Thursday, April 13, 2017

Nahum - Jonah Lesson

Fallen Soldiers at the Gates of Nineveh
These things happened to them
as examples for us.
They were written down
to warn us
who live at the end of the age.
1 Corinthians 10:11 NLT

"The Hebrew name “Nahum” means “comfort” or “consolation.” The theme of the prophecy is the fate and destruction of Nineveh, the one-time capital city of the mighty Assyrian empire, which had destroyed Israel and taken many inhabitants of the land captive (722 B.C.).

While the book of Jonah records Nineveh’s reprieve, Nahum predicts its destruction. Assyria was the archenemy of Israel and Judah. It was used by God to punish the inhabitants of Israel who had turned to idol worship and other evil practices.

Notice how Halley’s Bible Handbook introduces the book of Nahum: Two of the Prophets had to do with Nineveh: Jonah, about 785 B.C., and Nahum, about 630 B.C.; about 150 years apart. Jonah’s was a message of Mercy; Nahum’s, a message of Doom. Together they illustrate God’s way of dealing with nations: prolonging the day of grace, in the end visiting punishment for sins (p. 368)."
Life&Truth