Nahum 1:1-8

“…and the clouds are the dust of his feet.” What a powerful idiom describing the majesty and magnificence of God. This is in Nahum 1:3.

JIV NOTE: We are in a series of Minor Prophet narrative commentaries. Following is a list with approximate dates of their prophetic B.C. years. This can be subject to debate but is a good approximation based upon how each one relates their existence to a king or leadership of either, or both, of the kingdoms of the divided Israel. Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel are the Major Prophets but only due to the size of their books.

Jonah (798 B.C.) 
Amos (796 B.C.)
Hosea (796 to 719 B.C.)
Micah (740 to 711 B.C.)
Nahum (711 B.C.)
Habakkuk (626? B.C.)
Zephaniah (626? B.C.)
Joel (596 to 586 B.C.)
Obadiah (590 B.C.)
Haggai (520 B.C.)
Zechariah (520 to 518 B.C.)
Malachi (400 B.C.?)

One may ask, why is Daniel neither a major nor minor prophet? Especially good question when considering chapter 11 of his book. The best deduction is because he wrote from Babylonian captivity. The major prophets wrote to Israelis who were not under captivity. Harassed by enemies, YES, but not removed from their homelands. The minor prophets prophesied while a only a Judean governor was on the throne of Judah.

Nahum 1-8:

Nahum 1:1 Jonah had a sincere and serious problem with the enemies of Israel called the Assyrians. God sent a reluctant Jonah to their capital city Nineveh to warn of God’s pending judgment. They repented and were spared much to the dismay of Jonah. As far as scriptures tell us, little more is shared their repentance.

Enter Nahum. He now deals with Nineveh some 87 to 90 years after Jonah (reference the above list of minor prophets). The word “burden” in most major translations of verse Nahum 1:1 means “utterance or doom.” We do know that Nahum had a vision or a dream, not a visitation by an angel of God. Scripture says so in verse #1…The book of the vision of Nahum…”.

Nahum 1:2 Can God express anger? Verse 2 and 3 say he can and has. Recall that Jonah had delivered a revival message to Nineveh but now these people had slipped back into their old evil ways. There is debate about whether the Assyrians descended from the lineage of Shem or Ham. According to Genesis 10:11 when tracing the lineage of the families of Noah, one can conclude the Assyrians were descendants of Shem even though Nimrod (descendant of Ham and secular history) built the original Nineveh.

The KJV Bible states that Asshur went out of the land of Shinar (Babylon) and built Nineveh, Rehoboh, Calah, and Resen. According to Genesis 10:21-22 Asshur descended from Shem.

AHA MOMENT: This same passage in Genesis tells us that Elam, a son of Shem, established what we know today as the original Persians. They admit they are not Arabs but still hate Israel. This hate is from a contrast to Judaism called Islam.

We should comment on the word “jealous” in verse 2. God is not jealous of us but (z)jealous for us. To not willingly put our own self on the side of God/Jesus, is to forfeit his protection and eternity with him. Satan roams the world [1 Peter 5:8] seeking who he can destroy.  God is jealous for us.

We Teach – You Decide

Nahum 1:3 is often quoted…in part, but few can sight their quote per book and verse from where it comes. “Jehovah God is slow to anger.” It is Nahum 1:3. When one reads the entire verse, we also read that God will NOT ACQUIT (hold blameless) those who do not *trust in him.

*God’s measure in judgement is one’s trust in Him, not a belief he is God. Satan even believes that.

This verse includes our opening sentence. “…and the clouds are the dust of his feet.” Some clouds are beautiful, some are heavy storms. In Nahum one can conclude the clouds, or dust of God’s feet are storm clouds. Nahum 1:3b states this as fact. Storm clouds by then have gathered over Nineveh. Jonah’s earthly, but wrong wish of destruction upon them is now on the way. In absolute commentary, God is saying of those who do not trust in him, s/he will be trampled as is the dust of the earth under his feet.

Nahum 1:4 has an interesting set of parameters. It includes the area of Bashan. Remember that the Tribe of Dan settled this area after leaving the lands assigned to them by the casting of Lots during the leadership of Joshua. Deuteronomy 33:22 tells us they will “leap from Bashan.” Why Nahum included this identity of Bashan in verse 4 is difficult to understand. We have several other narrative commentaries on this website that explain Dan’s migrations to the territories of Scandinavia after leaping out of Bashan.

Nahum 1:4 He (God) rebukes the sea and makes it dry, And dries up all the rivers. Bashan and Carmel wither, And the flower of Lebanon wilts.

Nahum 1:5 continues this analogy of the power of God. In short, all creations including the angels who fell when Satan (Lucifer) himself rebelled against God. “…the earth quakes, the mountains and hills melt, the earth heaves at his presence and command (paraphrased).” And all who are in it!” This should remind one of Jeremiah 51:25 and 51:56b.

Nahum 1:6 and 7 seem to be an oxymoron. Verse 6 says who can stand against God’s anger yet verse 7a states that the Lord (God) is good so who would stand against him?

One can ask, what is the source of or for his fierce anger versus his goodness in back-to-back verses? The answer is of a single purpose, one and the same reason. It is all in what a person puts his or her trust. Is it God or self? God is not a religion! Example: Canaanites came from the same Noah family as did Israeli. Their forefathers knew about the flood, Noah, and God’s justified anger with human sin thus the flood. Yet, they developed and adhered to a god (religion) outside of God. After *1656 years of pre-flood patience, God dealt with them. NOW Micah includes both the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah (all Israelis) in his prophesies.

*Adam to Noah

1:7 does not say God knows who he can trust but “he knows who trusts in him (and him alone).” This is his goodness and his anger. Trust is an example of using one’s free-will.

Nahum 1:8 The word “flood” in verse 8 sends some Bible studies into a tailspin. Strong’s H7858 and H7857 is shay’-tef for a local flood. In Noah’s flood (Genesis 6-9) the word flood is mabbûl. This is a great deluge. In verse 8 of Nahum 1 the word flood means an outrageous outpouring or overflowing (YLT) passing over of judgement. Note: There was a major shay’-tef flood but not global flood in Nineveh in 612 B.C.

AHAMOMENT: This is not part of the Book of Nahum but is related to it. Many articles from supposedly science-based research and time stamping include huge numbers for the existence of the world. It is in the hundreds of millions. We will not contend with that, but we have recent proof of the global Genesis flood. You decide, but young and mostly intact dinosaurs that were recently discovered in two distant areas of Siberia both choked to death on mud. [Life Science Magazine published this in 2021].

AHAMOMENT #2 In 2011: Alberta, Canada. Rather than explain its relationship to the Noah Flood, let me cut and paste their own words. Some 110 million years ago, this (particular) armored plant-eater [dinosaur] lumbered through what is now western Canada, until a flooded river swept it into open sea. The dinosaur’s undersea burial preserved its armor in exquisite detail. (Emphasis mine)

Note two things:

1. Secular science wants to date this dinosaur at 110 million years old.
2. Secular science wants to make us believe it drowned by a local river flooding.

Note a third thing: This huge creature was unearthed from dry land, not in the depths of the sea or ocean. It was also buried deep in sand [mud?] on dry land. Please note how easy it is to misguide people by how scientific assumptions are made. Was this dinosaur swept into a sea that no longer exists during a river flood? Perhaps the answer is much simpler. Yes, this creature drowned in the depths of deep waters. When the waters subsided, it was left buried on dry land. Noah’s flood? With great caution so as to not be dubbed into false thinking, check the Internet at https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/article/dinosaur-nodosaur-fossil-discovery

It is even more profound to read in this National Geographic web article that somehow science has determined by looking at skeletal remains this dinosaur discovered in March 2011 even had a bad attitude. To reference and substantiate other articles written for ahabiblemoments, these scientists admit that during the time of this creature’s life, Canada had a south Florida climate. At this time, the world was probably squared up to the sun’s rays. The sheer weight of the Noah-tic Flood waters and its water run off tilted the earth to its wobbling or rotating 3⁰ which gives us our current 4 seasons. This constant globally mild weather of Adam to Noah’s time is great. What God originally created was perfect. This supports the fact that other so-called scientific discoveries of tropical plant life frozen deep in arctic ice came from a “South Florida” climate in the far north. Secular science has no incentive or desire to allow much discussion of this fact.They wish only to tell us what to think instead of how to think.

We stated in a previous commentary article concerning the Great Deluge of Noah, that the world up to Noah’s flood was not tilted at a 3^o but had equal global sunshine. This National Geographic article fails to understand their claims actually support the Bible context of the flood.

We will pick up on this narrative commentary next week; Nahum 1:9 to the end of chapter 1.

Rev. Dr. Jstark
2021