wherever He
chooses.”

*Third, no place on
earth is inviolable.

*If Jerusalem could
fall, every city is
vulnerable.

*Fourth, divine protection
issues out of a faithful
relationship with God.

*Fifth, God utilizes
prophets to confront
His people’s sins and to
warn them of judgment.

*Sixth, God’s word cannot
be destroyed or stopped.

*His word is truth and the
truth shall come to pass.

*Seventh, we should
never give up on the
Lord, even when those
around us seemingly get
ahead by sinning.

*The Lord will make
things right in His time
and in His way.

Focal Passage:
*God Tempers Judgment
with Mercy
Nahum 1:7-9,12-13

Nahum 1:7

7 “The Lord is good,
a stronghold in a day of
distress;
He cares for those who
take refuge in Him.”

In our focal passage
Nahum reminds us that
the Lord is good.

This word good refers to
more than behavior; it
points to God’s
willingness to be faithful
to the covenant He made
with Israel at Sinai (Ex.
19) and later with David.

*God would be a
stronghold in a day of
distress.

*He would protect those
who take refuge in Him.

We need to recognize that
God is good beyond our
comprehension.

We should rejoice and be
thankful that God is
faithful to the new
covenant we have with
Jesus Christ (Heb. 9:15).

Hebrews 9:15

15 “Therefore, Jesus is the
Mediator of the new
covenant”.

Nahum 1:8
“But He will completely
destroy Nineveh
with an overwhelming
flood,
and He will chase His
enemies into darkness.”

While the Lord is a good
and merciful God Who
loves His people, we need
to remember that He will
take vengeance on and
judge wicked people and
nations.

*Nahum points this out
clearly; God would
completely destroy
Nineveh.
*God’s goodness does not
prevent Him from
judging wickedness.

*Because of His holiness,
He will hold wicked
people and nations
accountable.
*People and nations need
to repent to avoid God’s
judgment.

*God will come like an
overwhelming flood, and
He will chase His
enemies into darkness.
*Darkness symbolizes
God’s judgment against
sin.

Nahum 1:9
“Whatever you plot
against the Lord,
He will bring it to
complete destruction;
oppression will not rise
up a second time.”

*Again, the point is that
God will not allow the
wicked to go unpunished.
*Moreover, God is
justified in judging those
who conspire against
Him.

*He will bring their plans
to complete destruction.

*Trouble will not arise a
second time.

12 “This is what the Lord
says:
Though they are strong
and numerous,
they will still be mowed
down,
and he will pass away.

Though I have afflicted
you, I will afflict you no
longer.
13 For I will now break
off his yoke from you
and tear off your
shackles.” Nahum 1:12-13

The messenger formula,
This is what the Lord
says (v. 12) signals the
importance of the
prophetic message.

Irrespective of their
strength and number,
God’s enemies will be
mowed down.

Believers should find
hope in knowing God’s
power and absolute
sovereignty ensure He can
protect and deliver us, in
spite of the wickedness in
our culture.

*The bottom line is clear.
*God will not let the
wicked go unpunished.
*But the good news is that
He tempers His judgment
with mercy.

However, let us never
presume upon the mercy
of God; we need to
understand that
obedience in our
relationship with God is
not optional.

While this relationship is
based on grace and faith
in Christ, we come to God
on His terms.

In order to have a healthy,
growing relationship with
God,
we must be obedient to
His Word day by day.

Aren’t you glad God
tempers His judgment
with mercy?

James 2:13

13 “For judgment is
without mercy to the one
who hasn’t shown
mercy. Mercy triumphs
over judgment.”

Identify an example you
have experienced or
observed of God’s
bringing forth judgment
and mercy at the same
time.

It is easy to become
discouraged when evil
appears to prosper
around us, but be assured
that God will hold wicked
people and nations
accountable in His time.

Nations should not be
deceived, thinking their
sins will go unpunished.

It is easy to see injustices
happening all around us,
and easy to become
discouraged when we do.

Ask Him to give you
boldness to live
courageously in the face
of evil, and compassion
to warn evildoers of their
danger.

Focal Passage:

*God Judges Sinful
Leaders
Nahum 3:18-19

The Book of Nahum ends
with a dirge, a sad
requiem for Assyria’s
leaders.

For most of the book,
Nahum reverberates with
the confusion and chaos
of a battle.

*But here at the end, the
battle is over and the slow
cadence of the funeral
song emerges.
*The effect drives home
the utter demise of
Assyria.

All that is left is the
graveside eulogy.

Nahum addressed the
king in a taunt-like
fashion:
“King of Assyria, your
shepherds slumber; your
officers sleep.”

Earlier Nahum compared
the leaders of Assyria to
lions (2:11) and locusts
(3:17); but here he referred
to the officers and leaders
as shepherds.

A number of individuals
are identified in the Old
Testament as shepherds,
and the Assyrian kings
liked to think of
themselves as shepherds
as well.

But the Assyrian leaders
were now asleep and
slumbering, both of which
are metaphors for
physical death.

Without shepherds, the
king’s people were
scattered across the
mountains like sheep
gone astray.

*The irony is that there is
no one to gather them
together again.

*The great Assyrian
Empire had crumbled and
fallen apart.

The people who once
deported nations from
their homelands and
placed them in unknown
foreign countries were
now refugees in lands not
their own.

*Assyria’s battle wound
was fatal.

*There was no remedy for
the nation’s injury; it was
too severe.

*There is no possibility of
relief.
*The wound was severe;
it was incurable.
*There would be no
recovery. Nineveh would
cease to exist.

*Notice the unusual and
unexpected response to
the funeral dirge
metaphor.

*Two images come to
mind in contrast.

1) Pulling over to the side
of the road to allow a
funeral motorcade to drive
by unimpeded on its way
to the cemetery, to sit
quietly and respectfully
while the hearse drives by.

2) Most everyone
remembers watching on
television the funeral
procession of President
John F. Kennedy.

Do you remember the
mournful drums beating
slowly as the caisson
carrying the casket slowly
passed by.

*Everyone was quiet,
subdued, and respectful.

*Even the TV newscasters
were speaking in hushed
whispers.

*The whole world
mourned the passing of
America’s leader.
*But that was not the
scene depicted by Nahum
for the funeral of the
leaders of Assyria.

On the contrary, Nahum
predicted the interment
would give rise to an
altogether different affair.

Those who would hear
the news of the
destruction and end of the
Assyrian Empire would
not mourn or bow in a
moment of silence.

*Instead, they would clap
their hands; they would
celebrate!

*The verb translated clap
can convey the sense of
rejoicing.

*Here the meaning is
closer to mockery.

*The news that Nineveh
had fallen would be cause
for gloating over the
misfortune of the city.

But lest we would chastise
those who would respond
this way, Nahum reminds
us of the evil nature of the
Assyrian Empire.

The last sentence of verse
19 is an indictment of the
wicked nature of Assyria
and her leaders.

By presenting the point as
a question, Nahum drives
home the continuous
sinfulness of Nineveh’s
leaders, “Who has not
experienced your
constant cruelty?”

The phrase constant
cruelty can also be
translated unceasing evil.

There was no one in the
ancient Near East who
had not experienced the
cruelty of the Assyrian
leaders. No one.

*And what’s more, the
cruel treatments were not
isolated occurrences; the
evil was continuous.

*How cruel and evil were
the Assyrian leaders?

*Nahum called Nineveh a
city of blood (3:1), and the
Ninevites seemed to revel
in this title.
*Assyrian kings enjoyed
depicting their handiwork
on reliefs in their palaces.

Prisoners were shown
impaled with their feet
and hands cut off.

In one gruesome scene
three stakes were erected
with eight male heads
skewered on each like
human totem poles.

In another scene, two
prisoners are tied down
while other Assyrians
skin them alive.

The skins were later
staked up on the besieged
city’s walls for everyone
to see.

Kings sometimes would
hang the heads of their
enemies on trees in their
gardens like Japanese
lanterns.

The point is that the sinful
leaders of Assyria had
neglected their
responsibilities and led
the nation into
wickedness.

*It is true that the people
of Assyria were not totally
guiltless, but their leaders
bore particular
responsibility.
*Leaders are to lead a
nation.

If the leaders are evil and
without accountability,
then it stands to reason
that the nation will
struggle.

*Other nations would
then rejoice over God’s
judgment of Assyria.

*For Judah, it meant God
had delivered His people.

What say ye? “Believers
should pray for all
nations and participate in
the governmental
process, contending for
righteousness in the
public square.”

Biblical Truths:

• Regardless of our
circumstances, we can
trust in God’s
sovereignty.

• Believers should hold
their leaders accountable
and call them to govern
according to God’s ethical
and moral truth.

• Believers need to realize
that disobedience to God
at any level will not
prevail but will be
exposed and severely
punished by a holy and
righteous God.

In what ways do you, or
will you, pursue God’s
righteousness?

01 January 6, 2012, Nahum 1-3 A Message Of Gods Judgment

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01 January 6, 2012, Nahum 1-3 A Message Of Gods Judgment