SEEING DEEP
with Denise Pass
BIBLE READING PLAN
God’s Justice Is Perfect
Have you ever dealt with bullies in your life and wondered why God did not deal with them already? God is just and He will deal with those who hurt us, but God also wants them to repent, too. God’s justice is perfect and His dealing with the Ninevites reveals His long-suffering and their deserved punishment. But we can trust God’s defense.
Bible Reading of the Day: Nahum
Today’s reading focuses on a city we have read before—Ninevah. Nahum was a prophet prophesying against Ninevah a good 150 years after Jonah was prophesying against Ninevah. Only in Jonah’s time, the generation of people living in Ninevah repented and were spared. But now in Nahum’s time, Ninevah, the capital of Assyria, was about to meet its doom. The Ninevites had treated God’s people cruelly and now it was pay up time.
God’s Justice Is Perfect—Trust in Him
According to the Bible Project, “The book of Nahum is a collection of poems announcing the downfall of Assyria, one of Israel’s worst oppressors. Referencing Daniel, Exodus, and Isaiah, Nahum shows us that the destruction of Nineveh and Assyria are examples of how God works in history in every age. Nahum’s message is that God is committed to justice and will not allow any arrogant, violent, or evil nation to endure forever. But while God defeats evil, he is also good and cares for the innocent. He will provide a refuge on the day of distress for anyone who humbles himself before God, believes in God’s justice, and trusts that God will bring down oppressors in every time and place.”
God is a just God. Chuck Swindoll summarized the books of Jonah and Nahum in this way, “Jonah failed to realize what Nahum reminded the people of Judah: God’s justice is always right and always sure. Should He choose to grant mercy for a time, that good gift will not compromise the Lord’s ultimate sense of justice for all in the end.”
God’s Justice Is Perfect—He will defeat our enemies
Nineveh had long been an enemy of Judah and Israel, the people of God. According to gotquestions.org, “The text of Nahum provides additional clues regarding God’s anger with the Ninevites. Nahum 3:1 says, “Woe to the city of blood, full of lies, full of plunder, never without victims!” Nineveh was a city of violence, known for its brutal treatment of those it conquered. The Assyrians were notorious for amputating hands and feet, gouging eyes, and skinning and impaling their captives. Another reason for God’s anger against Nineveh was its extreme pride, implied in Nahum 3:8. After Nineveh’s destruction, the site was hidden for some time (see Nahum 3:11). It was not until 1842 that modern archaeologists rediscovered its location in modern-day Iraq.”
God’s Justice Is Perfect—God is our Defender
“Nahum did not write this book as a warning or “call to repentance” for the people of Nineveh. God had already sent them the prophet Jonah 150 years earlier with His promise of what would happen if they continued in their evil ways. The people at that time had repented but now lived just as bad if not worse than they did before. The Assyrians had become absolutely brutal in their conquests (hanging the bodies of their victims on poles and putting their skin on the walls of their tents among other atrocities). Nahum told the people of Judah to not despair because God had pronounced judgment and the Assyrians would soon be getting just what they deserved.”
Scripture of the Day: Nahum 1:7
“The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him.”
God is a refuge for us. A refuge is a safe place from harm. He cares for those who trust in him. Our trusting activates a response. We are safe in Christ.
“The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him, 8 but with an overwhelming flood he will make an end of Nineveh; he will pursue his foes into the realm of darkness. 9 Whatever they plot against the Lord he will bring to an end; trouble will not come a second time. 10 They will be entangled among thorns and drunk from their wine; they will be consumed like dry stubble. 11 From you, Nineveh, has one come forth who plots evil against the Lord and devises wicked plans.”
Application
- God sees what the evil do. We can trust His defense and timing.
- God is our Defender and He is perfect in His judgments.
𝗝𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗮𝘁 𝟱 𝗽𝗺 𝗘𝗧.
Day #276: Nahum
Verse of the Day: Nahum
Audio: www.biblegateway.com/audio/mclean/niv/Nahum
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