Volume 6 Adult/Kids Connections
Unit 17, Session 5: Nahum, Prophet to Nineveh
Nahum 1–3
Christ Connection: Nahum brought a message of comfort to Godʼs people, reminding them that God loves His people and will protect them from their enemies. Jesus also brought a message of comfort to His people. Jesus assured us of salvation and peace. All of the enemies of God and the enemies of Godʼs children were defeated at the cross. In the end, all evil will be finally punished.
Adult Connection Point: God is the Redeemer of moments both small and large. God gathers up our tears and holds them in His hands. The truth is, what people in pain need, more than answers, is God. And when we are willing to push deeply into pain and the questions that come with it, we donʼt necessarily find all the answers—but we find God. Heʼs at the core of our questions. And He Himself is the answer to our pain.
Through our suffering, God bonds us together in the church. We serve as tangible expressions of the deep and abiding love and care of Jesus Christ to each other. This is especially important for us because, no matter how rock solid our faith might seem to be, we are incredibly forgetful people.
We know God is loving. We know this not only because the Bible tells us itʼs true but because we believe that the love of God is demonstrated in the cross of Jesus Christ. We also know that God is wise. Though we might not understand the reasons behind our suffering, we know they are there. We further know that God is powerful and faithful and a host of other things. But thereʼs nothing like a diagnosis, an end to a relationship, a job loss, or some other jarring life \transition to make us temporarily forget those things. (See 2 Cor. 1:3-7.)
“If we again ask the question: ʻWhy does God allow evil and suffering to continue?ʼ and we look at the cross of Jesus, we still do not know what the answer is. However, we now know what the answer isnʼt. It canʼt be that he doesnʼt love us. It canʼt be that he is indifferent or detached from our condition. God takes our misery and suffering so seriously that he was willing to take it on himself.” \
1 —Tim Keller
1 Timothy Keller, The Reason for God (New York: Penguin, 2008), 30-31.
Family Devotion:
Materials: candle, matches
Play a game of hide and seek with your family with a different twist. Direct your kids to hide in the spot where they feel most safe when life is chaotic. After giving them time to hide, go find your family members and bring them back as a group.
Ask each child, “Why did you choose the spot to hide in?”
Light the candle and review the Bible story. Recall how God had sent Jonah to warn the people of Nineveh once before, but they returned to their evil ways. God sent another prophet, Nahum, to warn the people of Nineveh that they would be destroyed because of the evil things they had done.
Remind your kids that God hates evil and will punish it. Even though the Ninevites thought they would be safe within their city walls, God is more powerful than His greatest enemy. Direct your kids to look at the candle and estimate how long it could burn. Even though God hates evil, He is patient and will wait a long time for people to return to Him—but not forever.
Those who love God can run to Him and find protection from the Enemy because the Enemy was defeated at the cross. We can find comfort in the fact that all our enemies will be defeated in the end.
Pray, thanking God, that we can find comfort and protection in Him. Ask God to protect your family and keep them safe.
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