Nahum study section
Nahum themes
Nahum develops God’s justice, His character, the fall of the proud, and refuge for those who trust Him.
1. The Justice of God Against Evil
Nahum declares that God will not let cruelty and violence go unpunished forever. Assyria’s savagery meets its reckoning, showing that God is a righteous judge who repays the wicked and will by no means clear the guilty.
2. The Character of God
The book opens with a rich portrait of God: jealous, avenging, slow to anger, great in power, good, a stronghold, who knows those who trust Him. His wrath and His goodness are not in conflict but are two sides of His holy character.
3. The Certainty of Judgment on the Proud
Nineveh seemed invincible, yet Nahum foretells its total and irreversible fall. No empire, however mighty, can stand against God; the proud oppressor will surely be brought down.
4. Good News for the Oppressed
The fall of the tyrant is glad tidings to those who suffered under it: “the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace.” God’s justice is the comfort and hope of the afflicted.
5. God as Refuge for Those Who Trust Him
In the midst of judgment, Nahum affirms that “the LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him.” God’s people find safety in Him even as the world is shaken.
6. No Escape for the Guilty
God “will by no means clear the guilty,” and Nineveh’s wealth, might, and idols cannot save it. Sin unrepented of leads inevitably to judgment, a warning as much as a comfort.
My notes
Saved to your account, so they are on every device you sign in on, and private unless you specifically share them with another.
A different version of this note was saved in this browser before notes moved to accounts. Your account’s copy is above and was left alone; copy anything worth keeping out of this one, then let it go.
Notes are kept with your account rather than in this browser, so what you write here is still there on your phone, on another machine, and after you clear your history. Signing in takes an email address and one click, there is no password to remember.
Saved in this browser before notes moved to accounts. Sign in and it will be carried up to your account; it stays here until then.