VERSES: Nahum 1:1-3:19
MEMORY VERSE: Nahum 1:7 "The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him."
BOOK TO REMEMBER: 2 John. Write "2 John" on small slips of paper and hand out at the end of class.
PRAYER: Pray that we always put God first in our lives.
SPECIAL SONG: No, Not One (see June - Songs We Sing In Bible Class #6 on this blog. Click orange circle to hear tune.)
VISUAL AID: Large Activity (see below)
LESSON POINTS:
- Nahum, like many men we have recently been studying, was also a prophet of God. He, too, was considered a minor prophet because of his small amount of writing--only three chapters. Nahum preached to the city of Nineveh 100 years after Jonah had preached to the city. The LORD had harsh words for Nineveh, who had again become disobedient to Him, but this time Nineveh would not escape destruction. The city was destroyed in 612 BC.
- Nahum's name means "Comforter", but Nahum is not trying to comfort the people. He is trying to stir them up to repent from their serving of false gods and idols. Nineveh would have no more peace. God was against them, and why? Because they were full of wickedness.
- Nahum tells us more of God's nature. He says that God is good, yet He is jealous. God told us that He was a jealous God in the ten commandments that Moses wrote on the tablets on Mt. Sinai, didn't he? (See May - Lesson - The Golden Calf on this blog). God wanted the people to only love and serve Him, but they strayed just as they did in Nineveh's time. God never changes. He was still a jealous God while Nahum preached to the people, trying to persuade them to return to God. Nahum also mentioned that God was slow to anger; it took a lot to make God angry enough to destroy wickedness, but God has a limit as to what he will endure, even today. No one can hide when God is angry. Where would we hide? God knows everything!
- Nineveh's sin was idolatry and pride, which we have seen in many nations before this. The Old Testament was written for our learning (Romans 15:4), we need to be certain that we are not guilty of the same sins. Idolatry is putting ANYTHING before God. Many put fun and recreation before God. Some put their families before God. We need to always put God first above everything! (Matthew 6:33).
- Discuss how God can be good, yet severe at the same time.
- We can remember that Nahum preached to Nineveh by thinking of the first letter of their first names--"N."
Materials needed: 9" x 12" red construction paper, marker, crayons, scissors, tape.
- Hand out red paper.
- Fold paper in half.
- Fold paper in half again.
- Unfold paper once, so that the paper is still folded in half and the fold is at the top.
- In large block letters, write "Nineveh" on top panel. (see picture below).
- Turn paper over, so that the fold is still at the top.
- In large block letters, write "Nahum on the top panel. (see picture above).
- On one of the bottom panels, write "Nahum preached to Nineveh just list Jonah, but with bad results." (see picture).
- Color letters.
- With the paper folded in half, cut the 'v' out of the "N' on both sides. (see top picture). The cut doesn't really 'do' anything, it is just for decoration.
- Fold paper like a tent with "Nahum preached to Nineveh just list Jonah, but with bad results." on the outside, so it can be read.
- Tape sides to secure.
