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Greetings listeners. Have you ever seen someone get away with something awful and wondered where is God in this? God in this? Maybe it was an abuse of power, a violent act, or just offers a powerful truth? God sees injustice and he will not let it go unanswered. If you've ever wrestled with the silence of God in the face of evil, this episode is for you. Well, welcome everyone. I'm your host, Jacqui Adewole, and this is the Bible Basics Podcast, where weekly, we break down the basics of the Bible into understandable, bite-sized chunks.

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Today we're opening the book of Nahum. It's a compact only three chapters and fiery message. It's a reminder of God's justice, his patience and the hope we can hold on to, even in a world filled with violence and corruption. Let's begin by discussing the prophet Nahum himself. Let's begin by discussing the prophet Nahum himself. His name means comfort or consolation, which might seem strange given how intense his message is. He was from a place called Elkosh, but scholars aren't exactly sure where that was. What we do know is that God raised Nahum up to deliver a single, focused message Nineveh will fall. Now we'll set the historical stage so we can understand when Nahum was speaking.

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Let's rewind about a century to the time of the prophet Jonah. God has sent Jonah to Nineveh, a major city in the Assyrian empire, to warn them to turn from their evil, and surprisingly they did. The whole city repented, which means they changed direction, they humbled themselves, they admitted they were wrong and chose to turn back to God. But fast forward 100 to 150 years and things had changed. The repentance didn't last. By the time Nahum comes on the scene, around the mid-600s BC, nineveh had gone right back to its old evil ways. It had become one of the most violent and oppressive cities in the ancient world. Where Jonah had warned Nineveh that judgment would come if they didn't repent. Nahum now announces you went back to your old ways and now judgment has come. Judgment here doesn't just mean punishment, it means justice. God is stepping in to make things right. God is stepping in to make things right.

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Now let's talk a little bit about Assyria, the empire Nineveh belonged to. They weren't just another powerful kingdom on the map. They were known for terror tactics, torture, public executions and cruelty that terrified other nations. Nahum chapter 3 paints it vividly Blood in the streets, piles of corpses, lies, exploitation and spiritual deception. It's graphic, it's intense and it's the reality God's people were living under. This wasn't something Judah feared. They had seen it happen. Roughly 70 to 90 years earlier, Assyria had crushed the northern kingdom of Israel and scattered its people. That trauma was still fresh in their national memory. Their kingdom, the southern kingdom of Judah, was still standing, but they were afraid. They had seen what Assyria could do. They had watched their neighbors fall. So Nahum's message wasn't just a political prediction. It was deeply personal.

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Now that we understand the prophet and the backdrop, let's walk through Nahum's core message, what God was saying through him and why it still matters for us today. And why it still matters for us today. First, let's consider this Was Nahum speaking to Nineveh or about Nineveh? That's a really important question because while the book is all about the coming fall of Nineveh, it wasn't written for the people of Nineveh. The message was meant for Judah, the southern kingdom, who were living under the crushing weight of the Assyrian power. Nineveh was the subject, but God's people were the audience, and that changes how we hear it. This wasn't a warning to Judah's enemies, it was comfort for God's people. Notice I used the word comfort and remember that's what Nahum's name means.

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So Nahum's message holds three big truths. One God is patient. Two, God is just. And three, God will act, meaning he will punish wrongdoing. Nahum, chapter 1, verse 3, says it like this the Lord is slow to anger, but great in power. The Lord will not leave the guilty unpunished. That one verse captures the tension running throughout the whole book.

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God had given Nineveh a chance. Remember he'd sent Jonah to them generations earlier. They repented then, but now they have returned to violence, lies and pride. And God didn't ignore it. Nahum names their sins clearly Violence and bloodshed. We see that in chapter 3, verse 1.

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Assyria was brutal. Their cruelty was famous and feared Lies and exploitation. That's chapter 3, verse 1 as well. They used deceit and manipulation to dominate weaker nations. Spiritual deception we see that in chapter 3, verse 4. Nahum compares them to a seductive prostitute, drawing in other nations with false hope and empty promises. And finally, pride. We see that in chapter 3, verses 8 through 19. They thought they were untouchable. A fortress for a city, wealthy, powerful, above consequence. But they weren't. And here's the heart of it God acted.

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Just a few decades after Nahum spoke, the unthinkable happened. Babylon and the Medes overthrew them. They fell. The Assyrian empire collapsed. The very city that had terrified the world was brought to the ground. This wasn't just punishment, it was God's justice. God was defending his people, for those in Judah who had suffered, who had lived in fear of what Assyria might do next. This was good news. Chapter 1, verse 15, says look there on the mountains, the feet of one who brings good news, who proclaims peace. Chapter 1, verse 7, puts it like this the Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble, he cares for those who trust him. You don't have to live in fear anymore. God sees, god knows, God will act, and in Nahum's day he did so. How do we know God acted? Because what Nahum predicted actually happened, and not in vague ways.

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Nahum gives three specific, vivid descriptions of Nineveh's downfall, and history confirms them. One floodwaters broke the city. Chapter 1, verse 8, says with an overwhelming flood, he will make an end of Nineveh. Ancient records suggest that during the Babylonian siege of Nineveh in 612 BC, the Tigris River flooded, weakening the city walls. Part of the walls collapsed, giving Babylon and the Medes the opening they needed. Two leaders were caught off guard. Chapter 3, verse 11, says you too will become drunk. You will go into hiding. Some ancient sources suggest Nineveh's leaders were unprepared, possibly celebrating or overconfident. When the attack came, they panicked. They fled. The city fell quickly and three fire and total destruction. Chapter 3, verse 13 says Fire has consumed the bars of your gates. History confirms that fire played a major role in Nineveh's destruction. The city was burned, looted and left in ruins. In fact, it was so thoroughly destroyed that it disappeared from history.

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For centuries, people thought Nineveh was just a legend, until its ruins were discovered in the mid-1800s AD near modern-day Mosul in Iraq. This wasn't just prophecy. It became history and it showed God's people and the world. He meant what he said and the world. He meant what he said. Now let's talk about how Nahum delivers God's message. Not just what he says, but how he said it.

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Nahum doesn't preach with bullet points, he paints scenes. His writing is poetic, vivid and almost cinematic. He uses bold images to help people feel the power of what God is doing. Here are a few striking examples. In chapter 1, verses 3 through 6, god is described like a storm, a whirlwind. Mountains melt, rivers run dry, the earth trembles when he shows up. This isn't a quiet, distant God. This is the God who commands nature itself.

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In chapter 2, verses 3 through 6, he describes battle with almost movie-like intensity Red shields, flashing chariots, chaos in the streets, floodwaters breaking in. You can picture it, you can hear it, you can feel the fear. In chapter 3, verses 5 and 6. God is saying you've hidden behind power and pride, but now your shame is uncovered for all to see. These aren't just dramatic words. This is God shaking his people awake, reminding them that he hasn't gone silent. He still sees, he still speaks, he's still in control. So what does all this have to do with Jesus and with us?

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While Nahum doesn't mention the Messiah, the promised Savior, jesus by name, it reveals something essential who God is, his character, his justice and his heart towards those who trust him. And because Jesus is fully God. When we see who God is in Nahum, we're also getting a clearer picture of why Jesus came. So in this final section, let's look at three ways. Nahum points us toward the heart of the gospel, the good news that God rescues us. Through Jesus We'll see God's character, God's justice and God's good news.

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First, god's character. In chapter 1, verses 2 through 8, we get one of the clearest pictures of who God is in the entire Old Testament. He is powerful, patient, holy and just. Let's listen to how Nahum describes God right at the start. Right at the start, quote the Lord is a jealous and avenging God. The Lord takes vengeance and is filled with wrath. The Lord takes vengeance on his, but great in power. He will not leave the guilty unpunished. Unquote that's Nahum, chapter 1, verses 2 and 3. That might sound intense, but it's not out of control.

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Anger, God's jealousy, means he fiercely protects what is good. His wrath is his righteous response to evil, not a loss of temper but a commitment to justice. And even in his anger he is slow to act. He is patient but powerful. God sees what's wrong. He gives time to turn back, but when the time comes he will act. And then comes this quiet, powerful verse 7. The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble, he cares for those who trust him. That means in the middle of judgment we get this reminder. For those who trust him, he's not someone to run from, he's someone to run to.

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Second, let's look at God's justice. Nahum reminds us that God doesn't ignore evil, he confronts it. Chapter 1, verse 3 says the Lord is slow to anger, but great in power. The Lord will not leave the guilty unpunished. God had given Nineveh a chance. Remember Jonah. But now, after generations of violence and pride, the time for justice had come.

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Chapter 1, verse 6, asks who can withstand his indignation, who can endure his fierce anger? And in chapter 3, verse 5, god speaks directly to Nineveh I am against you, declares the Lord Almighty. Wow, those are words we never hope to hear. Wow, those are words we never hope to hear. These aren't just poetic lines, they're a sobering reminder. God sees everything and he will make things right. And that's exactly what the cross is about. Romans, chapter 3, verse 25, tells us that Jesus became the place where God dealt with sin once and for all. At the cross, jesus took the judgment we deserved so we could receive the mercy we didn't earn. And one more thing regarding God's justice.

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In the New Testament, Paul writes in Romans, chapter 12, verse 19,. Do not take revenge, for it is written. It is mine to avenge. I will repay, says the Lord. So if you've been holding on to a wrong done to you, here's something to consider. What would it look like to trust God to make it right? And third, there's God's good news.

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Nahum, chapter 1, verse 15, says look there on the mountains, the feet of one who brings good news. That same verse shows up in Isaiah 52 and again in Romans 10, where Paul connects it directly to the gospel. The ultimate good news. That same verse shows up in Isaiah 52 and again in Romans, chapter 10, where Paul connects it directly to the gospel. The good news and the ultimate good news wasn't just that Nineveh would fall, it's that Jesus would rise to save us, to forgive us, to bring us into a new life with God. So what do we take away from Nahum?

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Here's the core God sees what has been done. He doesn't ignore evil. His justice may feel slow, but it's never absent and his mercy is always near to those who trust Him. Nahum shows us a side of God that's often forgotten. He will act to punish evil, not because he's harsh or impatient, but because he's good, because he's just, because he cannot and will not let cruelty go unchecked forever. That means you don't have to carry revenge, you don't have to fix everything on. God knows and God will act. Next time we'll turn to the book of Zephaniah, another voice from the same era, but with a very different tone. It's a message of coming judgment, yes, but also one of the most beautiful pictures of God's joy over his people. Until then, keep reading, keep seeking and keep growing in your faith and, as always, if this episode helped you, share it with a friend, leave a review and subscribe if you're on YouTube, so you don't miss what's next.