DUPAGE AME CHURCH STUDY – JULY 2021

A STUDY OF THE BOOK OF

NAHUM

WEEK 4 – Wednesday, July 28, 2021 Pastor James F. Miller & Rev. Kevin D. Thornton

THE PROPHET (A Minor Prophet)

BOOK OF NAHUM:

We all have felt overwhelmed by the darkness both within ourselves and in our world. Nahum lived in a dark time, a time in which the faithful few probably wondered how long they would have to resist cultural and spiritual compromise. This sounds very familiar to what’s going on today. Sometimes we find our will to do what’s right weakening. I don’t know about you, but it is easy to get discouraged when you look at what’s going on in the world (pandemic, drive by shootings, children being killed by stray bullets etc.). As we look at the lesson, the prophet Nahum reminds us of God’s grace and mercy, even in the darkest of times, will still bring justice and hope to a dying world.

The is the seventh of the and was written between 626–612 BC it has three chapters which speak directly about the mighty nation of and its capital city . Nineveh was established in around 2000 BC by Nimrod, a great-grandson of Noah Genesis 10:3-11

As we examine the book of Nahum, we see once again, that we are back at the city 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.

Nahum preached during the reign of King Manasseh, one of the most evil kings in ’s long history. This was considered one of the darkest periods in Judah’s

DUPAGE AME CHURCH BIBLE STUDY – JULY 2021 history to that point, a time filled with idolatry of all kinds in a nation that had completely turned its back on God. The Lord sent Nahum, whose name means “comfort,” into such a hopeless situation is evidence of God’s unrelenting and overwhelming grace.

The book of Jonah showed us that God is slow to anger, but by no means will God ignore the guilty; God will bring his vengeance and wrath to pass. Numbers 14:18 (NIV)

Question 1: Why does God show his grace and mercy? ______Jonah 3:4-11

I believe another reason God showed God’s grace and mercy on Nineveh the first time was to celebrate the annual Holy Convocation of Passover. Now this is just what I believe. See, God “Passed over” Nineveh, without destroying her, when he saw the people repent. When God told Moses to have the Children of Israel to paint blood onto their door frames, it signified their faith in God's warning and marked them out from the pagan Egyptians; likewise, when the King of Nineveh got off his throne and took off his royal robes, and covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in dust, this was an acknowledgement that showed that the people of Nineveh choose to be purified and dedicated to God’s commandments. However, that is another lesson for another time.

After Jonah had prophesied to the King of Nineveh, God showed mercy and grace; however, now as we see in the book of Nahum, the city receives a sentence of judgment because they had returned to their ruthless and savage ways.

Question 2: Why did God issue a sentence of judgment on the Assyrians people in the book of Nahum? ______2 Peter 2:21-22

Nahum did not write this book as a warning or “call to repentance” for the people of Nineveh. 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

DUPAGE AME CHURCH BIBLE STUDY – JULY 2021 military victories by hanging the bodies of their victims on poles, putting their skin on the walls of their tents among other atrocities.

Nineveh once had responded to the preaching of Jonah and turned from their evil ways to serve the Lord God. Once again God sends one of God’s prophets to Nineveh warning of the judgment in the form of the destruction of their city and exhorting them to repentance. (Nahum 3:1–4). However, this time the people of Nineveh did not listen to Nahum’s warning, and the city was brought under the dominion of Babylon.

God is patient and slow to anger. God gives everybody time to repent of their sins and follow God as Lord. But God is not mocked. Galatians 6:7. We must understand this that anytime we turn away from God and reject righteousness, which result in evil living, the Lord Will steps in with judgment. This was the case in Nineveh, the capital city of Assyria, and it will be true for any nation or person today. As Christians it is our duty to stand up for biblical principles and proclaim Christ, for it is only in repentance and the life-changing message of the gospel that anyone can find hope.

Question 3: What will our punishment be if we reject God? ______Romans 6:23

Here is a breakdown of the book of Nahum in reference to its content, what it emphasizes the theme, the key verses, and God’s judgment being issued.

DUPAGE AME CHURCH BIBLE STUDY – JULY 2021

God sent Jonah to Nineveh to preach repentance, a message they heard and adopted at least for a time. 100 years later, during the time of Nahum, the Assyrians had returned to their sins, conquering and exhorting their power over Israel and Judah.