Today’s passage: Nahum 1
Helpful thoughts:
- Nahum was given the job that Jonah had wished for, to prophecy against Nineveh. This prophetic book was likely written in the mid-600’s B.C. This was over one hundred years after the events of the book of Jonah took place.
- By the time of Nahum’s writing, the northern kingdom of Israel had already fallen to the Assyrian Empire. Nineveh was their capitol.
- The Lord is over all the world. The gods of the Assyrian people (Carved and metal images) could never stand against Him!
- Those who are safe are those who take refuge in Him (Verse 7).
Questions to consider:
- Where have you read the words in verse 3 before (Exodus 34:6-7)? How does God forgive sin and also by no means clear the guilty? How does this point us to Christ (Romans 3:21-26)?
- When others plot against God’s people, who are they really plotting against? (Verse 9, and also Acts 9:1-4)
- The content of this prophecy had not yet been fulfilled, and yet Nahum encourages the people to live as though it was as good as done (Verse 15). How can this encourage our faith? What has God declared that He will not do?