Nahum chapter 3

Where does the time go? One minute it is Friday, the next time I turn around, it is Monday morning!!! Anyhow, continuing with the book of Nahuam, here is the final chapter.

This to me was so reminiscent of Revelation chapter 18, where Babylon is destroyed:
2 With a mighty voice he shouted:
Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great! She has become a home for demons and a haunt for every evil spirit, a haunt for every unclean and detestable bird.
3 For all the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries. The kings of the earth committed adultery with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries.

Nineveh here is paying the penalty for her sins, just as Babylon did, and will pay the penalty too. The people were secure, confident in their own abilities, their wealth, their riches, living in luxury and pleasure, and sure of their success, no matter what they turned their hands to. They gave no thought to God, the Creator, the one from whom we receive all that we have - home, food, a job, wife/husband, children, school, college, belongings, possessions.

Without God, what do we really have here in this world? We may have a comfortable lifestyle, we may live in extreme poverty scrabbling around to find enough food from one day to the next, we may have more riches than a man could ever dream possible, or we may live in a cardboard tent, striving to stay dry and warm each day. But no matter how much we have, or how little, without God in our lives, we have nothing. Our lives are empty and meaningless and there is no hope.

But with God in our lives, we have hope, we have salvation, we have the knowledge that we have eternal life and that treasure is being stored up in heaven for us right now. But it is not just a case of sitting back and waiting for death, waiting for the riches of heaven. God did not put us where we are today so we can ignore others, concentrate on building up our own little nest egg (albeit in heaven). We are to show the love of Jesus wherever we go, to bring the light of the gospel to all men, not just a few chosen ones, the ones whom we feel comfortable in sharing it with.

I for one do not want to know that because I did not open my mouth and say something when the opportunity arose, that someone I met did not receive the gospel message and ended up suffering in the flames of the lake of fire for all eternity. We have a responsibility to let others know about Jesus, to share the good news with all men. But it doesn't mean that we all have to become preachers, or stand on a street corner with a megaphone every Saturday afternoon, or walk around with placards saying "the end of the world is nigh." God has given each one of us different gifts. Some of us are great public speakers, able to convict people through the power of the spoken word. Others are great writers, able to write the most amazing books, whether fact or fiction, that cause people to stop and think, to turn to God, or at least start to follow the signposts. Some people are so caring, such comforters, such amazing people that they bring the light of Jesus wherever they go, and others want what they have. Others live their lives in such a way that no matter what happens, they trust in God, and people start to ask questions because after all, how can they have undergone so much, and yet still believe and trust in God?

Jonah had the gift of prophecy, and was able to convict the people of Nineveh the first time, Nahum also was a prophet, but by the time he reached Nineveh, the sin of the people was so ingrained, they could not change their ways. It is so sad to think that the same could be true of people we know and love, and I just pray that my family will not be included in this number.

Nahum Chapter 2

This chapter is all about the fall of Nineveh, the crushing and wiping out of the Assyrian Empire, which is no more. The people were given the chance to repent when Jonah was sent to them, and they heard him, listened to his message and changed their ways, but eventually returned to their wicked ways. Each of us has the choice to choose to follow God or to disregard Him, to go our own way, do the things we want to and lead our lives the way we choose. But eventually, if we do not heed the warnings, one day our hearts will be so hardened, so used to sinning, that we will be unable to change our ways even if we want to. Like it says in Micah 1:9, their wounds (their sins) will be too deep to heal, they will be such an ingrained part of their life that they are impossible to remove.

Here, the sin of the people of Nineveh is such that they will not repent, will not change their ways, so they suffer the punishment of God accordingly, and the splendour of Judah, a nation that was ransacked and pillaged by the Assyrians, is restored.

I think this is particularly relevant today as I have recently read that plans are underway to make the garments for the priests to use in the Temple at Jerusalem - before the temple has even been rebuilt. It emphasises that we are living in the End Times, that the return of Jesus is imminent and that we need to be ready. The rebuilding of the Temple is one of the things that will happen before He returns, as is the divine protection of Israel from its enemies. Isn’t is just awesome to be living in the times when bible prophecy is being fulfilled before our very eyes? It is a time of great joy but also of great sorrow, because there are just so many people who do not know Jesus as their personal Saviour, who carry on regardless and look on Christians as people to laugh at, bigots, prejudiced, full of their own pride and self importance. It is so sad to think that is the impression many people have of Christians, that we are self righteous prigs who look down on everyone else.

The truth of the matter is that whilst some people may behave that way, may abuse and harm others through a perverted understanding of the gospel message, the vast majority of Christians are perfectly normal people, who worship God, have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour and are sealed with the Holy Spirit. It is a case of spreading God's love wherever we go, of trying to live our lives as Jesus lived his, because whilst punishment is coming for unbelievers, just like it came for the Assyrians, God is a god of love, and it is His love that clearly comes over in the Bible, not his anger and his punishment, although that is there too. He is not willing that any should be lost, not anyone at all no matter who they are, whatever they have done, whatever their sexual preference, whatever perversions or crimes they may have committed, every person is important to God, uniquely designed and created, special.

Nahum chapter 1

Well, following on from Micah which I really enjoyed, comes Nahum. To be honest, I found this a really depressing book, full of doom and gloom, and it was a struggle to find positive things to say.

Nahum was a prophet who lived probably just before the destruction of the Assyrian Empire, so sometime before 722 BC then. Like Habakkuk, he prophesied the destruction of Nineveh, where the people had previously repented after hearing from Jonah some 100 or more years earlier.
Jonah had tried to avoid doing a job God had set him, and ended up being swallowed by a giant fish. However, he was coughed up onto dry land, he then went to Nineveh to warn the Assyrians of the punishment of God. They listened to what he had to say and they repented, turned from their sins so God did not destroy the people or the city.

But now, it is a different generation (maybe 2 or more generations later) and the people have once more fallen into sin. It is not so much that it is the odd sin here and there, the little white lie, the touch of gossip, a modicum of pride (but even those will separate us from God), but it is a way of life, something they do automatically without even thinking about it. But God has not punished them straight away, as soon as they stopped heeding the words of Jonah and fell back into their old ways. It has been a 100 years and more, but the time has now come for more warnings for Nineveh, more prophecies of impending disaster, the wrath of God about to fall on them.

That's what I love, the fact that God waits. He doesn't automatically punish someone as soon as they mess up but he waits and gives them chance to turn themselves around, to draw back to Him. It means that there is hope for all those whom I know do not yet believe - for my children, my parents, husband, friends, for all those people in the world who are choosing to go their own way and to ignore the fact that the chances of there not being a God are less than 1 in 10 t the power 40,000 (I wish I knew how to type that in Blogger....). So whilst this is a chapter full of doom and gloom, all the more so because the Assyrian Empire did come to an end and is no more, it holds great promise. The promise of a messenger coming from over the mountain with good news, bringing a message of peace. It is the gospel of Jesus Christ, the message of salvation, of hope for this troubled world, and God is not willing that any should be destroyed.