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.
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