Nahum 01: A Strong Refuge

Empires can look invincible from street level. Nahum 1 lifts our eyes higher, where storm and refuge share the same sky—and where God’s justice and goodness move with purpose. We sit with Judah under the shadow of Assyria and listen to a prophet named “comfort” announce a future no one feels yet but everyone needs.

We start by setting the scene: Assyria has already crushed Israel, and Nineveh’s menace hangs over Judah. Then comes the twist—this is the unexpected sequel to Jonah. A century after repentance, Nineveh has returned to violence, and Nahum declares that mercy rejected will meet justice fulfilled. Through vivid lines about quaking mountains, drying seas, and overwhelming floods, we trace God’s character: patient yet powerful, slow to anger yet firm against evil. The message is double-edged—doom for the oppressor, dignity and restoration for the oppressed.

Together we connect the prophecy to history, noting how the fall of Nineveh later mirrored Nahum’s imagery, and we draw out what that means for faith in hard seasons. Evil may sprint, but it never wins the marathon. For anyone facing a stack of losses, Nahum 1:7 becomes a lifeline: the Lord is good, a strong refuge when trouble comes; He is close to those who trust Him. We talk about practicing trust as a daily act—keeping vows, celebrating small faithfulness, and holding on when strength feels thin—because hope is not denial; it’s direction.

If you’re craving steady ground as the world shakes, this conversation offers clarity, courage, and comfort rooted in Scripture, history, and lived faith. Tap play, share it with a friend who needs strength, and if it helps you stand a little taller, subscribe and leave a quick review so more listeners can find it. What line from Nahum 1 stays with you today?

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Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation (NLT).
Copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation.
Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Chapters

• 0:01 Welcome And Daily Bible Focus
• 0:23 Introducing Nahum And The Big Idea
• 0:59 Community Updates And Subscriber Goal
• 1:39 Setting The Historical Scene
• 3:50 Jonah’s Sequel And Assyria’s Arc
• 6:30 Reading Nahum 1 Aloud
• 9:56 Hope In Hard Days Illustration
• 12:26 Hold Fast To A Strong Refuge

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:01

Hey everyone and welcome to the Bible Breakdown Podcast. In this podcast, we will be breaking down the Bible one chapter a day. Whether you are a new believer or have been following Christ for a while, we believe that you will learn something new and fresh every single day. So thank you for joining us and let's get into breaking down the Bible together.

SPEAKER_01: 0:23

Well everyone, welcome back to the Bible Breakdown Podcast with your host, Pastor Brandon. Today, Nahum, chapter one. And once again, ladies, if you're getting ready to have a son and you can't get a name, Nahom is the way to go. I guarantee you, he's gonna be the only person in his kindergarten class with a name like that, Nahum. And we're gonna call chapter one a strong refuge. We're gonna get into all of that why. Also, to realize this is actually a sequel that almost nobody knows about, including yours truly, until not long ago. And it's just, I think it's endlessly fascinating. So there's so much to like about Nay Whoom. We're gonna get into it. Once again, as always, while you're getting your Bibles out, while you're getting everything out, make sure you take just a moment, like, share, and subscribe to YouTube channel and the podcast. Make sure you leave us a five-star review on the podcast. It really does help us get the word out. Also, if you've not subscribed to the YouTube channel, even if you're a podcast listener, go and subscribe. We are on the road to 2,500 subscribers. And listen, I know that that is not a big number in the eyes of a lot of YouTube channels, but it is for us. And we just want to celebrate that together. Also, you can go to the Facebook group, Bible Breakdown Discussion, and there's an amazing group of people, so faithfully doing devotions there every day. And you can get all that information at the Biblebreakdown.com. Well, one of the things I love about chapter one of all of these chapters is we get to take a moment and really put ourselves back into where this was happening. We always have to remember the Bible wasn't written to us, but it was written for us. So this book was a prophecy given by a guy named Nahum to the land of Judah, right? So there is a culture to consider, and there is the reason why it was written to consider. And the more we know about that, the more we understand what Nahum is talking about. And so we have to put ourselves back in that spot so we understand the timeless principles that the Holy Spirit inspired that we can learn from. And so that's why I love chapter one, is we're able to go into a little bit of that. So let's dive into this and realize, first of all, no surprise, the prophet's name was Nahum. But I love this. His name actually means comfort or consolation, and you're gonna realize why in a moment that's such a big deal. Where is he writing from? Well, he is writing most likely from Judah, possibly in or near Jerusalem. And who is he writing to? He is primarily writing to Judah to encourage them amid the Assyrian oppression. So what has been happening is Assyria has come to power. They have taken over Israel, and now they've got their sights set on little old Judah. And they are just bullying them, and they are the greatest power in the area, and God is both judging Nineveh, but also offering encouragement to Israel or Judah. And that leads us to the big idea behind this, and that is the big idea of Nahum is God is sovereign over nations and will ultimately bring justice. So important to realize that. This book highlights God's power to humble even the greatest empires. It shows that evil may prosper temporarily, but God's justice is unstoppable and inevitable. And I think that's important for us to always remember is that, yes, bad people will triumph for a season, but they never go unpunished. There's always a time of reckoning where God dispenses justice, and we have to remember that. Now, here's why this is important, and I think this is so fascinating. So you remember how recently we read through the book of Jonah, right? Jonah went to Nineveh, which is the capital city of Assyria, and they repented. They repented of all their sin. Well, this is a sequel to the book of Jonah, because this was written about a hundred years after Jonah went to Nineveh. So Jonah goes to Nineveh, he preaches that that Yahweh, the God of gods, the King of kings, is going to judge them, and they repented of their sin and God gave them mercy. But at some point over the next hundred years, they turned away from Yahweh, turned back to their idol worship, and they went and they destroyed Israel. And now they're looking to destroy Judah. And so God is looking at them through the prophet of Nahu, the prophet Nahu, and he is saying, Hey, you were doing well with Jonah, but now you're doing bad, judgment's coming. So this is like Jonah part two. Also, this echoes the book of Revelation. So God's judgment over Nineveh foreshadows his ultimate judgment over all evil. And then I love this the historical accuracy. So before Assyria fell, Nahum describes how it's going to fall. And then archaeological findings have shown striking accuracy to what happened. It's almost like God did it. A couple more things. Elsewhere in the world, as we already said, the Assyrian Empire is at its peak and it is feared across the ancient world at the time. Judah, on the other hand, is a small country that looks very weak in comparison. So they're getting bullied by this much bigger kid, you know, and God is telling them to not give up, to hold on. God's people likely felt helpless, and Nahum's message assures them that God had a plan for them. A couple more things that are interesting that we'll notice. Number one is this focuses on God's character. Nahum chapter one, we're going to read in a minute, shows God's patience, his power, his justice, and he balances his love with wrath. The next thing is one of the things that we know in history is Assyria was known for their cruelty. I mean, they would do terrible things to the nations that they overthrew. They didn't just kill people, they slaughtered them in order to strike fear into everyone else. And it's going to talk about some of that. And the other interesting thing is, you know, as we've been reading through some of these prophets, you know, it's like it's it's it's interesting how some are just all about hope, some are all about judgment. This one really holds both at the same time. Nineveh is getting, you know, doom, and Judah is receiving the promise of restoration. So let's jump into this and remember it's all about God being a strong refuge. Here we go. Nahum, chapter one, verse one says this. This message concerning Nineveh came as a vision to Nahum who lived in Elkosh. The Lord is a jealous God, filled with vengeance and rage. He takes revenge on all who oppress him and continues to rage against his enemies. The Lord is slow to get angry, but his power is great, and he never lets the guilty go unpunished. He displays his power in a whirlwind and the storm. The billowing clouds are the dust beneath his feet. At his command the oceans dry up and the rivers disappear. The lush pastures of Bishon and Carmel fade, the green forests of Lebanon wither. In his presence the mountains quake, and the hills melt away. The earth trembles, and its people are destroyed. Who can stand before his fierce anger? Who can survive his burning fury? His rage blazes forth like fire, and the mountains crumble to dust in his presence. But the Lord is good, a strong refuge when trouble comes. He is close to those who trust him. He will sweep away his enemies in an overwhelming flood. He will pursue his foes into darkness of night. Why are you scheming against the Lord? He will destroy you with one blow. He won't need to strike twice. His enemies are tangled like thorn bushes and staggering like drunks. They will be burned up like dry stubble in a field. Who is this wicked counselor of yours who plots evil against the Lord? This is what the Lord says. Though the Assyrians have many allies, they will be destroyed and disappear. O my people, I have punished you before, but I will not punish you again. I will break the yoke of bondage from your neck, and tear off the chains of the Assyrian oppression. And this is what the Lord says concerning the Assyrians in Nineveh. You will have no more children to carry on your name. I will destroy all your idols and the temples of your gods. I am preparing a grave for you, because you are despicable. Look, a messenger is coming over the mountains with the good news. He is bringing a message of peace. Celebrate your festivals, O people of Israel, and fulfill your vows. Your wicked enemies will never invade your land again. They will be completely destroyed. You know, one of the things that's interesting about this is this is in the middle of them being oppressed. Like Assyria is coming down hard on them. Like like they everything's going wrong. I mean it's like it's like the idea of, okay, imagine you get up to go to work. And on your way to work, you get a speeding ticket. Once you get that speeding ticket, you get to work only to find out you left your lunch at home. Then you go in and find out that everyone else that was supposed to be working with you, they all called out sick. And so now you got a speeding ticket. You forgot your lunch and you're working by yourself. And then at the end of the day, when you finally make it, your boss calls you in and you get fired. You get fired, you're on your way home, you get stopped again. This time, you have a little bit of an attitude because you had a bad day, so you don't just get a ticket, you get to spend the night in jail. And when you get ready to spend the night in jail, you call your spouse and they say, I'm not gonna get, I'm not gonna get you out of there. Matter of fact, never come home again. You're having a real bad day. And in the middle of the worst part, you're having a bad day, and somebody over in the cell beside you is looking at you kind of funny, and now they're you're wondering, okay, wait a minute, did I just do something they got a beef with me? So it's about to get worse. And in the middle of that, somebody comes up to you and says, Hey, listen, God's for you and not against you. Don't you give up? It's gonna be okay, it's gonna be all right. Well, do you know on one end, you're like, well, praise the Lord. On the other end, you're like, Do you see around me? You know why there's nothing else that can go wrong. Like, I'm in this horrible spot, and you're telling me God's with me? If he's with me, where's he at? Right? That's kind of what Judah said. They're having all these enemies all around them. Everything that could go wrong is go wrong. They're the Israel, like they're they're cousins, basically. They've already been overthrown. Judah's next, and this prophet comes along and he says, You know what? Go ahead and celebrate your festivals. Go ahead and do what you're going to do. Your enemies will never invade your land again, and it's all gonna be okay. And so, in other words, the answer would be, where is God at? Right here. He's taking care of all those enemies, he's taking care of all those things, it's all gonna be okay. And the end of the story would be, is right in the middle of it, your uh your spouse comes and bails you out and says, Hey, I'm sorry, I was angry, it's over now. All your tickets get dismissed, your boss says, Hey, we can't do it without you, you get not only are you gonna get hired again, I'm gonna give you a raise. I mean, everything resolves itself after a little while. But that's where Judah is. They just need to hold on a little bit longer. You get to the end of your rope, don't let go, tie a knot in that joker, and just hold on just a little bit longer. That's what Nahum is telling Judah. He's saying, Look, I see your enemy. I see how big your enemy is. Have you seen how big your God is? Can I tell you? Maybe that's what some of us need to hear today. God sees your enemy. And he is not he is not minimizing what you're going through, he's just reminding you of who's in the fire with you. His name is Jesus, and he is all that we need. Let's pray together right now. God, thank you so much for today. God, I'm I'm thinking about right now, maybe somebody who's listening to this, and it does seem like everything that can go wrong is going wrong. Everything is just it's just a bad season. I pray you'll remind us, Lord, that you are in the fire with us. That you are doing more than we can see. And if we would just hold on, you're coming. You're gonna do what only you can do. Our job is to not have it all figured out. Our job is to never give up. We celebrate you today. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen. God's word says in Nahum 1, verse 7, the Lord is good, a strong refuge when trouble comes. He is close to those who trust him. You know what God's love language is? Trust. Trust the Lord today. I love you. I'll see you tomorrow for Nahom chapter 2.