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We just finished reading the book of Jonah a couple of days ago, the story of a prophet of God who literally ran from God's command for him to warn the people of Nineveh of impending doom due to their wickedness. Now, about 100 years later, Nahum has been called to go to Nineveh as well. However, while the people repented under the preaching of Jonah, they've fallen back into their sinful ways. Sadly, the people of Nineveh no longer fear judgment from God. They're trusting in their own fortified walls and the strength of their army.
Unlike Jonah's warning of doom that could be averted if they repent, Nahum's message is of a certain doom to the people. God's patience has run out! They've ended up more wicked than in the days when Jonah preached against them. God's prophecy against Nineveh comes true to the letter, and Nineveh's grave is so effectively dug that it will lie undiscovered for 2500 years!
Lets ponder on some of the lessons we can learn from this book, as well as the book of Habukkuk:
1. God is a jealous God! Nahum 1:2 - Like a marriage, when
we enter into a personal relationship with God, He's overjoyed and sees it as a
marriage! And because of that fact, He's very, very hurt when we turn from Him
or even run from Him...just as you would be if your spouse flirted with or ran
off with another person. As part of the 10 Commandments, God says in Exodus 20:3
– “You shall have no other gods but me.”
Nothing in life should come before God!
2. God takes revenge on those
who oppose Him. (Vs.2) Even though God is described in 1 John
4:8 as the embodiment of love, He also has “holiness” as part of His character.
He wishes no one any harm. But, when we decide to lead sinful lives, He will
punish us just as a loving father would do for their child who continually
disobeys.
Look at what God says to the
Ninevites who once repented at the preaching of Jonah, but now was oppressing
the nation of Israel and acting wickedly – “And this
is what the Lord says
concerning the Assyrians in Nineveh: “You will have no more children to carry on your name.
I will destroy all the idols in
the temples of your gods. I am preparing a grave for you because you are despicable!”-
Vs.14
3. God is patient and slow to
get angry. God is the embodiment of patience as well. As
the Scriptures say in Psalms 103:10 – “He does not punish us for all our sins; he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve.” In fact, God gives us a
space of time to recognize our sinfulness and turn to Him in repentance, “Gather
before judgment begins, before your time to repent is blown away like chaff. Act now, before
the fierce fury of the Lord falls and the terrible day of the Lord’s anger begins. - Zephaniah 2:2
When
we read in Nahum 3, we read about how angry God is with Nineveh. He’s tired of
their wickedness, and in using His foreknowledge He warns them that they will
indeed be destroyed – every last one of them! He says in 3:19 – “There is no
healing for your wound; your injury is fatal.” God already had given them
100 years to turn their lives around, and even though the revival lasted for a
little while they ended up worse than when God first declared a warning against
them 100 years prior through the prophet Jonah.
Habakkuk Offers An Interested Argument With God!
As we read this short book of the Bible, Habakkuk is a prophet during the time just before the Babylonian captivity. However, it's an interesting book because it details the prophets argument with God and about his inability to understand what God is doing.
Habakkuk realizes the nation of Israel has sinned horribly. But, he just couldn't understand "why" God would choose a more wicked nation to rise up and destroy Israel - whom he saw as more righteous than Babylon. You can't blame him. His argument (or complaint) is probably one you've had with God too!
Like Job, he honestly raises the perplexing issue of why a just God is silent, and why the cries of the faithful seem to go unheaded. Many great men in the Bible have asked some form of the question that Habakkuk proposed to God in 1:13 - "But you are pure and cannot stand the sight of evil. Will you wink at their treachery. Should you be silent while the wicked swallow up people more righteous than they."
I've heard many Christians ask the question, "Why does God seemingly allow the wicked to be blessed while I, as a lover of God, is struggling so much in life?"
4. The righteous need to live by faith and trust what God is doing! In chapter 2, Habakkuk decides to climb into his watchtower and wait on an answer from God regarding his complaint. What was God's answer? It's found in 2:4 - “Look at the proud! They trust in themselves, and their lives are crooked. But the righteous will live by their faithfulness to God."
5. God Himself will repay evil for evil, so don't worry about it! God is a God of justice. In the end, He always levels the playing field and gives people exactly what they deserve. In fact, in 2:6-8 God reveals to Habakkuk a somewhat comforting truth - He will repay them for their evil. He says, "What sorrow awaits you thieves! Now you will get what you deserve! You’ve become rich by extortion, but how much longer can this go on?’ Suddenly, your debtors will take action. They will turn on you and take all you have, while you stand trembling and helpless. Because you have plundered many nations, now all the survivors will plunder you. You committed murder throughout the countryside and filled the towns with violence."
6. Turn your pain into praise! The 3rd chapter of Habakkuk is basically a song from the prophet. He realizes God is sovereign, fair, and loving; and that the need to live by faith is essential to having joy in life! He decides to stop complaining and start trusting!
What about you? Are you complaining to God or are you trusting in Him? Listen to the last few verses. You can probably relate to this...
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