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Nahum 1

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1 Burden of Nineveh. The Book of the Vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.

2 A God zealous and avenging [is] Jehovah, An avenger [is] Jehovah, and possessing fury. An avenger [is] Jehovah on His adversaries, And He is watching for His enemies.

3 Jehovah [is] slow to anger, and great in power, And Jehovah doth not entirely acquit, In a hurricane and in a tempest [is] His way, And a cloud [is] the dust of His feet.

4 He is pushing against a sea, and drieth it up, Yea, all the floods He hath made dry, Languishing [are] Bashan and Carmel, Yea, the flower of Lebanon [is] languishing.

5 Mountains have shaken because of Him, And the hills have been melted; And lifted up [is] the earth at His presence, And the world and all dwelling in it.

6 Before His indignation who doth stand? And who riseth up in the heat of His anger? His fury hath been poured out like fire, And the rocks have been broken by Him.

7 Good [is] Jehovah for a strong place in a day of distress. And He knoweth those trusting in Him.

8 And with a flood passing over, An end He maketh of its place, And His enemies doth darkness pursue.

9 What do we devise against Jehovah? An end He is making, arise not twice doth distress.

10 For while princes [are] perplexed, And with their drink are drunken, They have been consumed as stubble fully dried.

11 From thee hath come forth a deviser of evil Against Jehovah -- a worthless counsellor.

12 Thus said Jehovah: Though complete, and thus many, Yet thus they have been cut off, And he hath passed away. And I afflicted thee, I afflict thee no more.

13 And now I break his rod from off thee, And thy bands I do draw away.

14 And commanded concerning thee hath Jehovah, `No more of thy name doth spread abroad, From the house of thy gods I cut off graven and molten image, I appoint thy grave, for thou hast been vile.

15 Lo, on the mountains the feet of one proclaiming tidings, sounding peace! Celebrate, O Judah, thy festivals, complete thy vows, For add no more to pass over into thee doth the worthless, He hath been completely cut off!

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Exploring the Meaning of Nahum 1

Da Rev. Ian Arnold , Joe David

What's the Book of Nahum about?

We can never really satisfactorily find our way into a book of the Bible, especially a book of the Old Testament, unless we take on board that it's a mirror to us of the inner challenges and experiences we face. Its message, for us, is not about the world outside of us, but about the world inside of us. Beneath the surface, these Bible books focus on this inner world of our thoughts and feelings, burdens and challenges, successes and failures, achievements and disappointments, as we make our journey towards being a more spiritual person.

Most people readily see this "inner meaning" when it comes to the story of Moses leading the ancient people of Israel out of slavery in Egypt to, eventually, the Promised Land. It's movement forward, and movement backward, a longing for what we dream was the past, and more. It speaks to us all.

All of ancient Israel’s enemies symbolize things that attack, plunder, weaken, marginalise and imprison what is from the Lord in our lives. We try to stand up for what's right and decent in a given situation, but in no time, a voice is whispering to us ‘Why bother?’, ‘Who cares?’

Some of those enemies of ancient Israel were fearsome, like the Assyrians and the Babylonians. They were ruthless, rich, powerful and had massive armies.

So think for a moment: what might be amongst the most intimidating ‘enemies’ of our spiritual well-being? What are those things likely to do the most damage?

Babylon has long been recognized as a symbol of power and self-aggrandizement. But what about the Assyrians, who are the antagonists here in the Book of Nahum?

The Assyrians were menacing the ancient Israelites for more than a century, first sweeping away the northern kingdom of Israel in 721 BC, and then hanging around in the area for decades afterwards, a considerable threat to the remaining, southern, kingdom of Judea. How feared and despised they were is so evident in this prophecy of Nahum.

So, in us, what might the Assyrians symbolize? Outside the fortified and walled city of Jerusalem, on one famous occasion they showed themselves to be adept talkers and persuaders. (See the story, in 2 Kings 18).

Hold to this for a moment – “talkers and persuaders”. The thing is that there are those forces and influences that become active within us, trying to talk and persuade us that, for example, sin is fine if it remains undiscovered, or that the Ten Commandments don’t have a place in this day and age, or that 'my lapses are nothing by comparison with what goes on in the world generally'.

If we can see this for what it is, it is pretty fearsome stuff, capable of inflicting great damage to us spiritually.

So, read the Book of Nahum - just 3 chapters of prophecy - with this in mind. It is not people, or tribes, that the Lord pits Himself against - but those very things which hold the potential to devastate us spiritually.

In Chapter 1, “Nineveh” represents a state of life in which we're bringing bad things on ourselves because we aren't basing our lives on spiritual truths from the Lord's Word.

In Nahum 1:2-6, it's saying that Jehovah appears as an enemy to people who are wanting to stay in evil ways. In the spiritual world, all pretences of innocence or any good thing are stripped away, and our true selfish motives are seen.

In Nahum 1:7, there's a hopeful note; people who turn to the Lord and walk with Him are helped.

But, next there's a warning... in Nahum 1:8-11, that people who stick with their false ideas and evils will perish. It's worth noting that, in New Christian thought, there's the concept that God doesn't condemn us; we end up living in a society that fits our own values. If we're essentially selfish, we'll find a spiritual home in a society of essentially selfish people, and... it's probably pretty grim. It's a form of "perishing".

In Nahum 1:12-14, it's talking about people who are in evil because they don't know any better -- it's evil from ignorance. They can be helped if they listen and repent, and allow their false ideas to be removed (as was described in Jonah 3. That's what is meant by this: “…for I will break his, (Belial’s) brace from off thee and pull apart thy bonds.”

Finally, in Nahum 1:15, there's the beginning of a new theme, which leads into Nahum 2.

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2 Kings 17

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1 In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah began Hoshea the son of Elah to reign in Samaria over Israel nine years.

2 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, but not as the kings of Israel that were before him.

3 Against him came up Shalmaneser king of Assyria; and Hoshea became his servant, and gave him presents.

4 And the king of Assyria found conspiracy in Hoshea: for he had sent messengers to So king of Egypt, and brought no present to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year: therefore the king of Assyria shut him up, and bound him in prison.

5 Then the king of Assyria came up throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria, and besieged it three years.

6 In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.

7 For so it was, that the children of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, which had brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharoah king of Egypt, and had feared other gods,

8 And walked in the statutes of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which they had made.

9 And the children of Israel did secretly those things that were not right against the LORD their God, and they built them high places in all their cities, from the tower of the watchmen to the fenced city.

10 And they set them up images and groves in every high hill, and under every green tree:

11 And there they burnt incense in all the high places, as did the heathen whom the LORD carried away before them; and wrought wicked things to provoke the LORD to anger:

12 For they served idols, whereof the LORD had said unto them, Ye shall not do this thing.

13 Yet the LORD testified against Israel, and against Judah, by all the prophets, and by all the seers, saying, Turn ye from your evil ways, and keep my commandments and my statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by my servants the prophets.

14 Notwithstanding they would not hear, but hardened their necks, like to the neck of their fathers, that did not believe in the LORD their God.

15 And they rejected his statutes, and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he testified against them; and they followed vanity, and became vain, and went after the heathen that were round about them, concerning whom the LORD had charged them, that they should not do like them.

16 And they left all the commandments of the LORD their God, and made them molten images, even two calves, and made a grove, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served Baal.

17 And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.

18 Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of his sight: there was none left but the tribe of Judah only.

19 Also Judah kept not the commandments of the LORD their God, but walked in the statutes of Israel which they made.

20 And the LORD rejected all the seed of Israel, and afflicted them, and delivered them into the hand of spoilers, until he had cast them out of his sight.

21 For he rent Israel from the house of David; and they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king: and Jeroboam drave Israel from following the LORD, and made them sin a great sin.

22 For the children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they departed not from them;

23 Until the LORD removed Israel out of his sight, as he had said by all his servants the prophets. So was Israel carried away out of their own land to Assyria unto this day.

24 And the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Ava, and from Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel: and they possessed Samaria, and dwelt in the cities thereof.

25 And so it was at the beginning of their dwelling there, that they feared not the LORD: therefore the LORD sent lions among them, which slew some of them.

26 Wherefore they spake to the king of Assyria, saying, The nations which thou hast removed, and placed in the cities of Samaria, know not the manner of the God of the land: therefore he hath sent lions among them, and, behold, they slay them, because they know not the manner of the God of the land.

27 Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, Carry thither one of the priests whom ye brought from thence; and let them go and dwell there, and let him teach them the manner of the God of the land.

28 Then one of the priests whom they had carried away from Samaria came and dwelt in Bethel, and taught them how they should fear the LORD.

29 Howbeit every nation made gods of their own, and put them in the houses of the high places which the Samaritans had made, every nation in their cities wherein they dwelt.

30 And the men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, and the men of Cuth made Nergal, and the men of Hamath made Ashima,

31 And the Avites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burnt their children in fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim.

32 So they feared the LORD, and made unto themselves of the lowest of them priests of the high places, which sacrificed for them in the houses of the high places.

33 They feared the LORD, and served their own gods, after the manner of the nations whom they carried away from thence.

34 Unto this day they do after the former manners: they fear not the LORD, neither do they after their statutes, or after their ordinances, or after the law and commandment which the LORD commanded the children of Jacob, whom he named Israel;

35 With whom the LORD had made a covenant, and charged them saying, Ye shall not fear other gods, nor bow yourselves to them, nor serve them, nor sacrifice to them:

36 But the LORD, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt with great power and a stretched out arm, him shall ye fear, and him shall ye worship, and to him shall ye do sacrifice.

37 And the statutes, and the ordinances, and the law, and the commandment, which he wrote for you, ye shall observe to do for evermore; and ye shall not fear other gods.

38 And the covenant that I have made with you ye shall not forget; neither shall ye fear other gods.

39 But the LORD your God ye shall fear; and he shall deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies.

40 Howbeit they did not hearken, but they did after their former manner.

41 So these nations feared the LORD, and served their graven images, both their children, and their children's children: as did their fathers, so do they unto this day.

   

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