Bible study course
An advanced, collegiate, three-lesson academic study of the Book of Nahum, examining the theophany of Yahweh as a jealous and avenging God who rides upon the storm, the pastoral refuge in the day of trouble, the shattering of the Assyrian yoke, the herald on the mountains proclaiming peace, the eyewitness realism of the siege of Nineveh, the bursting of the river gates, the satire of Nineveh as the plundered den of lions, the prophetic woe over the bloody city, the historical object lesson of the fall of Egyptian Thebes, the terminal and incurable wound of imperial tyranny, and the universal clapping of hands over the fall of the oppressor.
An academic exegesis of Nahum 1:1 to 15, examining the seventh-century historical context of Assyrian hegemony, the theology of Yahweh as a jealous and avenging God (El qanno ve-noqem), the cosmic theophany of divine storm and melting hills, the pastoral refuge of God in the day of trouble, the shattering of the Assyrian yoke, and the herald on the mountains proclaiming peace (quoted in Isaiah 52:7 and Romans 10:15).
A collegiate analysis of Nahum 2:1 to 13, deconstructing the dramatic poetic vision of the siege of Nineveh, the advance of the scatterer with scarlet shields and flashing torches, the opening of the river gates and the flooding of palaces, the total desolation of the imperial storehouses ("Desolation, desolation, and ruin!"), the satire of Nineveh as the ferocious den of lions, and Yahweh ultimate verdict: "Behold, I am against you, declares Yahweh of hosts!"
An advanced collegiate capstone study of Nahum 3:1 to 19, analyzing the prophetic woe oracle (hoy) against the bloody city of Nineveh, the exposure and public shaming of the seductive sorceress (baalat kheshafim), the historical object lesson of the fall of Egyptian Thebes (No-Amon), the collapse of Assyrian fortresses like ripe summer figs, the slumber of the imperial shepherds, and the incurable wound (nachlah makatekha) over which all victimized nations clap their hands in joyous relief.