DECEMBER 17
Nahum
1-3
You might ask, what is the point of the
book of Nahum? Good question. Lots of prophets wrote of the downfall of Nineveh
and Assyria. We just read some of that in Micah. If I was going to hazard a
guess, I would suggest that this prophecy was used by God to spook (shock) the Assyrians
into letting the newly repentant and "born again" King Manasseh of
Judah out of his Assyrian captivity.
About 100 years earlier, Nineveh had
fallen on hard times and was shocked into repentance by the preaching of Jonah.
Assyria had grown slowly, biding its time and had now come almost to the
stature of an empire. After the Assyrians took the northern kingdom of Israel
into captivity, they were humbled in trying to take Jerusalem. This was a
setback and now they feared the God who dwelt around the mountains of
Jerusalem. Even though Judah and Jerusalem pledged allegiance to Assyria, it
never mentions the Assyrians coming to Jerusalem. Even in 2 Chronicles 33:11,
when it says that Manasseh was taken with thorns and hooks to Babylon by the
Assyrians, it never says they took Manasseh from Jerusalem. From secular
documents it says that Manasseh attended an event in Assyria. That is probably
where he was taken captive, and possibly for fear of Yahweh, Manasseh was
removed from Nineveh to a prison in Babylon.
During that time Amon, Manasseh's son,
would have run the government, though not officially as king. In the meantime,
Manasseh came to his right mind, repented and was saved. God had an assignment
for Manasseh. Manasseh wasn't able to undo his horrible wrongs and influence in
Jerusalem and Judah. He couldn't change the heart of his son Amon, but it does
appear that the repentant and humbled Manasseh might have used his last years
to influence his grandson Josiah. Josiah went on to be the godliest king of
Judah, and through his reforms and influence, eight godly young people formed
four godly families and had four godly teenagers who were taken to Babylon and
became key leaders used by God to protect Israel during the Babylonian
captivity.
I think this violent little letter by
Nahum struck the heart of the new Assyrian king. He would have known of Jonah
and the 185,000 men Assyria had lost outside of Jerusalem, slaughtered by no
human hand. When he heard this message and remembered that his father had imprisoned
Manasseh, he, like the kings before him, felt the dread of Israel's God, and
returned Manasseh to Jerusalem.
If you want to see where Nahum fits in the
history of the Old Testament, look at the chart, “Kings
of Judah and Israel and the Preexilic Prophets,” at the end of this document.
If you have the Bible Knowledge
Commentary and if you are interested in seeing how vile and violent Assyria
was, and how exact this prophecy of Nahum was, then you might be interested in
reading the “Introduction to the Book of Nahum,” Bible
Knowledge Commentary-OT, p. 1493.
Nahum 1
Vs. 1-6 Notice how threatening and
violent this sounds. It actually will sound kind of like events we'll read
about in Revelation. Verse 3 is a comfort, but when God has been ignored long
enough and His judgment starts to roll, it rolls to completion.
V. 7 This is one of a few breaks in
this chapter where God declares His protection of Judah and Jerusalem.
Vs. 8-11 This is God threatening the
rulers of Assyria. Actually, Nineveh was taken by a literal flood. Their army
came as a "flood" among the nations, but God used their enemies to
make a real flood against them. I think v. 11 might be a reference to Rabshakeh in 2 Kings 18:17. It's a bad idea to get
on the bad side of Yahweh. After all, how often can you afford to lose 185,000
men?
Vs. 12-13 God is declaring deliverance for Israel in
spite of Assyria's strength.
V. 14 God will make an end to Assyria.
V. 15 In contrast to the message of Rabshakeh, a
messenger will come to Zion declaring the good news of Assyria's demise. Paul
and the Holy Spirit used this verse in Romans 10:15. The good news of
deliverance we bring into the harvest is about a million times better.
Nahum 2
Vs. 1-9 Apparently there is imagery in this vision
of the destruction of Nineveh that reflects some of what actually happened.
V. 2 Note again. This is confirmation that God is
bringing this destruction because of what has happened to Israel. So, if the
king of Assyria is listening, he will try to do something nice for Israel.
Sending King Manasseh back might have been a noble-looking peace offering.
V. 3 The Assyrians would have seen these red shields
as an allusion to the army of Babylon.
Vs. 10-13 This is God mocking the pride and power of
Assyria. God would humble them.
Nahum 3
Vs. 1-7 The destruction of Nineveh was so complete,
that years later Alexander the Great rode by and had no idea that the ruins he
saw had once been this city.
Vs. 8-10 Although Egypt had power and
lots of allies, when Assyria brutally took Thebes, none of these things helped.
In the same way, Assyria shouldn't think its strength or allies would be a
help. In fact, it was the allies of Assyria, the Medes and the Babylonians, who
finally destroyed Nineveh.
Note that this event in Egypt is
already past. It took place in 663 A.D., which gives us a little help in
putting the date of this book in the reign of Manasseh.
Vs. 11-19 Again, this is all very
graphic and violent. If it was read in Hebrew to the king of Assyria, with that
guttural, throaty sound, it might have even been that much more frightening.
We've seen that God had no problem
scaring kings and humbling them. Nebuchadnezzar was a great lesson. In what we
are reading in Revelation, it shows us that the only thing holding God back
from mastering all nations is His own patience in seeing people in the harvest
saved. Jesus told His disciples not to fear rulers. Why? Because He is in
control behind the scenes in an infinitely wise and intricate way, bringing justice to victory. (Matt. 12:20) If we
get dragged before kings, it's because He wants us dragged there to give testimony
to Him, of His gracious offer and sacrifice, and of His coming in glory and
judgment.
Revelation
8
V. 1 I can
only think that this was a very solemn thirty minutes, showing the importance
of this seventh seal. According to
those theologians who think in "points and sub-points," all of what
follows is actually a sub-point of this seventh seal. The book and its seals
are the actual book of judgment. What is about to happen next will make the
first six seals look like a warm up, which actually was what they were. By now
people on the earth are responding to what God has done, but as bad as that
was, it is nothing compared to what is about to hit the earth. The 144,000 are
out and working. The antichrist has revealed himself and has shown he is a
supernaturally skilled organizing- and consensus-winning dynamo. He has brought
order to the world order and made a peace agreement with Israel that is agreed
upon by all nations. Imagine that. In the new religious tolerance that the
antichrist creates, believers are being persecuted and killed; because, after
all, all religions accept Jesus. However, Jesus doesn't accept any other
religion, nor do His disciples. People are either thinking about God or they
are not. I think it is during this time that the two witnesses also rise to
prominence in Jerusalem. I think that the events we are about to witness are
called down by these witnesses, so that when God allows the antichrist to kill
them, the entire world will rejoice.
Vs. 2-4 I
believe the prayers of these saints are prayers for God's justice. Now the
angel mixes them with the coals from the altar of sacrifice and holiness, and
judgment will begin.
Vs.
5-6 Now Jesus will literally get His wish. I
came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled! (Luke
12:49) I'm guessing in all of this, the earth is about to experience a massive
and yet somewhat progressive meteor storm. Notice that when the judgments begin,
it looks like they all happen pretty near each other.
V. 7 There
is no way to imagine this. Talk about throwing the entire world into an
emergency. And in all of it, the 144,000 are working in the harvest, under the
radar, under that smoke. And, everyone in the world is mad at those two guys in
Jerusalem, but they can't do much about them. They're too busy putting out
fires, literally. And to think, this happened because of all the little pieces
that got through the atmosphere. I have a feeling that wherever this third of
the earth is, it is far enough away from Israel that Israel will have relative
peace.
Vs. 8-9
This is the second trumpet and a big piece gets through. We don't know which
ocean gets hit, but we see the result. Who can say what the blood means. Maybe it is simply
appearance, but the effect is amazing. Not only are the ocean's waters
poisoned, so that a third of the aquatic life dies, but the tidal wave also
destroys a third of all merchant shipping. I have no idea how destructive this
will be to commerce or to every city near the ocean. Also, what will be the
ramifications of having poisoned oceans? And again, the 144,000 are working
away in the harvest. Some people are getting saved and others are really,
really getting mad at the two rats in Jerusalem.
Vs. 10-11
The third trumpet and yet another big piece gets through. Did you know that the
Great Lakes hold about one-third of the fresh water in the world?
V. 12 This
is hard to understand. I have read that if the earth were struck by enough big
meteors, that it would create such a dense cloud of dust on earth that it could
fill the atmosphere and block the sun's rays, possibly throwing the world into
an ice age. We won't have an ice age, but the world will be changed. And what
will that mean for any and all communication, for satellite guidance and
tracking and for air travel?
V. 13
There is an eagle in heaven directly over John, talking. And basically it says
that the people on earth haven't seen anything yet. Everything so far has had a
"natural" look to it. To be in the path of a meteor shower is just
bad luck, right? Things are about to get "spiritual."
But in all
of this, keep in mind that some people will be opening their hearts to God.
This is the last great harvest. What mercy and love in the midst of judgment.
In all the confusion, the 144,000 are quietly working in that very dark
harvest. As disciples our hour is now. We need to be doing our part in our
field's harvest.
Psalm
136
God's
love is the common element in all of the things mentioned. In fact, it is God's
loyal love. In the list of events in this psalm are nice things and awful
things. The constant is the loyal love of God. As we are seeing in Revelation,
in the middle of tremendous judgment, His love is still operating to save those
who are willing to turn to Him. Regardless of what comes into our lives, His steadfast, faithful, loyal love, because of Christ, is always
working and endures forever.
Vs.
1-9 This is God's love to us in the creation.
Vs.
10-16 This is God's love by saving Israel out of Egypt.
Vs.
17-22 This is God's love by protecting Israel in the wilderness and giving them
victory in the land.
Vs.
23-26 This is God's love in the present. He reigns in the world, yet He attends
to our needs with His steadfast love.
Proverbs 30:7-9
I think it is healthy to be a little fearful and weary of
the sin within us. Get us off our meds (the Word) and we are capable of
anything. We are weaker than we think. Isn't it interesting when the Lord gave
His disciples the prayer that was to "tune" their praying, at the end
is the reminder of their weakness. And
lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. (Matt. 6:13.
RSV) One of the benefits of being a disciple, living close to the Lord, utterly
dependent, is that we see ourselves, but we know His love and strength. To see
ourselves without Him would be awful.
If you’re reading along
and don’t have a One Year Bible, click on this link http://www.esvbible.org/devotions/every-day-in-the-word/. If that doesn't work, go to http://www.esvbible.org/devotions/ and click on “Every Day in the Word.”
I'm writing these
comments to and for those who are following a One Year Bible and interested in
growing deeper as a disciple, following Jesus in the harvest. My hope is to see
the growth of a discipleship culture in the church. Groups of 3-4 disciples, meeting
weekly, encouraging each other to follow Christ and work to reach out and make
disciples who make disciples. The Bible itself is the most universal manual we
have and key to our growth and service in Christ. Nothing keeps us more focused
on why we are here or what we are to be doing. My comments are only meant to
provide some explanation of the events or to show the flow of God's plan of
redemption. My comments are in no way exhaustive, but are designed to keep us
focused on Christ and our role in His harvest. My hope is that the people in
these groups will grow in Christ and be willing, after a year, to find 3 others
to meet with and encourage in their growth as disciples, disciples making
disciples in the harvest.
If you would like a
complete description of this model of being and making disciples you can find
it in my book: Simply Disciples*Making Disciples.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B011WJIDQA?*Version*=1&*entries*=0
If you would like a more
descriptive commentary that is still readable and concise, I'd recommend the
Bible Knowledge Commentary. It's keyed to the NIV, so the result is the
commentators are constantly telling you what the Greek or Hebrew is. That never
hurts.
I am not endorsing any
particular One Year Bible; in fact, I read something you don't, die revidierte
Lutherbibel 1984.
Anyone reading along with
us is welcome to do so and is encouraged to take their own notes and make their
own observations. If the comments made do not agree with your particular
tradition or understanding, that's OK. Nothing I've written is meant to
criticize any point of view, but only to express the truth of what God has
written to us, as I understand it. Send comments or feedback to dgkachikis@gmail.com.
If you would like
documents containing an entire month of the Reading Notes, go to https://sites.google.com/site/dlkachikis/reading-notes. You can download these to use on your computer or to
print.
No comments:
Post a Comment