SEEING DEEP
with Denise Pass
BIBLE READING PLAN
Godโs 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. Godโs justice is perfect and His dealing with the Ninevites reveals His long-suffering and their deserved punishment. But we can trust Godโs defense.
Bible Reading of the Day: Nahum
Todayโs reading focuses on a city we have read beforeโNinevah. Nahum was a prophet prophesying against Ninevah a good 150 years after Jonah was prophesying against Ninevah. Only in Jonahโs time, the generation of people living in Ninevah repented and were spared. But now in Nahumโs time, Ninevah, the capital of Assyria, was about to meet its doom. The Ninevites had treated Godโs people cruelly and now it was pay up time.
Godโs Justice Is PerfectโTrust in Him
According to the Bible Project, โThe book of Nahum is a collection of poems announcing the downfall of Assyria, one of Israelโs 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. Nahumโs 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 Godโs justice, and trusts that God will bring down oppressors in every time and place.โ
God is a just God. Chuck Swindoll summarized the books of Jonah and Nahum in this way, โJonah failed to realize what Nahum reminded the people of Judah: Godโs justice is always right and always sure. Should He choose to grant mercy for a time, that good gift will not compromise the Lordโs ultimate sense of justice for all in the end.โ
Godโs Justice Is PerfectโHe will defeat our enemies
Nineveh had long been an enemy of Judah and Israel, the people of God. According to gotquestions.org, โThe text of Nahum provides additional clues regarding Godโs anger with the Ninevites. Nahum 3:1 says, โWoe to the city of blood, full of lies, full of plunder, never without victims!โ 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 Godโs anger against Nineveh was its extreme pride, implied in Nahum 3:8. After Ninevehโs 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.โ
Godโs Justice Is PerfectโGod is our Defender
โNahum did not write this book as a warning or โcall to repentanceโ 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.โ
Scripture of the Day: Nahum 1:7
โThe Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him.โ
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.
โThe 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.โ
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.
๐๐ผ๐ถ๐ป ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ถ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฃ๐น๐ฎ๐ป ๐๐ผ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฑ ๐ฝ๐บ ๐๐ง.
Day #276: Nahum
Verse of the Day: Nahum
Audio: www.biblegateway.com/audio/mclean/niv/Nahum
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