Nahum 3

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TALKS FOR GROWING CHRISTIANS

The Fall of Nineveh, Continued

BACKGROUND NOTES



DOCTRINAL POINT(S)

  1. God is against those who practice sin.

  2. God will judge those who practice sin.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION

  1. Let's thank the Lord that there is an escape from the wrath of God.

QUESTIONS

  1. In Nahum 3:8-10, there is a reference to the destruction of No Amon. How do these verses help in the dating of the prophecy of Nahum?

  2. What was the approximate date of the writing of Nahum's prophecy?

  3. What is the point of the verses about the destruction of No Amon?

  4. Which allies of Thebes (No Amon) were able to rescue her?

  5. How does Question #4 relate to Assyria? 6. What does it mean that Nineveh would be hidden? (Nahum 3:11)

ANSWERS

  1. No Amon is ancient Thebes in Upper Egypt. Assyria had conquered Thebes in 663 B.C. Nahum obviously wrote his prophecy about the fall of Nineveh after the fall of Thebes, and before the fall of Nineveh in 612 B.C.

  2. About 650 B.C.

  3. It is that just as Assyria destroyed Thebes of Egypt (No Amon) with cruel and evil ways, so Nineveh of Assyria would be destroyed.

  4. None of them.

  5. So also would Nineveh be helpless. Nineveh's children would be dashed to pieces in public, as Assyria had done in Thebes, and her great men would be taken away in chains as Assyria had done to the men in Thebes. See Nahum 3:10.

  6. Nineveh would not be rebuilt. In fact, Nineveh was so destroyed and buried that when Alexander the Great traveled through this area a couple of hundred years later, he was unaware that he was marching over the ruins of the once-great Nineveh.

DISCUSS/CONSIDER

  1. Assyria was well known for her cruel practices and atrocities. Nineveh was known as a city of blood. God was against Nineveh because of her sins. As God looks down on our own nation today and sees the thousands of unborn babies murdered by the horrible practice of abortion, does He not called our country a nation of blood? God holds nations accountable as well as individuals. Certainly this scripture has something to say to the sinful practices that surround us today.

  2. The end of Nineveh and the Assyrian Empire is vividly portrayed in Nahum 3:18-19. the leaders were dead, the people were scattered, and Nineveh was destroyed completely, never to be rebuilt. And everyone rejoiced at the news of their demise. God judged Nineveh for her sin, and God must judge every nation and person who practices sin.

CHALLENGE

  1. Nineveh had reached the point of no return. She would experience the wrath of God because of her sin. In Romans 3:23 we read, “…all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” In Romans 6:23 we read, “the wages of sin is death.” In John 3:36b we read, “…he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” We do not have to experience the wrath of God if we take His way of escape. In John 3:36a we read, “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life.” Have you escaped from the wrath of God against sin? Have you received Jesus Christ as your sin-bearer?

KEY VERSES

  • “Woe to the bloody city!” Nahum 3:1

  • “Behold, I am against you, says the Lord…it shall come to pass that all who look upon you will say, ‘Nineveh is laid waste.’” Nahum 3:5-7



Nahum, Old Testament, TalksDeb HarmsNahum 3