A Survey of the Books of Jonah and Nahum

The Biblical books of Jonah and Nahum are unique in the canon of scripture. Besides both being minor prophetic books and the only ones to end with question marks, both are focused on the city of Nineveh. Jonah sees God's efforts to save the city. His grace and mercy being exemplified in the life of Jonah as he made his bid to quit on God rather than to follow orders. At any time, God could have struck him dead but instead kept giving him chances to get right. At that time Nineveh acted upon what little they saw, and a generation was saved.

In the follow up book of Nahum, roughly one hundred years had passed since Jonah preached and a whole new generation was on the scene. A generation that decided that they didn't need God nor His grace and mercy. Nahum was used of God to prophesy that you can in effect only slap God in the face so many times before He will call you out for it.

Jonah shows the heart of God on display. Both for His wayward prophet and for a people who did know the first thing about the One True God. Nahum shows that there is righteous judgment that people must be answered to for their sinful choices. For Nineveh, punishment was due in full and yet for the individual that was still some time left to repent. As we sit here today, judgment is coming for this world and there is still time to turn to God as individuals and repent. That is the lesson of these two books. That is the lesson that is still available to all today, turn to God while there is still time.