Nahum 1

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Dave Burnette's Commentary

Nahum Chapter 1

Written By: God through Inspiration

Penned By: Nahum

Date Penned: BC 663-654

Overview: To Pronounce God's Judgement Assyria (c 1-3)

Theme: Nineveh's Judge (c 1)

Message: God's Patience and Power (v 1-15)

Nahum: Chapter 1 Commentary

(1:1) Nahum, like Jonah, was a Prophet to Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrian Empire, and he prophesied between 663 and 612 BC. Jonah had seen the city repent a century earlier (Jonah 3) but it had fallen back into wickedness. Assyria, the world power controlling the Fertile Crescent, seemed unstoppable, its ruthless and savage warriors had already conquered Israel, the Northern Kingdom, and were causing great suffering in Judah. So Nahum proclaimed God's anger against Assyria's evil. Within a few decades, the mighty Assyrian Empire would be toppled by Babylon.

(1:2) God alone has the right to be jealous and to carry out vengeance. Jealousy and vengeance may be surprising terms to associate with God. When humans are jealous and take vengeance they are usually acting in a spirit of selfishness. But it is appropriate for God to insist on our complete allegiance, and it is just for him to punish unrepentant evil doers. His jealousy and vengeance are unmixed with selfishness. Their purpose is to remove sin and restore peace to the world (Deuteronomy 4)

(1:3) God is slow to get angry, but when he is ready to punish, even the earth trembles. Often people avoid God because they see evildoers in the world and hypocrites in the Church. They don't realize that because God is slow to anger, he gives his true followers time to share his love and truth with evildoers. But judgement will come. God will not allow sin to go unchecked forever. When people wonder why God doesn't punish evil immediately, help them remember that if he did, none of us would be here. We can all be thankful that God gives people time to turn to him.

(1:6) No person on earth can safely defy God. the Almighty, the Creator of all the universe. God, who controls the sun, the galaxies, and the vast stretches beyond, also controls the rise and fall of nations. How could a small temporal kingdom like Assyria, no matter how powerful, challenge his awesome power? If only Assyria could have looked ahead to see the desolate mound of rubble that it would become - and yet God would still be alive and well. Don't defy the Lord. He will be here forever with greater power than that of all armies and nations combined.

(1:7-8) To those who refuse to believe, God's punishment is like an angry fire, To those who love him, his mercy is security and peace, supplying all of needs without diminishing his supply. But to His enemies he is a flood that will sweep them away. The relationship we have is up to us. Which kind of relationship we have is up to us. Which kind of relationship will you choose?

(1:11) The "wicked counsellor" who plots against the Lord is not clear but the entire evil monarchy of Assyria. The point is that Nineveh would be destroyed for rebelling against God.

(1:12) The good news for Judah, whom Assyria afflicted, was that its conquerors and tormentors would be destroyed and would never rise to torment it again. Nineveh was so completely wiped out that its ruins were not identified until 1845

Dave Burnette's Life Application

Remember the Past

Each day we walk through the Bible chapter by chapter making an application of our text to help us grow in the Lord. Many applications can be made from each day's text. Today we start the book of Nahum with Chapter 1. In our text today we see Nahum is a prophet to Nineveh years after Jonah delivered the message of revival. Now the people of Nineveh have returned to their sin and have forgot the past and find themselves facing judgment again. In making application we see the importance of learning from our past mistakes. We too will repeat our mistakes and find ourselves in sin facing judgement if we fail to remember what the Lord has done in our lives. How about you? Do you remember how the Lord delivered you from sin when you were saved? Let us learn from our text today and the example of Nineveh to remember how the Lord delivers us from sin so we will not follow back into that path that will brings judgement.

Nahum 1

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Nahum 1

¹The burden of Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.

²God is jealous, and the LORD revengeth; the LORD revengeth, and is furious; the LORD will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies.

³The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the LORD hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.

⁴He rebuketh the sea, and maketh it dry, and drieth up all the rivers: Bashan languisheth, and Carmel, and the flower of Lebanon languisheth.

⁵The mountains quake at him, and the hills melt, and the earth is burned at his presence, yea, the world, and all that dwell therein.

⁶Who can stand before his indignation? and who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? his fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by him.

⁷The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.

⁸But with an overrunning flood he will make an utter end of the place thereof, and darkness shall pursue his enemies.

⁹What do ye imagine against the LORD? he will make an utter end: affliction shall not rise up the second time.

¹⁰For while they be folden together as thorns, and while they are drunken as drunkards, they shall be devoured as stubble fully dry.

¹¹There is one come out of thee, that imagineth evil against the LORD, a wicked counsellor.

¹²Thus saith the LORD; Though they be quiet, and likewise many, yet thus shall they be cut down, when he shall pass through. Though I have afflicted thee, I will afflict thee no more.

¹³For now will I break his yoke from off thee, and will burst thy bonds in sunder.

¹⁴And the LORD hath given a commandment concerning thee, that no more of thy name be sown: out of the house of thy gods will I cut off the graven image and the molten image: I will make thy grave; for thou art vile.

¹⁵Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace! O Judah, keep thy solemn feasts, perform thy vows: for the wicked shall no more pass through thee; he is utterly cut off.

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