CartNahum 1: The God of Judgment
WHAT IS YOUR favorite of God'sattributes? Love? Mercy? Grace? Comfort? Chances are you didn't name judgment. Yet that concept, however disquieting, is part of the divine equation. We cannot have a world of justice without judgment. Nahum reminds us that God is indeed just, and that when we break his laws, we break ourselves upon them. This chapter deals with the Lord's anger toward a city full of evil.
Warming Up to God
What world conflicts are you currently following in the news? How do you think God feels about some of these?
Read Nahum 1. »
Discovering the Word
- Why do you think Nahum uses poetry for such a subject as the anger of God?
- Which description of God in verses 1-6 is most striking to you? Why?
- How can you reconcile the statement in verse 7 with the rest of this chapter?
- What charges against Nineveh are found in verses 9-14?
- This book was written not directly to the Ninevites, but to Jewish readers. What might Nahum have intended the Jews to gain from hearing these words?
Applying the Word
- What parallels can you find between Nineveh and today's world?
- How should you respond today in the context of conditions that anger God?
- Look again at verse 7. In what way do you need God's refuge from the world?
Responding in Prayer
Pray that God will give you his perspective of the world and that you'll be angry toward the things which inspire his anger. Ask him to reassure you that "he cares for those who trust in him" (v. 7).
For Further Study
Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah by David W. Baker