Exploring The Minor Prophets -- Vol. 2 -- Part 1-- Nahum

 

Nahum

     We saw when we were studying the lessons from Jonah that God was merciful to even a brutal kingdom like the Assyrians. When Jonah preached God's message to the people of the Assyrian capital of Nineveh, the people heeded the prophet's message and repented.

     We see in the book of Nahum that this turn to the True and Living God was not long-lasting. The people of Nineveh returned to their old ways. This time, God had had enough. 

     Nahum brings a prophetic word that the Assyrian Empire will come to an end. Written before these events transpired, this prophecy was completed fulfilled. The next empire to come on the scene was the powerful empire of the Babylonians also called the Chaldeans. 

     There are a couple of things that I want to point out from Nahum. Just because someone repents and comes to follow the Lord, that does not mean that they will carry on with the ways of the Lord. The people of Nineveh repented, but they turned aside. They either did not pass their faith along, or they just turned back to their old false gods. 

     This same type of thing happened when Josiah was King of Judah. He was a righteous king who led his people back to the worship of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. However, almost immediately after Josiah's reign ended, the people went right back into their idolatry. 

     As followers of the Lord Jesus, we have to guard our hearts. We have to make sure that we are keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus and that we are not looking to the left, right or behind us. 

     I believe that there is a moment in time when we come to faith in Jesus. At the same time, following Jesus is a day by day decision. We have to get up each day and decide to keep following the Lord. A glorious reward is in store for those who remain faithful to the Lord Jesus. 

     Another point that I believe that we can really see in Nahum is that God will bring about judgment and justice.  God does not operate on our schedule He does things in His own way in accordance with His own will. No one is getting away with anything so to speak. 

     I know and you know that there is a lot of evil and a lot of evil people in this world. It often seems like wickedness is going completely unpunished. Good things happen to bad people and bad things happen to good people. 

     We have to remember this. The Bible tells us first of all that one day everyone will stand before the judgment seat of Christ. The Lord Jesus will judge what people have done. Also, Jesus will one day return and bring justice and goodness to the entire universe. He will create a new heaven and new earth where righteousness dwells. Good will always triumph over evil because God is in control of all things. 

     Finally, the book of Nahum demonstrates the reliability of God's word. The prophecy about Nineveh came to pass. It demonstrates the reliability of the Bible. 

     Fulfilled prophecy in the Bible demonstrates that the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is the true God. What He says comes to pass. One of the the things that the Gospel writers used to demonstrate that Jesus was the Messiah was the number of Old Testament prophecies that were fulfilled in the person and work of the Lord Jesus. 

     The ministry of Jesus was verified by His own prophecy. He said that the Temple in Jerusalem would be destroyed. One stone would not be left standing on another. This happened in 70 AD. What Jesus said came to pass. 

     Because of the words of Jesus that were fulfilled, we can have confidence that what He has promised those who believe in Him will come to pass. He will redeem those who come to Him, and He has gone to prepare a place for those who love Him. He will come again just as He said. Jesus is the same yesterday, and today and forever. 

Update and Prayer Request

      I did something with the posting of the Minor Prophets book that I can't believe I did. I have things out of order, so I have to do some correcting. Tomorrow, I will start posting the chapter on Nahum. I will take down the post on Habakkuk, and then post it again after Nahum so that we are back in the order that they appear in the Old Testament.  I also want to let you know that the sermon for the week will be posted on Saturday. 

     With that said, I want to let you know that everything is still somewhat tentative at this point. I am not doing very well with my health right now. Please pray that I will start to feel better. I was doing a lot better for a couple of weeks, and I thought that I was moving upward. However, it is not the case right now. I lot of the problem is that at my job I feel that I am about to be worked to death. I have to find something else soon or I really feel that something bad is going to happen in regard to my health. Please keep praying, and I thank you for your prayers. Also, thank you all for reading the blog. 

Verses For The Week

 Psalm 119:55 -- "I remember Your name in the night, O Lord, and keep Your law."

Matthew 24:44 -- "Therefore you must also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect."

Weekend Sermon -- I Am

      Thank you for once again reading the sermon for the week. I hope that you have all had a good week. I am feeling better, and I have been having a good week. 

     This week, we are continuing with our series exploring the names and titles of God found in the Old Testament. In today's message, I want to us to focus on a more familiar name for God. It is a name that He provided for Himself. 

     After Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt, they stayed in that area and the number of the Hebrews multiplied. Over the course of the years, the Egyptians subjected the Hebrews to slavery. For hundreds of years, God's people remained in bondage. God heard the cries of His people for freedom, and He provided a means for their deliverance. 

     Moses was the man that God would use to bring about the deliverance of the people from slavery. Moses was adopted as a baby by Pharaoh's daughter. One day, Moses saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew slave. Moses intervened and killed the Egyptian. Moses then fled to save his own life. 

     While Moses was in the desert tending flocks, he saw a burning bush that was not consumed by the fire. God spoke to Moses from the burning bush. God told Moses that he was to go to Pharaoh and tell him to let the people go. Moses asked God who he should say had sent him. God said, I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites, 'I am has sent me to you.'"

     What does this name for God signify? First of all, it speaks to the fact that God is eternal. He is. He was not created. He had no beginning, and He will have no end. He is not dependent on anyone nor on anything for His existence. On the contrary, all that is is dependent upon Him for its creation and its existence.

     This title for God also speaks to the fact that there is nothing nor anyone greater than or higher than God. He is all powerful. He is the only True and Living God. 

     God was telling Moses to make sure that the Israelites and the Egyptians knew that the God and King of all the universe was the one that was sending Him. That should have made the Egyptians tremble, but they were stubborn right up until the time when the armies of Pharaoh were drowned in the Red Sea. 

     There is something else interesting about the title of I am for God. Jesus uses this title for Himself in the Gospel of John. In John 8:58 Jesus said to the religious leaders, "Before Abraham was, I am". They knew exactly what Jesus was saying. He was equating Himself with the I am who revealed Himself to Moses. Jesus was stating that He was God come in the flesh. The religious leaders took up stones to stone Him, but Jesus escaped from their midst. 

     There are seven other occurrences of the title I am associated with Jesus in the Gospel of John. For instance, Jesus said, "I am the Good Shepherd", "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life", " I am the Door" etc. The use of this phrase is Jesus way of telling the people then and telling us today that He is God. Jesus was fully God and fully man. 

     So, what is the application of this for us? There are three things that I want to point out. First of all, the God of the universe has revealed Himself to us and He cares about us. To me, it is a comforting thought to know that the Supreme Being who is above all and has all power cares about me and is looking our for me. Just as God cared about His people who were suffering in bondage all those years ago, God cares about our needs in the here and now.  This leads me to the fact that I always find myself to be in complete amazement that this God who is the I am cares about a creature like me. He is so great and I am so small, yet He cares about me, you and all of His creation. 

     The second thing that I want to point out is that since God is the Supreme Being there is nothing and no one that will ever be able to ultimately thwart His will and His way. Sometimes it may appear that the forces of evil are getting the upper hand, but God is the Supreme Being. No one can defeat nor thwart Him. His will will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.

      Finally, the one who is the I am came in the person of Jesus. He loved us and came to redeem us from our sin in order that we could have a relationship with Him. The God of all creation came in the person of Jesus Christ and died for our sins that we might be redeemed. He offers His pardon and peace to everyone who will believe. Amen. 

Prayer Requests

     I am feeling a lot better, and I thank you for your prayers. Please pray that I will stay well. 

     Pray for those in California who are suffering as a result of the heavy rains. Pray that they will get the help that they need. 

     Keep praying for peace. Ukraine, Israel, Gaza, Yemen and Sudan really need our prayers. 

     For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for those in the nations of India and Malaysia. Pray that many will come to know Jesus. 

     Next week, we will continue with our current series. I will post the verses on Monday. If you didn't notice, I have started posting the second half of my book about the Minor Prophets. This week, I posted the chapter on Habakkuk. I will post the next chapter this week. May God bless you all. 

Verses For The Week

 Psalm 145:17 -- "The Lord is righteous in all His ways, and faithful in all He does."

Ephesians 5:9 -- "For the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth."

Weekend Sermon -- The Everlasting God

      I want to thank everyone for taking the time to read the message this week. I am doing better with my health, and I hope and pray that you are all doing well. I would like to thank the Lord for giving me the opportunity to post the message this week. 

     Over the course of the last few weeks, we have been engaged in a series of messages on the names and titles of God found in the Old Testament. In the Scriptures, one of the more used titles for God is The everlasting God. In Hebrew, this is El Olam. The first time we see this name for God used is in Genesis 21:33 which reads, "Then Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there he called on the name of the Lord, the Eternal God." This name for God is used over 400 times in the Bible. Another example of this usage is in Psalm 90:2 that states, "Before the mountains were born or You brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God."

     This title for God lets us know some very important things. For one, this title for God tells us that God is eternal. He is without beginning or end. There was not a time that God did not exist, and there is not a time in the future when God will go out of existence.  Because He is eternal, He has all power to sustain all things. 

    As I've stated many times here on the blog, Jesus is the divine Son of God. He is the Second Person of the Holy Trinity who came in the flesh. As God, Jesus is also the everlasting God. In Revelation 1:8, Jesus is called the Alpha and the Omega. This means the beginning and the end, and it is a reference to the eternal nature of the Son. In Hebrews 13:8 we are told that "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today, and forever."

     What is the significance of the Lord being the everlasting God for us? It is important for at least three different reasons. As the everlasting God, God is the sustainer of all that there is. If God was not everlasting, there would not be the hope of the continuity of all things. As the everlasting God, all will go according to His will and plan because there will not be a time when the Almighty God will not be in existence to carry out His will and His way in the universe. 

    We also need to realize that the promises that have been given to us by the Lord are dependent on the fact that He is the everlasting God. We are told in verses such as John 3:16 that God will give everlasting life to those who place their faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. Everlasting life for those of us who believe is only possible if there is an everlasting God. Also, Jesus told us that He has gone to prepare a place for us and that we will be with Him forever if we trust in Him. Jesus is the everlasting God. We can trust in His promises. He has the power to uphold and to do all that He has said and promised.

     Finally, it is important that God is everlasting in order for there to be true justice in the universe. If it was possible for God to come to an end, that would mean that it was within the realm of possibility for those who have done wrong to escape the consequences of their actions. Things would have the possibility of not being brought to account and recompense being made. 

     However, God is the everlasting God. Ultimate justice is secure. We can know that if we trust in the Lord that we will have everlasting life. God will always be in total control of all that is. Amen. 

Prayer Requests

     Please continue to pray that I will keep getting better. I thank you for your prayers. Also, keep praying that I can find a better job.

     Continue to pray for peace in the war torn areas of our world. Israel, Gaza, Ukraine, Yemen and Sudan all need our prayers. 

     For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for those in the nations of Oman and Tunisia. Pray that many will come to know Jesus. 

     Next week, we will continue with our current series. I will post the verses on Monday. May God bless you all. 

Verses For The Week

 James 1:12 -- "Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love Him."

Hebrews 10:23 -- "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful."

Galatians 6:9 -- "Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up."

Weekend Sermon -- The God Who Sees Me

       Thank you for taking the time to read the message this week. I hope that everyone is having a very good week. 

     Over the last three weeks or so, we've been engaged in a sermon series on the names and titles for God found in the Old Testament. Today, I want to focus on a title for God that, as far as I know, is only found once in the Bible. In Genesis 16:13, Hagar refers to God as El Roi. That means "The God who sees me." Let's look into the context of this, and then see how this name for God applies to us today. 

     We have to start with a little background. God had called Abraham out of Ur and said that He would make of him a great nation. God promised that Abraham and his wife Sarah would have a son. However, this didn't happen right away. Abraham and Sarah started to try and do things apart from the way that God had planned it, and problems arose. They always do when we try to do things our way and not God's way.

     When Sarah didn't get pregnant, she gave her slave Hagar to Abraham in order that Hagar might have a son and that child would be the child that God had promised. Hagar became pregnant, and this angered Sarah who then began to seriously mistreat Hagar. Hagar had enough and ran away. 

     The Angel of the Lord appeared to Hagar and told her to go back to Sarah. Hagar was promised that her child would be a son, and she was to name him Ishmael. Hagar was told that Ishmael would have many descendants. 

     When Hagar heard this message she said, "You are the God who sees me." "I have now seen the One who sees me." She went back to Sarah. However, down the road, things got bad again. After Isaac was born, Hagar and Ishmael were sent away. But, God kept His promise. The descendants of Ishmael have been numerous. The Arabs are the descendants of Ishmael. 

     There is something I need to say at this point. There is a lot that is messed up in what happened in this story. First of all, Abraham and Sarah should have had faith in God and not involved Hagar in the process. What is the worst thing is that a person was treated like Hagar was. Slavery is in the Bible, but slavery is wrong. Just because people who are in the Bible had slaves doesn't justify it in any way. 

     Jesus gave us the Golden Rule which definitely ends slavery if put into practice. Do unto others as you would have done to you. If you wouldn't want to be enslaved and mistreated, don't enslave and mistreat others. Also, Paul said in I Timothy 1:10 that those who trade in slaves will not inherit the Kingdom of God. 

    With that said, Hagar gave a name to God that is very important. She recognized that the God of the Universe saw her and was concerned about her. Hagar was a slave and woman. In that culture, she was at the bottom rung of the ladder. God loved her and cared about her. And she recognized that. 

     What can we get out of this story as 21st Century people? Our God sees us. When we are going through trials, struggles and bad times, we can know that the Lord sees what is happening. Psalm 121:8 says that the Lord will watch over our coming and going now and forever. He cares about us. Jesus said that He will never leave us, and He will never forsake. He is with us no matter what we are going through. We can go to Him and ask Him to strengthen us and help us. One day, we will be with Him forever. 

    I think that the most important thing that we can take away from this name for God given by Hagar is that God cares about and loves everyone. There are a lot of people in this world that the world seems to have forgotten. The poor, those of certain ethnic groups and a whole host of others are seemingly just tossed aside by the oppressive forces of this world. But, God sees and cares for all. He loves everyone. He wants justice for all, and the Lord expects His followers to work for justice in this world.

    One of the reasons that the religious leaders didn't like Jesus was due to the fact that He said whosoever comes to Me I won't cast out. He cared about the marginalized and those that others in society looked down upon. 

    Jesus loves and cares about everyone. He made that clear in the story about the rich man and Lazarus. Everyone who heard the story thought surely the rich man would go to heaven because they believed that all that wealth was a sign of God's blessing. No. Jesus said that Lazarus was the one who went to Heaven. He was homeless and sick, but his heart was right with God. Jesus saw him. And, Jesus made sure that he had an eternal reward and eternal comfort. The world ignored Lazarus and didn't see him, but Jesus didn't.

     I want to close by saying that we all need to do better about seeing people. Jesus loves everyone, and we need to do that too. I want to say to you that even though others have made you feel like nothing or that you don't matter, you matter greatly to the Lord Jesus. He loves you with an everlasting love. Amen. 

Prayer Requests

     I went to the doctor this week, and I am encouraged more about my health. She put me on a new medicine that is really helping the arthritis in my spine and the medicine for my stomach is helping as well. I thank the Lord I am doing better. Please keep praying for me. Thank you. 

     Please keep praying for an end to the conflicts taking place around the world. Pray for peace in Israel, Gaza, Ukraine, Syria, Yemen and Sudan. 

     Pray for those in California that have been harmed by all the rain. Pray that they will get the help that they need to recover. 

    For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for those in the nations of Pakistan and China. Pray that many will come to know Jesus.

    Also, pray for Christians that are facing persecution around the world. Pray that the Lord will be with them in a special way. 

    Next week, we will continue with our current series. I will post the verses on Monday. May God bless you all. 

     

Verses For The Week

Titus 2:11 -- "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people."

Romans 3:24 -- "But by the free gift of God's grace all are put right with Him through Christ Jesus, who sets them free."

Prayer Requests

      I want to report that I am feeling better in some ways. I thank the Lord for that. I went to the doctor yesterday, and I have another appointment midweek. I am hoping that we can get a handle on everything that is going on. I would like to ask you to pray that the heavy rain that they are calling for for my area this week will not materialize. We don't need anymore rain right now. Thank you. 

Weekend Sermon -- Adonai

      Thank you for taking the time to read the message this week. As I am preparing this message, I am having a lot of health problems. Please keep praying that I will get to feeling better. I hope that you are all doing well and are in good health. 

     As regular readers are aware by now, we have started a new series of messages on the names and titles of God as found in the Old Testament. Of the names of God found in the Bible, the name Adonai is one that is very frequently used for God. One of the places that uses the word Adonai is Deuteronomy 10:17 that states, "For the Lord your God is the God of gods, and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who does not show partiality, nor take a bribe." The term Adonai is most often translated as the word "Lord" in the English Bible. 

     Why is this title used, and what is its meaning? The name that is used for God in the Bible is Yahweh which is also written as Jehovah. The writers of the Old Testament did not want to say the name of God or spell it out in its entirety lest they not demonstrate the proper reverence for God or be guilty of taking the Lord's name in vain. The writer's of the Bible substituted Adonai or Lord many times in places where Yahweh would be placed. Adonai means Lord or Lord and master. It signifies the highest one. The one to whom total and complete allegiance is owed. 

     The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is Lord. He is the ruler over all that is. There is no one nor anything in the universe that is equal to or greater than God. He is the one who is rightly owed our full and complete obedience. 

     The great sin that Adam and Eve committed in the Garden of Eden was to disobey the Lord of the Universe. In reality, they were just like Lucifer who said that he would be like God and do whatever he wanted to do. Just like the fallen angels, humans have participated in a rebellion against the Lord of the Universe. 

     However, and this always amazes me when I state it, God still loved and cared about His creation. In spite of humanity's rebellion, God sent His Son into the world to redeem the world and bring people back into a right relationship with Him. Jesus is the Second Person of the Holy Trinity who took upon Himself human flesh. As God, Jesus had the right to be called, and was called by those who followed Him, Lord. 

     Jesus is Lord is one of the first affirmations of faith that we find among early Christians. It is an affirmation that Jesus is God and the one to whom are true allegiance lies. In order to be a Christian, a person has to make Jesus the Lord of their life and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. 

     Following Jesus as Lord means doing the things that He has commanded. It means following His example. It means going His way and not our way. Following Jesus as Lord means that we turn our back on the things of this world and this world's system and we do things Jesus's way. We look to Him in all things. 

     In order to be in a right relationship with God, we must end our rebellion against God and confess Jesus as Lord. One day, all of creation will bow and declare that Jesus Christ is Lord. Amen. 

Prayer Requests.

     As I've mentioned, I would ask you to keep praying in regard to my health. Also, there is supposed to be a lot of rain where I live this weekend, so please pray that there won't be any flooding. 

     Keep praying for peace. Ukraine needs peace. Israel and Gaza need peace. The Middle East region needs peace. We also need to keep praying for peace in Sudan.

     For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for those in the nations of Western Sahara and Iraq. Pray that many will come to know Jesus. 

    Next week, I will post the verses on Monday, and we will continue with our current sermon series. May God bless you all.