Title: Warning against Nineveh/I 1:1-15
Content 1. Warning against Nineveh
I 1:1-15
“The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble, and he knows those who trust in him” (1:7).
The book of Nahoms is a prophetic book written by Nahom the Elgosite.
Scholars today say it is difficult to find the Elgoth that Nahom may have prophesied.
The word ‘Nahom’ means compassion, mercy, or comforter.
In an era in which God's mercy is requested, mercy is requested, and comfort is needed, we must deeply engrave the meaning of God's prophet's name.
Nevertheless, no mercy is shown in the prophecy of God's judgment of Nineveh.
Nineveh is a great city that ruled western Asia with powerful rulership for more than 500 years.
Their sin was a sin of arrogance because of the great building of the city through the generations.
Babylon is a symbol of a secular city, and it is pointed out as a crime against God, but Nineveh is a symbol of human violence, one's muscles, one's strength, and a symbol of conquering and opposing neighbors, afflicting brothers. is appearing as
If Babylon committed a sin against God, Nineveh appeared as a tyrant tormenting God's people, the brothers.
In order to comfort Judah in captivity, the bishop Nahom gives hope, starting with the disposition of God above all else.
Judas is said to be a captive, but because of God's disposition, he will never leave it to the enemy and will surely save him.
Therefore, the message from Nahom is not to despair but to have hope.
The difference with the book of Jonah is that the book of Jonah shows what God's mercy is, and the book of Nahoms shows the justice and majesty of God.
1. Reason for Judgment of Nineveh
1). God of Speculation
“Jehovah is jealous” (1:2a)
God is a jealous God of idolaters.
Forms are not idols.
Any image that is worshiped and worshiped there is an idol.
Idols can be material, children, honor, or face.
Those who know their knowledge as absolute, worship it as an idol.
God is jealous of this kind of service. Because Nineveh is following what is not God, he has no choice but to be judged.
What idols do you believe in, rely on, and follow?
What do you love more than the Lord?
You will be disappointed the day it runs out of money.
I fear that the day will come when I am too dependent on my children and fall into the depths of the abyss.
Relying on your power, you will weep on the day the regime changes.
You will be proud of your glory and will experience misery when newcomers appear like comets.
We must not forget, even for a moment, that all these things are the object of God's jealousy.
2) God of vengeance
“…a God of vengeance, the Lord avenges…” (1:2)
Another reason for judging Nineveh is that God is a vengeful God.
The word ‘retaliation’ is the original Hebrew word ‘no-kem’, which is recorded three times in verse 2.
God is revealed as the One who harbors wrath against those who oppose and oppose him.
Buddhist philosophy insists on the idea of causality and retribution.
The Christian faith has nothing to do with the idea of causality and retribution. Its core is to give away the left cheek to those who slap the right cheek, and to love those who hate it.
To say that God takes revenge refers to the act of judging the wrongdoers fairly because he loves his people, and does not lack justice and love like human retaliation.
The answer to breaking God's promises is retaliation in human terms.
God is faithful.
Those who love and obey the Word of God and fear God will be blessed in all generations, and those who do not will be judged up to the third and third generations.
These 3rd and 4th generations are saying that they will continue to be punished until the 4th generation and there is no seed.
That's why I'm telling you that there is no way to escape God's revenge.
It should be a life that is sensitive to sin, always combative against injustice, and pursues righteousness.
We must live a life that strives every day to act as a refreshing agent that gives a fresh shock to this society polluted by turbid air.
But is there anyone who is always unable to draw near to God in fear because of God's judgment? God is not the one who punishes us for our transgressions through the ideology of causality and retribution in Buddhism.
We must never lose heart, remembering that the bond of love that heals us because God loves us when we are disciplined.
However, we must also not forget that God does not punish those who are outside the faith, but that God retaliates.
What matters is whether I am now in the faith or out of the faith.
You must also know that the way to pass down blessings to your children for thousands of generations is to enter into faith.
3). God is sensitive to sin
“He never forgives sinners” (1:3).
Because God is slow to anger, He is patient with sinners and waits for them to repent.
The tornadoes, storms, and dust appeared to indicate that when God is angry, people will find no way to escape and will fall into chaos, and the high clouds that cannot be touched by life are as low as dust on their feet.
Even modern people who are pursuing space exploration in order to obtain a war base at a height like the lunar world will not be able to escape God's judgment.
The reason for the judgment on the people of Nineveh is that God is sensitive to sin.
Because God is very sensitive to sin.
Those who have deep fellowship with God react sensitively to sin.
Knowing how close you are to God is shown in your response to sin.
Those who are sensitive to self, neighbor, and sin are those who are close to God.
Now, the air pollution in Seoul is close to dangerous.
It's like saying you're suicidal.
Still, I don't feel it well, and there's a huge thing in my lungs, but I'm not responding.
However, when Westerners, people who used to live in a place with clean air, come to Seoul from Gimpo Airport, they feel that the city of Seoul is foggy.
Also coughing.
Cough is a sign that the air is cloudy.
When we sin before God, we should show a sensitive reaction, but we can't.
This is the problem.
4).Good God
“The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble” (1:7a).
Another reason for judging Nineveh is because of God's goodness toward His people.
Because the people he has chosen are the people God loves, he says that those who commit sins must be judged even for them.
For the sake of the people of Israel, we must shut the mouths of the persecutors and put an end to those who bully them.
Verse 7 is a famous verse, and there is probably no Christian who is not familiar with this verse.
These verses were the most comforting words of Martin Luther when he carried out the Reformation, and these are the words of strength and hope.
It is repeated seven times that the people of Judah will be comforted by God judging other people.
7 is a perfect number.
It indicates that the consolation of Judea will be complete.
2. Method of Judgment
1).Water referee
“He destroyed it with the overflowing water” (1:8a).
The ‘flooded water’ refers to the invasion of the armies of Persia, the Medes, Arabia and Babylon, which came like a flood and wiped out Nineveh.
Nineveh, the capital of 500 years, so proud and proud, will be swept away by this united army's invasion.
2). Non-judgment
“Everything will burn like dry straw” (1:10b)
God puts an end to the unrighteous at once.
You don't even need to attack 2 or 3 times.
It will burn and perish like straw.
No matter how strong and heavy they are, they will surely be annihilated.
3). Darkness Judgment
“He will drive out his enemies into darkness” (1:8b).
God will sweep the adversaries with water, burn them with fire, and slay them without a trace.
The city will disappear from history into darkness.
You won't even remember the name.
Today, only a few fragments of the historical relics of the city of Nineveh remain in large museums.
It has been pushed into darkness in history.
4). Judgment of Extinction
“Your name will never be preached again” (1:14)
To say that the name is not propagated again means that there is no successor.
This is a characteristic of heresy.
Heresy has no successors. Even if there is, I can't go to three.
So heresy comes out in the history of Christianity, and then disappears without succeeding the next generation.
Park Tae-sun and Moon Sun-myung do not know how far they will go. There is no continuity.
'Badness' is a word that is worthless.
Nineveh, who was not humble, boasted of 500 years of history, but was worthless in the sight of God.
Therefore, you are preparing a grave and disappearing.
After they are completely destroyed, they will never be able to walk together again.
Even the city of Nineveh, the splendid capital of Assyria, was treated by God and could not survive.
We must examine ourselves to see if we are not building the city of Nineveh.
Nineveh's tyrannical attitude toward its neighbors is the city.
The day will come when the Tower of Babel will fall. There will be no traces.
Our names must be recorded as believers from generation to generation.
Without the succession of faith, we are nothing but heretics.
Not to cultivate such a worthless life, and not to be a waterless cloud blown away by the wind, not to be a fruitless autumn tree that dies and dies and uproots, or a raging wave of the sea foaming up shame, or an advantageous star that enters the darkness prepared for eternity. (Jude 1:12-13).
3. Good news
“Behold, the feet of those who proclaim good news and proclaim peace are on the hills” (1:15a).
The content of this verse is the same as the words of Isaiah (Isaiah 40:9).
The news of the destruction of Assyria is good news and good news for Judah.
I will no longer afflict the wicked, for the wicked have been destroyed, and they shall no longer pass through Judah.
Therefore, Judah is free from Assyrian oppression and can again engage in religious practices toward God.
The certainty of judgment on unbelievers means certainty of consolation for one's people.
God will shut the mouths of those who oppose them and let them see the end so that the saints can hear the good news.
Those who have made God a fortress and have taken refuge in His arms will enjoy the grace of God's comfort.