Weekly Devotion The Lord is Good... The book of Nahum is a sequel to the book of Jonah. About 100 years earlier, Jonah was sent to the city of Nineveh, which was the capital city of the nation of Assyria. Jonah entered the city preaching a message of imminent judgment. When the people of Nineveh heard the message of Jonah, they repented of their sins and the Lord spared the city. Now, a century has passed and they have turned away from the commitment they made to the Lord. By the time the book of Nahum was written, the Assyrian Empire was at the height of its military and national power. They were on the march, seeking to expand the boundaries of their kingdom. Beyond that, the Assyrians were guilty of attacking the nation of Israel. God used them to punish Israel for their sins, but God would also punish Assyria for their disobedience and their hatred of the people of God. The name Nahum, or “comfort,” is a strange name for this book, because the book of Nahum is a book of judgment. It is a book of harsh pronouncements of disaster against people who had abandoned the ways of God. Nahum’s message is one of judgment. His message is a heavy message because it is a message of doom, gloom and judgment. Nahum’s prophecies were fulfilled when God allowed the Assyrians to be conquered by the Babylonians. Even though Nahum’s message is one of judgment and wrath, there is one bright spot. Nahum 1:7 The Lord is good, A stronghold in the day of trouble; And He knows those who trust in Him. The Lord is good ! In the midst of all the words of wrath, anger and doom, this verse stands like a shining beacon of hope on a dark and stormy night. In the midst of all these gloom, Nahum declares that God is good. Nahum clearly says, “The Lord is good.” This statement is made against the clear backdrop of God’s judgment on the Assyrians. Consider the context of Nahum 1:2- 6 God is jealous, and the Lord avenges; The Lord avenges and is furious. The Lord will take vengeance on His adversaries, And He reserves wrath for His enemies;3 The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, And will not at all acquit the wicked. The Lord has His way In the whirlwind and in the storm, And the clouds are the dust of His feet.4 He rebukes the sea and makes it dry, And dries up all the rivers. Bashan and Carmel wither, And the flower of Lebanon wilts.5 The mountains quake before Him, The hills melt, And the earth heaves[a] at His presence, Yes, the world and all who dwell in it.6 Who can stand before His indignation? And who can endure the fierceness of His anger? His fury is poured out like fire, And the rocks are thrown down by Him. Even in the midst of judgment, “The Lord is good!” Even the judgment of God is not the vindication of His wrath rather His goodness. The word “good” means, “pleasant, agreeable, rich, valuable.” That word describes the very character of God. Circumstances may say otherwise, but “The Lord is good!” Regardless of the realm of life: finances, people, pain, problems, sickness, or even death, “The Lord is good!” We are living in hard times, but “The Lord is good!” in spite of how things look, feel, or appear, “The Lord is good!” That is the assurance we have in all situations, circumstances, and conditions of life. “The Lord is good!” Read Psalm 34:8; Psalm 100:5; Psalm 135:3; Psalm 145:9. All these verses teach us the same truth; they teach us that, “The Lord is good!” He is always good! It is easy for us to say, “The Lord is good” when life is going well, but it does not change the fact that, “The Lord is good” even when times are bad. The Lord is good all the time, and in every way. Chapter 1 of the book of Nahum declares the greatness of God. But, the one word that best describes His unchanging nature is the word “good”. “The Lord is good!” The Lord is a stronghold!! Nahum 1:7 The Lord is good, A stronghold in the day of trouble; And He knows those who trust in Him. Nahum reminds the embattled people of God that God is “a stronghold in the day of trouble.” the word “stronghold” means, “a place of safety, protection and refuge; a safe harbor in the storm.” Eventually, we will all need a stronghold. Trouble will come to us all eventually. Job 5:7; Job 14:1- the word “trouble” refers to, “distress; It speaks of those times when life closes in around us, and the pressures of life come against us. In those times, the people of God have a refuge. Psalm 73:1; Deuteronomy 33:27; Psalm 27:5; Psalm 46:1; Psalm 50:15; Proverbs 18:10; Isaiah 43:2. We have a place to which we can flee in the day of trouble; a place for the hurts and horrors of life cannot follow us. There is a place of safety for the people of God. Nahum 1:2 says “God is jealous.” When we become jealous, it is because we are afraid of losing something or someone that is dear to us. When we become jealous, it is always a manifestation of our fallen natures. In other words, human jealousy is a sin. When the Bible says, “God is jealous,” that does not imply that God is guilty of sin. God is not afraid of losing us. God is not afraid that someone will take us away. What it means is that God views us as a precious possession, 1 Peter 2:9. It means that He places Himself between us and those persons or events that would harm us. His children are precious to Him, and He will do whatever it takes to protect them. Nahum 1:3. The Lord declares that He “has His way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of His feet.” That simply reminds us, that He is in control. Our God is a sovereign God. The winds and the waves obeyed His will. When the storms of life rise against us, and the winds of adversity rock our life, we will discover that there is a place of refuge for the child of God. You will discover that there is peace in the midst of the storm. You will discover that God is directing your paths for his glory, Proverbs 3:5-6. The word “pass” refers to, “the unmarked ways of life.” Job understood this truth, Job 23:10. So did David, Psalm 37:23. We need to learn the truth that even when we cannot see the way, He is the way!! The Lord knows us!! Nahum 1:7 The Lord is good, A stronghold in the day of trouble; And He knows those who trust in Him. We are told that, “He knows them that trust in Him.” The word “knows” means, “to know intimately; to know by experience.” The word “trust” means, “to flee for protection; to trust in God.” This phrase reminds us that God knows His people. He knows your name! He knows where you are; He knows what you face; He knows all the details of your life. Even the very hairs of your head are numbered. He knows you intimately, comprehensively, and completely. There is nothing about you, your life, or your situation that has escaped His attention. Like Hagar, when she fled from Abraham, Genesis 21:17, God knows you and everything about you. Psalm 23:1-6 declares the depth of His knowledge and the comprehensiveness of His care for those who belong to Him. By the way, His sheep know Him too, John 10:4–5; 27. His sheep know his voice. He speaks, and they respond to His words. They are in a constant state of two-way communication with the Shepherd. In John 15:13–15, He calls us His “friends.” The word “friends” means, “an associate”. He associates with us. We are His friends! He is a “Shepherd” to His sheep. He is a “Friend” to His associates. But, it gets better than that. Hebrews 2:11–12 tells us that we are His “brothers.” The word refers to, “those of the same womb.” He is more than the leader of a bunch of dumb animals. He is more than a friend of a gang of sinners. He has saved us by His grace, and brought us into His family. There is a heavenly acquaintance, and that gives us hope in the day of trouble and turns everything good . The individual ingredients of a cake mix may not taste good; but when they put together in the right way, they make a wonderfully delicious cake! God works the same way. Many times, we wonder why He would let us go through such bad and difficult times. But as we trust in Him despite the circumstances, eventually, together all things will make something wonderful!” No matter what we face in life the fact about the nature of God remain the same “The Lord is good!” He is a stronghold in the day of trouble; And He knows those who trust in Him. Pastor Alex
Posted on: Sun, 18 Aug 2013 04:25:15 +0000
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