Nahum 2: The Approach of Judgment
IMPENDING CATASTROPHE! THE news is full of it. Scientists warn us about global warming, coming earthquakes, acid rain and other dangers to the natural order. Politicians issue dire warnings about sinister movements and culture wars. Similarly, Nahum writes of a catastrophe soon to befall Nineveh. We see the culmination of the evils described in the first chapter as the Babylonian troops descend on the city.
Warming Up to God
What crisis or challenge is on the outskirts of your life at present? How might God be working within this situation?
Read Nahum 2. »
Discovering the Word
- How does chapter 1, which deals with God's power and anger, set the mood for the first verses of chapter 2?
- Is Nahum actually warning Nineveh? Explain.
- Given that moral evil is the cause of Nineveh's fall, what point does this chapter make about armies and power (vv. 3-6)?
- Exactly how is Nineveh like a pool (v. 8)?
- Nineveh had many lion sculptures. How is this metaphor turned against them in verses 11-13?
Applying the Word
- Do you see God moving through political forces today? If so, how?
- Nahum deals with the plundering of Ninevite wealth (vv. 9-10). How can you begin to better acknowledge God's control over your possessions?
Responding in Prayer
In this chapter Nahum has described the thoroughness of God's judgment. Nineveh was never revived. Spend some time meditating on God's awesome power—terrifying yet reassuring. Praise and thank him that his power is always tied to justice.
For Further Study
Serious Times by James Emery White