Nahum's Stronghold

"The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and He knows those who trust in Him."  Nahum 1:7.  The message of Nahum was to the city of Nineveh, representing the entire Assyrian Empire.  Nineveh was a beautiful city, located on the Tigris River, surrounded by a wall almost 8 miles in circumference.  The wall was 100 feet high, and wide enough for 3 chariots abreast on it.  The city also had canals, and moats, and guards outside.  The inhabitants of Nineveh felt safe in their stronghold.  But Nahum comes with this message, that the Lord is a stronghold in the day of trouble.  The city of Nineveh was about to be destroyed, and the Assyrian Empire was going to be taken over by the Babylonians.  Nahum's 3 chapters foretell of Nineveh's downfall.  But it didn't have to be this way.  About 150 years before this, another prophet had come to Nineveh to prophecy.  His name was Jonah.  We know how Jonah disobeyed God, and fled to Tarshish, from the presence of the Lord.  And when he was vomited by the fish, the word from God remained the same, "Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the message that I tell you."  So Jonah went to Nineveh with one message, "Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown."  At Jonah's word, everyone in that wicked city turned to God with crying and fasting, and God relented and saved the city!  Jonah was angry at God, because God was so gracious and merciful, and relented from the harm that was coming to Nineveh.  God forgives those we may think are undeserving of it.  Jonah's perspective needed to be changed.  The plant provided by God one day, was destroyed by a worm the next day, and Jonah was angry again.  But God was teaching Jonah about mercy, and lovingkindness, and grace for people that Jonah despised.  Nineveh's repentance turned out to be short lived.  They soon let sin back into their lives.  The city became full of lies and robbery, and soon would be laid waste.  Coming to God in repentance is necessary, but we must also continue to live in repentance, holiness, and humility before God.  The Ninevites did not learn this, and gave up the blessing of God that was offered to them through Jonah's preaching.  Now under Nahum's prophecy, they will reap the harvest of their harlotry, sorcery, and lies.  We learn this from Nahum, that the Lord is our true stronghold in the day of trouble.  God knows those who trust in Him.

Am I living out the repentance of the past?

I Will Love Them Freely

Hosea was called to speak to God's people about the fallen state of their spiritual lives.  Hosea would not only speak to them, but he would live out a living demonstration of the love of God by marrying a prostitute who would be unfaithful to him.  Hosea would go and seek out his wife and love her freely, even after what she had done.  So Hosea obeys God, and he marries a wife of harlotry named Gomer.  They have 3 children, and each of the children names speak to the nation of Israel of their lost condition before God.  Yet God promises He will once again gather His people back to Him, and once again they will be His people, and a place where Mercy is shown.  Israel and Judah broke the first and greatest commandment, which is to love the Lord with all their heart, with all their soul, and with all their strength.  They allowed their hearts to fall in love with many other things.  "...They became an abomination like the thing they loved."  Hosea 9:10.  "They sow the wind, and reap the whirlwind..."  8:7.  The sowing and reaping principle came into effect, and their enemies were overtaking them as a result.  They rejected knowledge, and were destroyed for their lack of knowledge.  "Harlotry, wine, and new wine enslave the heart."  4:11. Their love affair with idols, wine, harlotry, and everything the flesh could desire brought them to a place of brokenness and affliction.  "Their drink is rebellion, they commit harlotry continually, her rulers dearly love dishonor."  4:18.  Their life had fallen to the depths of rebellion, and now the Assyrians were going to take them captive.  But Hosea's book is a great revelation of the love of God, despite our behavior.  God calls for them to come return to the Lord.  He promises to come to them once again like the rain, the former and the latter rain to the earth.  Now they can turn their situation around, "Sow to yourselves righteousness, reap in mercy; Break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the Lord, till He comes and rains righteousness on you." 10:12.  God will not hold back His love from us, no matter what we have done.  "I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely, for My anger has turned away from him."  14:4.  "I drew them with gentle cords, with bands of love..."  11:4.  What a beautiful picture of the love of God.  As Hosea sought out his unfaithful wife, so God seeks after those who have been unfaithful to Him.  "For the ways of the Lord are right; The righteous walk in them, but transgressors stumble in them." 14:9

Am I walking in the free forgiveness of the love of God?

Possess Your Possessions

"The pride of your heart has deceived you..."  Obadiah 3.  The prophet Obadiah spoke to the nation of Edom. The Edomites were the descendants of Esau, Jacob's older brother.  Jacob was a deceiver from the time he was born, as indicated by his hand on his brother's heel at birth.  Though Esau was the older, he was persuaded by Jacob to sell his birthright for a meal of stew.  Then later, with the help of his mother Rebekah, Jacob stole the blessing from his father that was meant for Esau.  Esau was so angry with his brother that he planned to kill him.  Jacob left to go live with his uncle Laban so that Esau's anger would cool down.  They did have a reconciliation meeting later, but history indicates that the animosity of Esau's descendants continued up to the time of Nebuchadnezzar's capture of Jerusalem in 586BC.  As Obadiah prophecies to Edom, he rebukes them for choosing to side with Babylon against Jacob their brother.  From verses 12-14 there are at least 7 things they should not have done.  They made their decisions from an attitude of pride and animosity.  They felt secure in their nation, living in Petra, a natural fortress.  They said in verse 3, "Who will bring me down to the ground?"  Their pride deceived them, and they became vulnerable to deception.  Obadiah's message warns us of the danger of living with a prideful heart.  "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up."  James 4:10.  "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble." James 4:6.  It is in this attitude of humility that we submit to God, we resist the devil, and he flees from us.  Humility is the key to experiencing grace in our lives.  Forgiveness is the key to experiencing freedom in our lives.  Esau's refusal to forgive Jacob caused a root of bitterness to grow, making Esau an immoral and profane person, Heb. 12:14-17.  Edom was stuck in the past because of unforgiveness and anger.  Jesus told us exactly how to stay free from the root of bitterness, "And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses."  Mark 11:25.  Forgive anything against anyone.  Why?  Because it sets you free from the past, so you can move on in what God has given you.  Obadiah, the shortest book of the Old Testament, reveals two great truths: humility brings grace, and forgiveness brings freedom.  It is the way to "possess your possessions", Obadiah 17.

Does pride deceive me into thinking I don't need God?