Title: God Seen by Nahum
Contents
Title: God Seen by Nahum
Bible: Nahum 1:2-15
Starting Point of the Word>>
This time, I would like to share a message with the title of “The God that Nahum Saw”.
Example>>
Not long ago, in Seoul, a mother and three daughters strangled their father to death.
It was a very difficult family, and my father often came in drunk and threatened to kill everyone with a kitchen knife by breaking glass bottles.
On this day too, my father went home drunk at night.
He started complaining that the side dishes weren't cool, so he threw an ashtray and started drinking alcohol.
The hangout lasted about 4 hours.
At 2:00 in the morning, he calmed down a bit and started yelling again.
At this time, the mother covered her with a blanket and pressed her neck, and her two daughters strangled her as well.
And one daughter was just staring at it in the living room.
Eventually, this led to his father's death.
Four mothers and daughters said, 'I have no regrets' while being investigated by the police station.
What causes this pain?
First it will be a difficult environmental problem, and then it will be a problem with people.
But the bigger problem is that Satan works behind it.
Even now, we are suffering indescribably due to the work of Satan, the devil, and demons.
According to 1 Peter 5:8-9,
“Be sober and awake, for your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour; be strong in your faith and resist him, for you know that your brothers in the world suffer the same.”
said
In Revelation chapters 12-13, it is written that our suffering is because there is suffering, and that suffering is because there are people (beasts) who tempt or persecute, and Satan (dragon) controls them behind them. There is.
God will surely judge those enemies and lead the saints to the right path.
Nahum, the author of today's text, said 'Nahum' well expresses this disposition of God.
Nahum is a book that prophesied the destruction of Nineveh, the capital of the ancient Assyrian (Assyrian) empire.
At that time, Assyria had the hegemony of Palestine and occupied and ruled the Northern Kingdom of Israel.
The southern kingdom of Judah was also attacked by Assyria.
Judah had a sense of crisis that they would be destroyed because of their threat.
However, the text of the text says that God will raise up the Babylonian Empire to attack and destroy these Assyrians, and restore the people of Israel and Judah.
Go to Word>>
So, what is Nahum talking about through the words of today's text?
First, Nahum saw the disposition of God.
If we look at verses 2-3 of the text,
“The LORD is a jealous and vengeful God. The LORD avenges and angers; the LORD retaliates against those who oppose him; his wrath is on those who oppose him; the LORD is slow to anger and great in his power; The way of the LORD is in a whirlwind and a tempest, and the clouds are the dust of his feet."
Said.
The prophet Nahum first proclaimed the character of God before warning of the judgment of Nineveh.
This shows that the basis for judging Nineveh is God's attribute.
It is said that God is jealous and revengeful.
Although God is slow to anger, He is envious, angry, vengeful, and judgmental of those who oppose Him.
This refers to what Assyria has done to its people.
When the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah sinned, God used Assyria to discipline them and set them right.
But Assyria did too much toward Israel and Judah.
According to Nahum 2:2,
“The LORD has restored the glory of Jacob to the glory of Israel, for the plunderers have plundered, and have robbed their vines.”
When they attacked Israel and Judah, they insulted God's name and ignored God's people.
And they mercilessly slaughtered, abused, plundered, and carried away the Israelites.
It was like cutting off a branch of a vine.
As a result, God's people suffered a lot.
That is why God is jealous of the enemies who persecute him and his people, and he seeks revenge and judgment.
God is long-suffering, but he does not allow himself to oppose him and torment his people.
He is the one who judges and retaliates at the appointed time, and this is done by God's righteous disposition.
He is the one who will surely wipe away the tears of your righteous people and restore them.
Therefore, as children of God, we must trust Him and stand up even when the present life is difficult and difficult.
Second, Nahum saw the destruction of Nineveh.
According to Nahum 2:5-7,
“When he remembers those nobles, they run as if they are about to fall, and they rush to the city and prepare to block it. The floodgates of the rivers are opened, the royal palace is consumed, and the queen is taken naked as it was decreed, and all the maidens beat their breasts and mourned like doves. crying too"
Says.
Chapter 2 prophesies the destruction of Nineveh in the Assyrian Empire.
It was said that the Babylonian army combined with the Medean army to attack Nineveh was a terrible force that could not be resisted.
It is said that the most elite soldiers of Babylon are marching in red uniforms, carrying red shields, flashing cypress spears, riding iron chariots, and marching.
They said that the chariots they came before them ran like crazy on the highway, and their appearance was like torches and their speed was like lightning.
It was said that the noble generals and warriors sent by the king of Babylon quickly marched to the front of the city of Nineveh, dug a trench, and when they attacked the city, the sluice gate of the Tigris River was broken and the royal palace was destroyed.
At that time, the queen would be taken naked and the maids would beat her breasts and weep like doves.
At that time, the people became discouraged, their knees clashed and they ran away, and the castle was plundered and plundered.
They said the children were being stung at the corners of the road.
It was said that people were slaughtered and their dead bodies were piled up in large heaps, and people stumbled on the corpses that were strewn on the streets.
It was said that on that day the city would become desolate and all faces would lose their light.
In the past, the great empire of Assyria was destroyed in such a tragic way.
The kings and generals of Assyria, the city of Nineveh, believed only in the strength of the city and became proud and opposed God.
Nineveh is more impregnable than Jericho.
It is a huge city located on the east side of the Tigris River.
The wall was 13 km long and 33 m wide, allowing three wagons to pass at the same time.
There were 1500 towers 65 m high on the wall.
There were 115 gates.
And this castle was adjacent to a river, and water channels were installed on all sides to let the river flow in all directions.
Under each gate there was a channel for the river to flow.
There were arcs on all sides of the castle where the water could easily be placed.
Because of this, he thought that no one would attack Nineveh.
But God will surely judge them and repay them according to what they have done.
No matter how strong you are in the sight of God, no one can withstand you.
Therefore, we should not be afraid even if there are adversaries and problems in life that we cannot overcome.
Whether it is a spiritual thing, a person, or an environment, if God wants to do it, we can overcome it and overcome it.
Third, Nahum saw Nineveh's guilt.
According to Nahum 3:4-5,
“This is a beautiful prostitute who is skilled in magic, who commits many fornications; she deceives nations with her fornication, and with her sorcery she deceives many tribes. And I will show you your nakedness, and I will show you your shame to the nations.”
Said.
The reason why Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, fell so wretchedly was because of their sins.
It is because Assyria has deceived many peoples with the magic of idolatry, just as a prostitute deceives many people with fornication.
In other words, they not only worshiped idols, but also used their strong military power and rich economic power to make other nations worship idols when they came under their influence.
The people of Nineveh were saved from the danger of destruction because they repented after hearing the sermon of the prophet Jonah 100 years before this book was written.
However, they did not pass on their faith in God to their descendants.
So again, they became a wicked people following the old pagan customs and deceived other peoples as well.
That is why God told them to expose all their shame and make them a spectacle in front of the countries they had deceived.
God destroyed Nineveh in Assyria primarily because of the sin of persecuting God's people, but ultimately also because of their sin of worshiping idols and inducing other nations to worship idols.
God is the One who always reveals that those who follow idols and live in a worldly way are not right.
If we look at the words of verse 15,
“Behold, the feet of the one who proclaims good news and brings peace are on the mountain; keep your feasts, Judah, and pay your vows; for the wicked are utterly destroyed, and he will no longer pass through the midst of you.”
said
Previously, because the people of Judah were under Assyrian rule, they could not keep the feasts and pay their vows.
But now that Assyria has been destroyed forever, it is time to keep the feasts and pay the vows.
God will surely judge the people who worship idols and spread their culture to other people, that is, those who deny God, despise God's law, and reproach God's promises.
That is why God works so that the people of God can gain more strength and live according to the will of God.
God is the One who restores the former glory so that God's people can live according to God's will again by removing elements and circumstances that do not allow them to live according to God's will.
Therefore, we should not despair if we cannot live according to God's will in difficult circumstances, but we must trust God and become a saint who perseveres and prays until God works.
At the end of the speech>>
We suffer because of small difficulties, but the Lord protects us from all the tribulation we cannot bear.
As in verse 7 of the text,
“The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble, and he knows those who take refuge in him.”
In Hebrews 13:5,
“For God Himself has said, Surely I will not forsake you, nor will I ever leave you.”
said
I pray in the name of the Lord that we can also see the God that Nahum saw today.