Nahum 1:1-5

 

Introduction

 

The name “Nahum” means “compassionate, comforter, or full of comfort.”  Nahum’s prophecy could be dated between 663-612 B.C.  The basic theme of the book is the destruction of Nineveh.  Not much is known about him except from the prophecy of this book.  He may have been among the captives that Assyria took in 722 B.C. from Samaria.  He was from a town called Elkosh which could refer to the Assyrian city al-Kush which was not too far from Nineveh or Capernaum or some other city in the Assyrian empire, so his exact home is not really known.  His message was a comfort to Israel that soon the Assyrian empire would be judged by God.  Their repentance under Jonah was a very short-lived repentance and soon they were back to their cruelties.  Great sins bring about a definite judgment and that is what this short book is about while it mingles the grace and compassion of God among the judgments.

 

Nahum 1:1 (KJB)

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

 

The word “burden” carries with it the meaning of “oracle or pronouncement” which is something that the prophets of God called their messages that they were to bring to the people God designated.  In this case it was Nineveh since their repentance under Jonah was very short lived.  Now comes the time that Nineveh will face judgment and destruction.  As in the introduction it is not known exactly where Elkosh was.  Some think it was a small town in Galilee but that is uncertain as the exact location is lost in antiquity.

 

Nahum 1:2 (KJB)

God 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.

 

Psalm 94:1 (KJV)   O LORD God, to whom vengeance belongeth; O God, to whom vengeance belongeth, shew thyself.  The sins of Nineveh have finally been filled and now God is about ready to take vengeance on this cruel empire.  No matter how big an empires was or is, God can reduce it to rubble.  God is jealous over their worshipping of false gods.  God created the Assyrians too and they turned out to be a polytheistic empire and God will not tolerate that.

 

Exodus 20:3-5 (KJV)   Thou shalt have no other gods before me.  {4} Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:  {5} Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;

 

Since Nineveh was a very sinful and cruel empire God was now going to take revenge upon them from a just and righteous nature.  They had taken the northern ten tribes in to captivity in 722 B.C. and forced them to live among them.  God is filled with wrath because the Ninevites were polytheistic and probably forced the Israelites to worship those false gods.  They had come against the “church” in the wilderness and it raised God’s fury.  This resulted in the fact that God was going to take vengeance on Nineveh for the sake of his people because anyone who comes against God is an enemy of God and can expect the vengeance of God and it will not be a pleasant experience.  When it says God reserves wrath for his enemies it means that just because wrath does not come instantly, does not mean that it is not coming.  The judgment seat of Christ will yield the wrath of God against all unbelievers, even those who went to church all their lives but never became born again.

 

Nahum 1:3 (KJB)

The 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.

 

The first part of this verse builds on the last part of verse 1.  God is slow to anger which means his wrath is being reserved which does not mean that his power is diminished because he does not bring judgment immediately.  The wicked will never be acquitted from their sin as every person who has not become saved in Christ throughout the ages will face judgment and will receive the justice of God for their sins.  Proverbs 10:25 (KJV) As the whirlwind passeth, so is the wicked no more: but the righteous is an everlasting foundation.  The whirlwind here is like a hurricane with its fury.  If it is a category 5 hurricane it can wipe the landscape clean of buildings, trees, and everything else.  When the Lord decides the time is right to initiate a judgment on a people or a nation, it will have the same effect.  As we read in Proverbs 10:25 that when the whirlwind passes, the wicked will be no more and that is the judgment about to be levelled against Nineveh.  It will be a total destruction of the Assyrian empire as if they did not exist.  As a person walks on the ground, God walks on the clouds of Heaven and figuratively uses them as his chariot as he rides through the heavens.  Psalm 104:3 KJV) Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters: who maketh the clouds his chariot: who walketh upon the wings of the wind:

 

Nahum 1:4 (KJB)

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

 

God states the wonders that he did in the air and now refers to the earth.  Psalm 66:6 (KJV) He turned the sea into dry land: they went through the flood on foot: there did we rejoice in him. Psalm 66:6 shows what happens when God rebukes the sea.  It is referring to the Israelites crossing the Red Sea when God made an opening for them to cross on dry land.  The rivers God also dried up were the brook Chereth.  1 Kings 17:7 (KJV) And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.  Elisha split the Jordan River.  2 Kings 2:14 (KJV)   And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the LORD God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over.  Bashan was famous for its pastures and fruitful meadows.  Carmel was famous for its rich grain fields and Lebanon was famous for its tall cedars.  When God withholds the rains, all of these beautiful places will shrivel up and turn brown and will no longer be usable.  Languishing means to wither, fade, or droop to the point they become useless.

 

Nahum 1:5 (KJB)

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

 

Exodus 19:18 (KJV) And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly.  Just as man builds pride in his heart as high as the hills, the hills will melt as the pride in a man’s heart melts once judgment has begun.  Psalm 104:32 (KJV) He looketh on the earth, and it trembleth: he toucheth the hills, and they smoke.  The earth could never withstand two things, 1) the judgment of God which causes the earth to burn up, and, 2) the presence of God in all his glory because the earth will be burned up.   2 Peter 3:7 (KJV)   But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.  Just as the earth will be burned up entirely on the last day, Nineveh will experience the fires of judgment which will bring them down to nothing.

Back