Nahum

Book Reviews aim to provide succinct, thoughtful summaries of books I have read. Each review contains quotes from the book, thoughts from others, and also some thoughts of my own. Typically they will be structured in the following order: author, introduction, message and purpose, remarkable chapter, and conclusion. This review will cover Nahum, a book written over 2,600 years ago and one that is part of a larger collection of books called The Bible.

Nahum

Author

Nahum

Introduction

The biblical book of Nahum dramatically portrays God overwhelming Assyria to relieve His oppressed people. It was certainly a harsh message for Israel's enemies, but for the people of Judah it was a message of hope. Nahum is also known for containing one of the most well-known verses in all of Scripture, found in verse seven of the first chapter: "The Lord is good, a stronghold in a day of distress; He cares for those who take refuge in Him."

Message and Purpose

Nahum has two primary themes along its pages: judgment and the character of God.

Judgment. The main theme of the book is the impending judgment of Nineveh by the Lord by which he would deliver His people. Yahweh would pay back Nineveh and the Assyrians in the same way they had mistreated their enemies. Since they were known for scattering their captives in brutal death marches, the Lord would send a scatterer to disperse the Assyrians in retaliation for their cruelty. Though Nineveh was seemingly indestructible because of its military strength and its allies, the Assyrians would be exiled as they had exiled the Egyptians (3:10).

God, the caring warrior. The character of God, portrayed as a powerful but caring warrior (1:2-7), was the propelling force behind Nineveh's judgment. The Lord's jealousy for His people and His wrath toward His enemies, balanced by His compassion and longsuffering nature, seem to pivot on His great power and goodness. Yahweh the warrior will take vengeance on His enemies (1:2, 3-6).

God was "good" (or kind) to those who took refuge in Him (1:7) while bringing destruction on His unrepentant enemies, including Nineveh (1:8).

Remarkable Chapter

The first of three chapters in the book of Nahum is presumably what makes it so well-known, and for good reason. God's vengeance, the destruction of Nineveh, and the promise of Judah's deliverance are all expounded upon, making it a swift series of twists and turns that many readers remember well. Take the following verses and you can see why this particular chapter is remarkable:

"The Lord is slow to anger but great in power." (verse three)

"The mountains quake before Him, and the hills melt; the earth trembles at His presence—the world and all who live in it." (verse five)

"The Lord is good, a stronghold in a day of distress; He cares for those who take refuge in Him." (verse seven)

"Though I have afflicted you, I will afflict you no longer. For I will now break off his yoke from you and tear off your shackles." (verses twelve and thirteen)

Like a jealous (or zealous) husband, Yahweh would tolerate no rivals for Israel's affection, whether other so-called gods or foreign nations and their kings. That God was "slow to anger but great in power" indicates His wrath was not that of a hot-tempered tyrant. Neither was His compassion based on His inability to defeat those who oppressed His people. By no means would He leave the guilty unpunished, whether of His own people or their enemies.

Conclusion

The book of Nahum provides a great view of a powerful, just God who maintains His absolute moral standards and offers hope to those who are despised and downtrodden. Nahum teaches us to trust God. The book's contribution to the Bible is significant, reminding us that even when we despair of any help, we can know that God will stand with those who belong to Him.