Introduction to the Prophet Nahum

Moses knew that God’s people would need the word of God written on a scroll for them to be reminded of everything that the Lord had revealed during the previous decades. Without the book (scroll) that recorded the law—God’s Word—the people would forget and disobey the Lord. In Deuteronomy 31:27 Moses stated to the Levites, “For I know how rebellious and stiff-necked you are. If you are rebelling against the Lord now, while I am still alive, how much more will you rebel after I am dead!”

It should also be noted that Nahum prophesied during the reign of King Josiah of Judah (640–609 BC). King Josiah instituted major reforms to the religious practices of Judah because, as a sixteen-year-old youth, he began to seek the Lord and reject the long-established idol worship practices of his father Amon and grandfather Manasseh (2 Chr 34:3-7). According to 2 Kings 22:3-13, it was during the eighteenth year of King Josiah’s reign that the law of Moses was discovered in the temple. When this discovery was reported to the king, he became deeply convicted by the words of the book of the law of the Lord. Second Kings 22:10-11 records,

Then Shaphan the court secretary told the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book,” and Shaphan read it in the presence of the king. When the king heard the words of the book of the law, he tore his clothes.

The Word of God, which had been originally written by Moses, had survived generations of apostasy and now was being read to a new generation represented by King Josiah. Josiah’s reformation of Judah came as a direct result of the discovery of the book of the Word of God. Only the recovery of the Word of God can bring true spiritual reformation. This is true for the individual, for the people of God, and for society.

The importance of the Bible as the divinely inspired Word of God (also known as Scripture) cannot be overstated for Christians. In 2 Timothy 3:16 the apostle Paul declares, “All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness.” Paul’s reference here is to the Old Testament. So the book of the prophet Nahum was part of the “Scripture” to which Paul is referring. The elements of teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness for God’s people are all contained in Nahum’s oracle concerning Nineveh. The book of God’s Word is the most important book for God’s people.

The book of Nahum is referred to as the “book of the vision of Nahum.” The Hebrew term translated “vision” is found elsewhere in the Old Testament in Proverbs 29:18 where the HCSB translates the word “revelation.” It says, “Without revelation people run wild, but one who listens to instruction will be happy.” The ESV reads, “Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off all restraint, but blessed is he who keeps the law.” The Hebrew term translated “vision” is derived from a verb that means “to see” (Roberts, Nahum,41). Habakkuk 1:1 refers to the oracle that the prophet “saw.” Both noun and verb forms are used in Isaiah 1:1 to refer to the messages of the prophet Isaiah. Vision refers to the communication of God’s word to the prophet and through the prophet. This is clear from the usage of this word in Proverbs 29:18. The Hebrew word translated “vision” is employed throughout the Bible’s prophetic literature. For example, 1 Samuel 3:1 reports that visions were rare in those days. This means that during the days of Samuel’s early childhood under the mentorship of Eli the priest there was little revelation from God. It was a spiritually dry period in the history of Israel.

Nahum has been given divine revelation to communicate concerning the fate of Nineveh and the future of God’s people. When we preach God’s Word today, we are communicating the divine vision of God for His people and His world. Without the preaching of the divine vision, people will remain without hope and without God (Eph 2:12). The preaching of biblical truth is an act of divine grace that restrains human sinfulness. The proclamation of biblical truth in the prophetic message facilitates saving grace and common grace. It facilitates saving grace because only the power of God’s Word delivered through preaching is able to save souls from divine judgment and eternal punishment. But if people are convicted by the prophetic preaching of the Word of God to repent and call on the Lord for salvation, then God will hear and save them from their sins. Romans 10:13-15 reminds us of these truths:

For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. But how can they call on Him they have not believed in? And how can they believe without hearing about Him? And how can they hear without a preacher? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: How beautiful are the feet of those who announce the gospel of good things!

Paul the apostle begins and ends this statement with two Old Testament quotes—Joel 2:32 and Nahum 1:15—referring to the powerful effect of the prophetic preaching of God’s Word in the gospel.

The necessity of the preaching of the divine vision of God’s Word is clear. We cannot relent because the need is so great. Nahum’s vision of the Word of God needs to be heard in every generation. Where is the prophetic vision from God’s Word today? Where is the prophetic voice calling people to repentance and faith in the twenty-first century?

The name “Nahum” comes from a Hebrew root that is found in several other names in the Bible such as Nehemiah, Nahamani (Neh 7:7), Tanhumeth (Jer 40:8), and Menahem (2 Kgs 15:16). The root meaning of the name is “comfort.” While Nahum’s name carries a message of comfort for Judah, Nahum’s message is anything but comfort for Assyria. “Elkoshite” most likely indicates the clan or place of Nahum’s birth. He was from the clan or village of Elkosh. We have no archaeological information that confirms the whereabouts of this clan or the location of this village in antiquity. We are given no further biographical information about the man Nahum. So we know very little about this prophet except that he was a real person whose name seems to have had providential significance for his prophetic ministry.

Nahum has a prophetic message for today that is relevant to the realities we face in the twenty-first century. God is sovereign over the affairs of nations just as much as He is sovereign over the affairs of people. He reigns over all the political events, policies, and people in this world. He is faithful to care for His people who trust Him for salvation.