Little book. Big words.
This book lets us know another side of God.
The side of God that let His enemies know that they are in deep, deep trouble.
HOW CAN A BOOK BE TERRIFYING AND YET COMFORTING AT THE SAME TIME?
Well, it depends what side of the battlefield you are on. Nahum is writing to talk about God's justice. God will give punishment to those who have fought against Him and mocked Him by their words and by their deeds. His justice is downright frightening. Yet on the other hand, it's like watching a movie when the victims are finally given safety and refuge. The people of Judah had been hammered by the Assyrians again and again. This book is to assure the Jewish people that the Almighty One is now going to get things right.
And the punishment is going to be powerful!
Well, it depends what side of the battlefield you are on. Nahum is writing to talk about God's justice. God will give punishment to those who have fought against Him and mocked Him by their words and by their deeds. His justice is downright frightening. Yet on the other hand, it's like watching a movie when the victims are finally given safety and refuge. The people of Judah had been hammered by the Assyrians again and again. This book is to assure the Jewish people that the Almighty One is now going to get things right.
And the punishment is going to be powerful!
Nahum did not write this book as a warning or “call to repentance” for the people of Nineveh. God had already sent them the prophet Jonah 150 years earlier with His promise of what would happen if they continued in their evil ways. The people at that time had repented but now lived just as bad if not worse than they did before. The Assyrians had become absolutely brutal in their conquests (hanging the bodies of their victims on poles and putting their skin on the walls of their tents among other atrocities). Now Nahum was telling the people of Judah to not despair because God had pronounced judgment and the Assyrians would soon be getting just what they deserved. - gotquestions.org
"The book of the vision": This was more than a message communicated to Nahum in words or phrases from God. Because this is a vision, in some way Nahum saw it. When we see the vivid, descriptive way Nahum writes we understand that the book records what he saw in his vision. - David Guzik, Nahum commentary
VERSE 2:
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; the LORD is slow to anger and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked.
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; the LORD is slow to anger and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked.
WE READ IN THIS BOOK THAT GOD IS JEALOUS. IS IT WRONG FOR GOD TO BE JEALOUS?
"God gets jealous when those He loves are stolen from Him by somebody else. And so God's jealousy is not only the jealousy of honor but it's the jealousy of love. Many times ... through the Old Testament God says 'I'm jealous for My people, I'm jealous for My land, I'm jealous for those things that are Mine.' When God sets His affection on something and something robs Him of that, He's jealous..."
"...the supreme jealousy of God is on those men who mistreat His Son. God above all things loves His Son and to mistreat the Son brings down the wrath of God. Galatians chapter 1 verse 8, "But though we are an angel from heaven preach any other gospel unto you than that which was preached unto you, let him be accursed. "And we said before so say I again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you then ye have received let him be accursed." Second Thessalonians 1:8, "In flaming fire Christ is coming taking vengeance on them that know not God and obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord." God is jealous over His Son. And one of the most startling and terrifying verses in all the Bible I read to you right now, 1 Corinthians 16:22, ... "If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathema." That means accursed. God is jealous for His own honor. He is jealous for those He loves. He is jealous for the Son. And for a man to reject Jesus Christ is to bring upon himself the anathema of God for He's a jealous God." - John MacArthur Who Is God?
"God gets jealous when those He loves are stolen from Him by somebody else. And so God's jealousy is not only the jealousy of honor but it's the jealousy of love. Many times ... through the Old Testament God says 'I'm jealous for My people, I'm jealous for My land, I'm jealous for those things that are Mine.' When God sets His affection on something and something robs Him of that, He's jealous..."
"...the supreme jealousy of God is on those men who mistreat His Son. God above all things loves His Son and to mistreat the Son brings down the wrath of God. Galatians chapter 1 verse 8, "But though we are an angel from heaven preach any other gospel unto you than that which was preached unto you, let him be accursed. "And we said before so say I again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you then ye have received let him be accursed." Second Thessalonians 1:8, "In flaming fire Christ is coming taking vengeance on them that know not God and obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord." God is jealous over His Son. And one of the most startling and terrifying verses in all the Bible I read to you right now, 1 Corinthians 16:22, ... "If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathema." That means accursed. God is jealous for His own honor. He is jealous for those He loves. He is jealous for the Son. And for a man to reject Jesus Christ is to bring upon himself the anathema of God for He's a jealous God." - John MacArthur Who Is God?
TO ASSYRIA HE SAYS IN VERSE 14:
The LORD has given a command concerning you: "Your name shall be perpetuated no longer. Out of the house of your gods I will cut off the carved image and the molded image. I will dig your grave, for you are vile."
The LORD has given a command concerning you: "Your name shall be perpetuated no longer. Out of the house of your gods I will cut off the carved image and the molded image. I will dig your grave, for you are vile."
YET, THE PEOPLE OF GOD GET A VERY GOOD REPORT. GOD WILL PROTECT AND CARE FOR THEM. LOOK AT VERSE 15:
Behold, on the mountains the feet of him who brings good tidings, who proclaims peace! O Judah, keep your appointed feasts, perform your vows. For the wicked one shall no more pass through you; he is utterly cut off.
Behold, on the mountains the feet of him who brings good tidings, who proclaims peace! O Judah, keep your appointed feasts, perform your vows. For the wicked one shall no more pass through you; he is utterly cut off.