Nahum 1
Take Refuge!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Wednesday, September 25.
Nahum was a Judean prophet to the Assyrian capital city of Ninevah during the seventh century BC (approximately 675-612). Whereas Jonah the prophet had already been sent to preach to the Ninevites, calling them to repentance, Nahum was commissioned to give them an oracle of judgment, declaring their coming destruction (Nahum 1:1, 8, 14). There was no place for repentance any longer, as that time had passed! In fact, in Nahum 1:2-7, the prophet describes God as the caring warrior who would bring justice to the nations, especially to the enemies of God’s people:
A jealous and avenging God is the Lord; the Lord is avenging and wrathful. The Lord takes vengeance on His adversaries, and He reserves wrath for His enemies. The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, and the Lord will by no means leave the guilty unpunished. … Who can stand before His indignation? Who can endure the burning of His anger? His wrath is poured out like fire and the rocks are broken up by Him. The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble, and He knows those who take refuge in Him.
It was a harsh time in human history and warfare was brutal and dehumanizing. The judgment of Assyria would have been good news for Judah since Ephraim, the northern ten tribes of Israel, had been destroyed and scattered by the Assyrians (2 Kings 17:6, 23). Ultimately, Nahum’s purpose in writing was to declare the power of God over Assyria, as explained in Nahum 1:13, “So now, I will break his yoke bar from upon you, and I will tear off your shackles.” This may have been an oracle of judgment against Nineveh, but it was also a wake-up call to Judah – repent while there is still time!
Seize the moment and take refuge in the only One who can save you (Nahum 1:15; Psalm 91).
God bless you!
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