Week 7: Nahum

Objective: 

• God’s Mercy and Judgment

• The Destruction of Nineveh

• The Woe of Nineveh

Resources:

• Fr Tadros Y Malaty Commentary
• Catena Bible Commentary
• Fr Dawoud Lamie Bible study (Arabic)
• Minor Prophets SUSCOPTS

Activity for every week: Can you recite the 12 minor prophets?

Reading:

• Nahum 1:1-15
• Nahum 2:1-13
• Nahum 3:1-19

Key verse(s):

"Behold, on the mountains, The feet of him who brings good tidings, Who proclaims peace!" Nahum 1:15

NOTE TO SERVANT:

• Please plan to ask and review these questions every week:

  • Who are the minor prophets? Can you recite them?
    
  • The theme for last week's minor prophet
  • Highlight Messianic prophecy

Minor Prophets introduction:

• The Major and Minor Prophet division of the Holy Bible does not denote the importance or rank of the writing prophets, but the length of the Holy Books which bear their prophecies.

  • Ex: Jonah 4 chapters - Isaiah 66 chapters
• There are 12 minor prophets and 4 major prophets (5 books including Lamentations)
• In the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible), all these books were listed under "prophets". In the Septuagint and Vulgate translations, this classification of major and minor was mentioned.
• The prophet in the OT was someone who passed God's message to the people. A prophet in the NT is also someone who passes God's message or news (God's love and salvation for all mankind).
• In the OT, there were many prophets (Moses, David, Elijah, Elisha, etc.), but when we refer to the "Prophets", we refer to the ones who recorded their prophecy. 
• All prophecies had one goal: Repentance!
• Recorded prophecies were split into three groups: Before, during, and after the exile.
  • Before: Repent so God doesn't bring the exile
  • During: Repent so God can end the exile and take us back to our land
  • After: Repent because the Messiah is coming
• The books of the prophets are rich with Messianic prophecies. Our Lord fulfilled all.
• The meaning of the names of the prophets is usually the message of their writings.
• The prophetic books always start with a strong tough message and then end with a joyful promising message.
  
• All books have different themes. All books have the same message (repentance).
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Comments:

Theme of Nahum: Destruction of Nineveh
Messianic Prophecy: Christ in the New Testament (1:15)

• Nahum means "comfort" or "consolation"
• Nahum prophesied against Ninevah after Jonah went there (approximately 130 years) and after they took Israel into captivity.
• Since the message of the book is a prediction of the destruction of Nineveh, it must have been delivered sometime before 612 B.C., when the city was destroyed by the Babylonians.
• The message of the prophecy is clearly stated in Nahum 3:7.
• Nahum 1:15: A Prophecy on Christ in the New Testament. Christ will come and will proclaim peace on earth. Our lives will be in constant rejoicing (feasts) because Christ reconciled the earthly with the heavenly.
• Nahum 2 talks about God's mercy and goodness to those who believe in Him after he punished them (His judgments). The chapter also talks about what will happen to those who reject God after numerous chances to return to him and offer repentance.
• Nahum 2:11 shows the Assyrians as lions who controlled the whole world and everyone feared them.
• Nahum 3:7: What Nineveh (The Assyrians) did to other nations, it will return on them. It is also a message for us that sin enslaves us. Sin needs to be amputated from its roots or will take the person down as it took many others slaves.

Review/recap questions:
**Servant may add more questions

1. Nahum is prophesying against the city of :
   a) Samaria b) Egypt c) Nineveh
2. What is the Messianic prophecy in chapter 1?
3. What will God do to those who conspire against Him?
4. Why compare Nineveh to lions?
5. List the sins of Nineveh according to chapter 3.

Homework:
**Servant may add more questions

1. Nahum is prophesying against the city of :
   a) Samaria b) Egypt c) Nineveh
2. The LORD is ________, a stronghold in the day of _________; and He knows those who _______ in Him.
3. The shields of his mighty men are made _______, the valiant men are in _________.
4. The lion tore in pieces enough for his _______, killed for his _______, filled his caves with ________, and his dens with _________.
5. All your strongholds are _______ trees with ripened figs: if they are __________, they fall into the _________ of the eater.
6. Those who hear the news of Nineveh will:
   a) cry b) clap their hands c) sing songs